Fishing for flooded Crappies on Melvern Lake

   With all the rain falling in Kansas lately the lakes are filling up fast. Melvern was already eight feet high and climbing as I dropped the boat in yesterday morning. There are a lot of things to overcome when fishing flooded lakes, clarity, PH and oxygen levels change, debris in the water, the fish will be scattered as the shallow cover they were relating to a few days ago is under all that new water.
  As I dropped the boat in I had a feeling the fish would be all over the place. It didn't take long for the Humminbird Helix 10 to confirm my suspicions, there were Crappies scattered everywhere. 
   Trolling crank baits is a fairly common method for targeting scattered and suspended post spawn Crappies, especially in some southern states. but it is also an excellent way to catch them in flooded lakes as well. It allows you to cover water faster than long lining jigs and the vibration from the crank baits also helps fish hone in on the lures in the stained and dirty water that you will have on a flooded body of water. My crank bait of choice for trolling are the Bandit 300 series. I pull a six rod spread, three out of each side using line counter reels to ensure they are running exactly where I want them to be. 

   

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