question for you shell cracker experts

[oldfella1962]

okay now that I am catching some shell crackers in one of my favorite small lakes (there's a learning curve) I have a question about something hat the internet doesn't say much about. Article after article says after spawning they disperse to deeper water and are harder to catch. So here is my question:

what if there is no "deep water" where I fish? It's a small lake and mostly shallow. Obviously they aren't spawning in October, so how far can they disperse in a small shallow lake? I'm trying to pattern them in the limited time I get after work (shoreline fishing) and at least in my lake they seem to like sandy bottoms versus muddy bottoms and any logs/trees in the water really seem to attract them. Areas where two different depths or types of bottoms meet they seem to like.

It seems like 90 percent of the articles I read about fishing for shell crackers are all variations on the same things. None of the articles discuss lakes where deep water isn't an option for them. Any thoughts?

 

[across the river]

Deep water is relative. If the pond is all less than 10 foot, then the spot that is 8 foot near the dam is the “deep” water. I would focus more on what is there than the actual depth. If you have some weeds, wood, or a mussle bed in 5 or 6 foot, then I’m going there before I hit an empty bottom in 8 or 10.

 

[redeli]

Good advice

 

[oldfella1962]

Good advice

makes sense - now where do you find mussel beds or other crustacion areas? Bear in mind I'm fishing from the shore.

 

[Dutch]

A 1/16 or 1/32 beetle spin will find them 'crackers (and 'gills) right quick. My favorite color is black with yellow stripes. Fish it around any structure, grass beds, etc. thats in your lake. Crackers will hit crickets as well, I have caught heaps on crickets at Juliette and Blackshear. Hard to find mussle beds unless you can see the busted shells in the shallows. Thats how I find them at Juliette and Blackshear.

 

[oldfella1962]

A 1/16 or 1/32 beetle spin will find them 'crackers (and 'gills) right quick. My favorite color is black with yellow stripes. Fish it around any structure, grass beds, etc. thats in your lake. Crackers will hit crickets as well, I have caught heaps on crickets at Juliette and Blackshear. Hard to find mussle beds unless you can see the busted shells in the shallows. Thats how I find them at Juliette and Blackshear.

I have a 1/16 yellow/black Beetle Spin in my tackle box at all times for finding bluegills. They hammer them no doubt. I've used small Rooster Tail spinners on those same bluegills and they might chase them a bit, but they aren't very interested. But yeah that Beetle Spin gets turning and they swarm it. I've never caught a shell cracker on it, but then again I've never targeted them with it.

 

[trad bow]

Mussels will generally be on rocks or other structure. I myself haven’t looked for them deeper than 12’ on Oconee or Sinclair. Catch a lot with a chartreuse Satilla spin fishing parallel to rip rap right where the rip rap ends out in the lake. Anywhere from six’ to twelve’. Hope you catch a boatload or at least enough for supper.

 

[across the river]

makes sense - now where do you find mussel beds or other crustacion areas? Bear in mind I'm fishing from the shore.

Easiest way is to find a bunch of shells on the bank. If you can't do that, they typically like something with a hard bottom, especially if the lake has a little current in it at times. I would start looking around a hard red clay bank or one with a lot of natural rocks on and around it. That typically means there is a pretty good chance there is a hard rock or or clay on the bottom out a ways off the bank. If the bank is covered in soft mud or sand, you are going to be less like to find them in that area.

 

[oldfella1962]

Mussels will generally be on rocks or other structure. I myself haven’t looked for them deeper than 12’ on Oconee or Sinclair. Catch a lot with a chartreuse Satilla spin fishing parallel to rip rap right where the rip rap ends out in the lake. Anywhere from six’ to twelve’. Hope you catch a boatload or at least enough for supper.

oh I see - no rocks in this lake. I caught enough after work for supper for myself - my wife doesn't eat fish, only restaurant shrimp. A couple of them were hanging out with the schools of bass that cruise around. That makes sense I guess, nobody is small enough to get eaten by the other species. But unlike the bass the shell crackers were more than happy to chow down on a live worm while the bass stared at the bobber.
I'm pretty pumped for this weekend when I can really take some time to explore the lake for likely locations.

 

[oldfella1962]

Easiest way is to find a bunch of shells on the bank. If you can't do that, they typically like something with a hard bottom, especially if the lake has a little current in it at times. I would start looking around a hard red clay bank or one with a lot of natural rocks on and around it. That typically means there is a pretty good chance there is a hard rock or or clay on the bottom out a ways off the bank. If the bank is covered in soft mud or sand, you are going to be less like to find them in that area.

hmmm.....no clay banks or rock. The whole lake is surrounded by woods (mostly oak) so basically most of the lake is in a wooded valley. There are a lot of shaded areas on this lake with all the mature oaks. The creek feeding it is mostly sand bottomed and that end of the lake is pretty shallow with alders and willows and bamboo and whatnot growing up to the bank. Beavers live on the lake (or used to) so there is quite a bit of wood - in the shallower water at least - to fish as far as structure goes. No current in the lake except for what gets sucked through the dam and out into the creek on the other side of the dam.

 

[across the river]

hmmm.....no clay banks or rock. The whole lake is surrounded by woods (mostly oak) so basically most of the lake is in a wooded valley. There are a lot of shaded areas on this lake with all the mature oaks. The creek feeding it is mostly sand bottomed and that end of the lake is pretty shallow with alders and willows and bamboo and whatnot growing up to the bank. Beavers live on the lake (or used to) so there is quite a bit of wood - in the shallower water at least - to fish as far as structure goes. No current in the lake except for what gets sucked through the dam and out into the creek on the other side of the dam.

There may not be mussels in it to amount to anything in it. I have no idea what lake you are fishing, so just providing general info. I would start around the wood or weeds since they like to eat snails, bugs, etc…. If you are searching for them, you can throw and artificial like other mentioned, or if you are live bait fishing, take every rod you have and cast them out all around and at different depths. If they are there it won’t usually take all that long. When you catch one or two, then start focusing on that area. If nothing bites, move down the bank some and do it again until you do find them.

 

[oldfella1962]

There may not be mussels in it to amount to anything in it. I have no idea what lake you are fishing, so just providing general info. I would start around the wood or weeds since they like to eat snails, bugs, etc…. If you are searching for them, you can throw and artificial like other mentioned, or if you are live bait fishing, take every rod you have and cast them out all around and at different depths. If they are there it won’t usually take all that long. When you catch one or two, then start focusing on that area. If nothing bites, move down the bank some and do it again until you do find them.

kind of what I've been doing. I'm using worms with a thin sensitive Thill bobber and a small split-shot. I'll cast it out and pull it a little, let the worm rise up and settle back down then repeat. So I can cover quite a bit of water until I catch one. Then I fish that area until it goes cold, then move on to other likely spots. So far any logs/limbs/branches/wood in general - even if isolated - always seems to attract a few. There are dinky bluegills in the lake but not large numbers of them, so there's a pretty good chance that any panfish you catch will be a shellcracker and big enough to eat at least.

 

[little rascal]

Shellcrackers like Pink worms if you can still find them. All the years and all the Bream we caught, hardly ever caught Shellcrackers on crickets. Caught a couple Crackers that wouldn't fit in your hat one time on mealworms deep in a trout stream if you could get them down past the trout.

 

[oldfella1962]

Shellcrackers like Pink worms if you can still find them. All the years and all the Bream we caught, hardly ever caught Shellcrackers on crickets. Caught a couple Crackers that wouldn't fit in your hat one time on mealworms deep in a trout stream if you could get them down past the trout.

A lot of people I've talked to lately said red worms/pink worms are great, but they also said they are hard to find. I wonder why that is? Regardless I'll use the regular worms at Walmart for now.

Sunday I'm trying a small lake (three acres) that I suspected might have big shellcrackers since it has some deep water, some logs & brush, mostly sand bottom, and a lot of small, skinny bass. I've never seen schools of tiny panfish. I happened to be talking with another fisherman I ran into who does a lot of maintenance work of some type with a lot of the lakes & roads on post. He mentioned the lake and said the shellcrackers he's seen cruising around (the lake is crystal clear & spring fed) were quite large.

With no boat I'm going to use chest waders. I only have to go far enough out from shore to be able to cast freely without getting hung up in all the shoreline trees & brush. Also if a hooked fish tries to wrap me up in shoreline weeds & brush going in after them won't be an issue, since I'll already be in the water or at least dressed & prepared to go into the water.

 

[sleepr71]

Wear a Life jacket. I’ve stepped off into an old stump hole with Chest Waders on..and as soon as I went under…they filled up with water & I had to come out of them!!! If by yourself & it’s cold…you could get into a bad predicament ?

 

[oldfella1962]

Wear a Life jacket. I’ve stepped off into an old stump hole with Chest Waders on..and as soon as I went under…they filled up with water & I had to come out of them!!! If by yourself & it’s cold…you could get into a bad predicament ?

good advice! Yes I'm getting a life preserver. I'll need one anyway when I start wading the rivers/streams for smallmouth. I'll be fishing a crystal clear lake Sunday so I can see the bottom & obstructions, but you never know when the bottom can go from hard to soft with a quickness.

 

[Old Yapper]

Wear a Life jacket. I’ve stepped off into an old stump hole with Chest Waders on..and as soon as I went under…they filled up with water & I had to come out of them!!! If by yourself & it’s cold…you could get into a bad predicament ?

That's EXCELLENT ADVICE!
Had that happen to me years ago when I was still young enough to move fast under water and get loose from the predicament.
I even wear a life jacket now (a swimming pool tested life jacket too) when wading little 3-4 foot deep country creeks for bluegills and crackers. You just never know when something unforeseen is going to go haywire out there.....and 90% of the time, I am all alone too.
And somebody says..."How do you swimming pool test a life jacket?"
Answer--> Well, back in the summer when things are warm, first you have to find a swimming pool you can use. Second, you put on all your heavy duty winter clothes, heavy overalls, and waders just as if it was December. Put on the life jacket and jump into the pool about 5 feet deep. Raise your feet off the bottom and if the jacket floats you, you're good to go. Some life jackets won't keep your head above water with all that weight and drag...no matter what their advertising says.

 

[Ruger#3]

If your wear waders wear a wading belt it will help prevent the problems discussed here and ease you getting out of the water. You may be wet but you’ll be on solid ground.

 

[OwlRNothing]

That's some dang good advice from Yapper.

Also, just a side note on the "restaurant shrimp" thing....
I once knew a girl who would only eat "Cheese Nips" if you didn't say the word "Cheese." You had to offer her "Nips" or she'd gag and just about throw up. Strange world.