In deep lakes, focus on shallow middepth basin areas immediately adjacent to shoreline points, turns in the drop-off, or near the mouths of bays. Drill a grid pattern of holes to locate fish.
Finding crappies in a basin can be an intimidating task. From our experience, the best way to approach finding them is to break the basin down into high percentage areas, and then begin to drill through those zones in a grid pattern. Our system typically puts one man on the auger and the other on electronics. The first guy starts punching a grid pattern of holes, while the second uses the electronics to scan the depths, flow, and any signs of life.
If big fish bait or any signs of life are spotted, we’ll focus our drilling efforts in that area. Typically, we won’t even wet a line unless our electronics let us know we’re in the right area. If nothing is present, we simply repeat this process in other high percentage areas of the basin until we find them. It can be a lot of work, but the time and effort is definitely worth it.
“Finding crappies in a basin can be an intimidating task. The best way to approach finding them is to break the basin down into high percentage areas and drill through those zones in a grid pattern,” says the expert. This method involves one person using an auger to punch a grid pattern of holes while the other person uses electronics to scan the depths and look for signs of life. If they spot big fish bait or any signs of life, they focus their drilling efforts in that area. They rely heavily on their electronics to determine if they’re in the right area before wetting a line.
The expert emphasizes the importance of using braided line when fishing in deep water. Even though the crappies they’re targeting are big, they’re not aggressively biting. Braided line allows them to feel the subtle bites, and it’s especially helpful in deep water. Another advantage of braided line is that it doesn’t freeze like other lines, making it ideal for fishing in warmer weather.
In the video, the expert demonstrates their technique and catches a nice-sized crappie. They decide to keep a couple of fish for a meal later. “That looks like a good eater,” says one of the anglers. They’re excited about having fresh crappies for dinner.
Overall, finding crappies in a basin requires a systematic approach of breaking down the area into high percentage zones and using electronics to locate signs of life. It may take time and effort, but the reward of catching these fish makes it all worth it.
“Finding crappies in a basin can be an intimidating task. The best way to approach finding them is to break the basin down into high percentage areas and drill through those zones in a grid pattern,” says the expert. This method involves one person using an auger to punch a grid pattern of holes while the other person uses electronics to scan the depths and look for signs of life. If they spot big fish bait or any signs of life, they focus their drilling efforts in that area. They rely heavily on their electronics to determine if they’re in the right area before wetting a line.
The expert also highlights the importance of using braided line when fishing in deep water. In the video, they explain that even though the crappies they’re targeting are big, they’re not aggressively biting. Braided line allows them to feel the subtle bites, which is especially helpful in deep water. Additionally, braided line doesn’t freeze like other lines, making it ideal for fishing in warmer weather.
The video showcases the expert’s technique as they catch a nice-sized crappie. They decide to keep a couple of fish for a meal later, expressing their excitement about having fresh crappies for dinner.
To summarize, finding crappies in a basin requires a systematic approach of breaking down the area into high percentage zones and using electronics to locate signs of life. This method involves one person using an auger to punch a grid pattern of holes while the other person scans the depths with electronics. By relying on their electronics to determine the right area, they can maximize their chances of success. Additionally, using braided line in deep water allows them to feel the subtle bites and eliminates the worry of freezing in warmer weather. The effort put into finding crappies in a basin is well worth it when rewarded with a delicious meal of fresh crappies.
