How do you catch surface feeding Crappie?

[willcfish]

How do you catch surface feeding Crappies?
Many times I have been frustrated by surface feeding crappies.
What is the solution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGi09CoEDAA

 

[Toad]

You're 100% sure it's a school of crappie? Reminds me of a ball of shad, but maybe you can see better in real life versus a video.

Years ago (before kids) I would net a few shad some evenings for catfish bait. We would look for surface activity similar to what your video shows and throw a cast net over the school. Never caught a crappie or anything else while tossing the cast net, just shad, and lots of them.

Outside of the crappie spawn, when they are shallow, all my crappie fishing is done either trolling or on deep structure. We also sometimes "spider rig", kind of... There is a 2 pole limit in KS unless you buy an additional permit for a 3rd pole, so our "spiders" are lacking legs.

 

[jonnyB]

Assume they are feeding on minnows near the surface - I would try a minnow, no weight and very light bobber you can cast. This gets the minnow near the surface, if you troll slow or drift through or near the school.

Good luck and tight lines!

 

[koja48]

I've not encountered this very often, but longer, light rods & long casts worked. Whenever we got too close, the fish would disperse.

 

[FCSpringer]

Dry fly. Its lake bug feeding, or may fly feeding. Some will bite on a crawler chunk and lite hook. But a fly is the ticket. One that looks like the bug that day. Just like trout.

 

[BleuBijou]

Looks to me they are just under the surface. Bugs are hatching or emerging. There are any number of nymphs that will sit just under the surface that you could use. If you catch one you can suck the contents of what it is eating and get the exact answer. Most fly shops will have what you need.:cheers:

 

[KATroutman13]

Assume they are feeding on minnows near the surface - I would try a minnow, no weight and very light bobber you can cast. This gets the minnow near the surface, if you troll slow or drift through or near the school.

Good luck and tight lines!

What JonnyB said -- but to add to it put the bobber way up from the hook, try to get the minnow to land past the feeding school and slowly drag the minnow through the school. The other way is the way I caught my biggest crappie ever -- floating rapala. Crank it down until you thing you are under the school of fish, let it float to the top keeping the line fairly taught.