I have a small pond in my yard that has LMB, Crappie, Green sunfish and Mosquito fish in it. I have managed to catch Mosquito fish, Greens and a LMB, but never any small Crappie. I can catch them on my fishing rod but never any under 6". Is there a good way to catch small ones? I think the pond is too deep for seining and my dip net does not work for the crappie. Is it possible that there are no small Crappie in the pond? Or am I just looking in the wrong spots?

I have a small pond in my yard that has LMB, Crappie, Green sunfish and Mosquito fish in it. I have managed to catch Mosquito fish, Greens and a LMB, but never any small Crappie. I can catch them on my fishing rod but never any under 6". Is there a good way to catch small ones? I think the pond is too deep for seining and my dip net does not work for the crappie. Is it possible that there are no small Crappie in the pond? Or am I just looking in the wrong spots?

Really small hooks with the barb squeezed closed!

I have tried that with small mosquito fish for bait with no luck. Is there a better bait for Crappie?

Might want to try wax worms. You could also put a small trap in.

I agree, traps seem to work well for crappie. Try a few different baits in the trap. I've tried good old bread (whole grain seems to work best), sardine can with holes punched in it, beef liver, fish food in a nylon bag, etc.... Leave it over night. The fish fairy will leave you a gift.
-Thom
P.S. Does anyone have success with traps? If so, what bait works best for you?

Machineman,

Is this pond something that would be covered by your state's fishing regulations? Or is it a plastic pre-fab "pond"? If it is a natural pond, you should check the regulations - many states consider crappie to be a game species that can only be caught on hook-and-line. There might also be length requirements, too.

This pond was built on my property about 15 years ago. It was planted at the time from commercial fish farms with LMB, Crappie, mosquito fish and Catfish. I dont know how the Green sunfish got there may be planted at the same time. I don't think that California fish regs apply to such a pond. All the plants must have come in by bird foot transfer or other natural means.

I agree, traps seem to work well for crappie. Try a few different baits in the trap. I've tried good old bread (whole grain seems to work best), sardine can with holes punched in it, beef liver, fish food in a nylon bag, etc.... Leave it over night. The fish fairy will leave you a gift.
-Thom
P.S. Does anyone have success with traps? If so, what bait works best for you?

Are you referring specifically to crappie in traps? I have caught crappie in turtle traps baited with sardines (including a 10-11" blacknose!), but not often enough to call it an effective method for catching them. I've also caught carp, redhorse, hogsuckers, fliers, longear sunfish, bluegill, young largemouth bass, shortnose and spotted gar, golden shiners, lots of crayfish, watersnakes, cottonmouths, and, one time, a coot in sardine-baited turtle traps. Occasionally I even catch a turtle!

• Hello,
  
  
• How large is your pond in acres?
• Do you have any trees in the water?
• What depths do you have 10 yards out?
• what kind of bottom do you have; gradual sloping, drop off, irregular and lumpy?

* Would you know if you have any Flathead catfish in there???

Are you referring specifically to crappie in traps? I have caught crappie in turtle traps baited with sardines (including a 10-11" blacknose!), but not often enough to call it an effective method for catching them. I've also caught carp, redhorse, hogsuckers, fliers, longear sunfish, bluegill, young largemouth bass, shortnose and spotted gar, golden shiners, lots of crayfish, watersnakes, cottonmouths, and, one time, a coot in sardine-baited turtle traps. Occasionally I even catch a turtle!

Years back we tested some frozen light sticks from Ocean Products (?). They had to be kept frozen until used. I put a couple in some 3' fyke nets in a pond near an aquaculture research farm.

The pink and reds caught carp and buffalo like crazy.

the 'black light' ones filled the net like spaghetti with diamond back water snakes.... go figure.

netmaker

The pond is about a 1/4 acre about 12-15 feet in the middle weeds around the edges and some in deep water. There are no Flathead catfish that I know of. I don't think there are any catfish at all any more. I haven't caught one in years although I found a dead one about 15" 3 years or so ago. The bottom is smooth mud. I catch most of the big Crappie right in the middle where its deepest.
I will be draining this pond this year or next so I can dig out the muck should be interesting what I find. I will be restocking with Coppernose Bluegill, LMB and perhaps Fathead Minnows when the time comes. This is my fishing pond and it has been pretty poor fishing for the last few years, so I am hoping to improve the situation before my son is old enough to fish with me. Kids love sunfish!!!!!

The pond is about a 1/4 acre about 12-15 feet in the middle weeds around the edges and some in deep water. There are no Flathead catfish that I know of. I don't think there are any catfish at all any more. I haven't caught one in years although I found a dead one about 15" 3 years or so ago. The bottom is smooth mud. I catch most of the big Crappie right in the middle where its deepest.
I will be draining this pond this year or next so I can dig out the muck should be interesting what I find. I will be restocking with Coppernose Bluegill, LMB and perhaps Fathead Minnows when the time comes. This is my fishing pond and it has been pretty poor fishing for the last few years, so I am hoping to improve the situation before my son is old enough to fish with me. Kids love sunfish!!!!!

Hello,

Crappie (sac-a-lait) in our world, are critters that like to play follow the leader.
if you want to try a trap or two, here is what I would suggest.

At night they like to swim around obstacles and such. They play follow the leader in the sense that if you get a few to go one way (like into a trap) the rest will follow unless a real agressive fish (like a flathead) ambushes them and then they scatter.

• If you are immune from regulations, then get your self some poultry wire that is small enough for your size fish.
• Roll it into a cylinder 24" dia. to 30" x 48" deep (you may have to section 2 pieces together)
• Now cut your self two sections and make a funnel of sorts. Keep the opening about 4" or so , this keeps out any big ol' fish or large snappers. make the funnels only about 18" deep...that's short and ugly.......
• Put this funnel directly in the mouth of the trap.
• Center the hole dead center of the trap.
• Now make another one, only make the hole about 3" or less.
• Position this one directly behind the first one so any fish swimming will go directly from one to the other.
• Angle the hole upwards so it is OFF CENTER.
• * use hog rings from your farm supply store or even small plastic tie wraps to assemble everything.
• Smash the rear end closed and fold it. Put a tie wrap or two to keep it closed.

Still with me mon amis????

• take a section of this wire as deep as the trap is in diameter and attach it dead center to the trap.
• make it maybe 25' long or less....you now have a lead . Sac-a-lait love to follow fences and leads and such.......
• you can put a few stakes to hold it up...
• *if the wire is too flexible, run a piece of no. 14 electric wire through the top meshes like a rope and pull that tight at the bank.
• its going to look sloppy but a little loose is ok.
• If you have trouble with it touching bottom, tie wrap on some lightweight chain.......not lead weights.
• a piece of 3/6" should do.........rusty doesn't matter, the chain forces the wire to contour a little better to the bottom.
• anchor the trap out in the pond 25' (with a stake) ........ on a 30 degree angle to the bank with the back end of the trap facing into which ever prevailing wind you have during that season.
• stake the other end on the bank........its Ok if some wire mesh sticks out of the water.
• now, bait the trap with sour, clabbered milk (cheese) and a 6x6 chunk of WHITE SYROFOAM

too much fishy smell attarcts catfish, snakes, turtles,bream and other critters
minnows love to hit anything white.bread comes apart real quick. the sound of the minnows hitting food sometimes attarcts these fish.

* ALWAYS LEAVE AT LEAST TWO OR THREE FISH IN THE TRAP*


I can not say this is fool proof as California and Louisiana have too entirely different environments.
If i were going sac-a-lait fishing I'd use 2" red swamp crawfish (p. clarkii).......I'd bet you all would have another favorite BAIT ?

This is just a suggestion on a trap design that has worked here. if i knew how to post MSN WORD files on here, I'd draw it out for you .

Let me know what happens. Don't get discouraged right away, as fish often need to get used to the traps first .

There is always a Plan B..........

netmaker

Hello machineman,


I've got the drawings all ready to go.

But to be on the safe side, check with your DNR this week and find out if you can legally trap these small crappie on YOUR private pond.
Keep in mind that you're going to catch an assortment of critters with this rig.

Email me back when you know for sure and I'll post this attachment for you right here on the forum.

Its best you find out first. This trap is a serious upgrade from just the "basic minnow" trap i described the other night.

I'll wait for your reply on this.

netmaker

But to be on the safe side, check with your DNR this week and find out if you can legally trap these small crappie on YOUR private pond.
Keep in mind that you're going to catch an assortment of critters with this rig.

Email me back when you know for sure and I'll post this attachment for you right here on the forum.



netmaker

Post it either way, as others may want to see this as well.

Tom

One time while ice fishing in 20+ feet of water, I pulled up a pike that came up with about five pounds of pond weeds from the bottom. Caught in the weeds were two baby crappie the size of a quarter. I tossed 'em in my bait bucket but they went belly up immediately and never recovered. Fragile little guys.
The reason I'm telling you this is that with all the years I've been dragging a dipnet or baiting a minnow trap in shallow water, I have NEVER seen a baby crappie. I'm guessing that means they stay deep.

One time while ice fishing in 20+ feet of water, I pulled up a pike that came up with about five pounds of pond weeds from the bottom. Caught in the weeds were two baby crappie the size of a quarter. I tossed 'em in my bait bucket but they went belly up immediately and never recovered. Fragile little guys.
The reason I'm telling you this is that with all the years I've been dragging a dipnet or baiting a minnow trap in shallow water, I have NEVER seen a baby crappie. I'm guessing that means they stay deep.

I've dipnetted them from shore.

I've dipnetted them from shore.

Dang, there goes that theory! It was good while it lasted.

I occassionaly get a few in a dip net when going through dying weedbeds in the Fall. In some small ponds they really overpopulate and can be pretty easy to dip.

For some reason I dont seem to have the over population problems in my small pond. I have heard that Green sunfish and Crappie both do that but I have no evidence of such a problem. i also have mosquito fish and I have heard that they will eat other fish fry when they are small so that may be the issue here.

Hook and line is not really an option. They aren't called papermouths for nothing. Their mouths are disproportionately thin for their body weight so that if you hook them by the mouth/lip, they will break free from their own weight alone.