Catch Crappie in Unexpected Places
Many of our nation's reservoirs and natural lakes hold tremendous populations of crappie, so its little wonder most of the fishing pressure directed at our favorite fish takes place on these large bodies of water. But crappie are highly adaptable critters, and it may some as a surprise to learn that you can catch them from places you've probably never considered fishing. We asked some experts about these unexpected crappie haunts. What you're about to learn will open your eyes to unexploited crappie fishing possibilities close to home where you just might tangle with a wall-hanger fish.
Up The Creek
Veteran guide Garry Mason plies his trade on the crappie-rich waters of Kentucky Lake, a 160,000-acre reservoir. But when he's not guiding clients on this sprawling body of water, he's exploring the many creeks and streams near his home for...guess what?
"Most anglers are shocked to learn that you can find great crappie action in creeks," Mason indicated. "But remember, the steams were there before the dam was built and a reservoir was formed, and crappie were swimming in them back then as they are now. I grew up fishing creeks, and there's nothing I enjoy more today than creek fishin' with my boys. Many anglers today have gotten away from this simple way of fishing, but there's no better way to get away from the pressures of everyday life -- and catch some quality crappie while you're at it."
Mason discovered years ago that many crappie will run up creeks feeding into Kentucky Lake and other reservoirs during the spawning season. "This annual migration occurs most commonly when the water is high due to seasonal rains and the raising of the lake level to summer pool," he said. "There's more water in the tributaries then, enabling crappie to run a country mile up a feeder creek until they reach an area that's suitable for spawning. Of course, not all the crappie in the lake will run up the creeks - many will remain in the bays, coves and brushy tributary arms to spawn. But if exploring new crappie territory rings your chimes like it does mine, there's no better place to start than a shallow inflowing creek."
Both water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels play key roles in this migration, Mason said. "Crappie instinctively seek out the best habitat for spawning, and in spring, creeks flowing into a reservoir often run considerably warmer than the main lake, and are usually higher in dissolved oxygen. Thus crappie will often spawn earlier in a creek than they will in the main lake. Start fishing creeks in early spring, and keep moving up them as the season progresses."
Some streams and creeks can be fished from a small boat; others, you'll have to wade, Mason pointed out. "I'll often run my boat as far up a tributary arm as possible, then beach it and wade the stream from there. Crappie are crappie, whether they're in a creek or a massive reservoir; they like wood cover and clear-to-stained, as opposed to muddy, water. Fortunately you'll always find plenty of wood to fish in a creek: logjams, flooded bushes, stickups and mats of floating debris that gather in eddies will all hold crappie. And even when creeks get muddy after a hard rain, they usually clear up quickly."
Mason finds good crappie fishing near the juncture of two creek arms, in slack water at the ends of gravel bars and in deep holes where the current is slowed. Concerning the latter, he emphasized that "deep" is a relative term: "The deepest water in the creek you're fishing may be only 3 or 4 feet, if that. The rule of thumb I use is -- if it's over the top of my waders, it's plenty deep for crappie!"
Mason's favorite rig for creek crappie is a small tube jig or live minnow suspended beneath a float. "Adjust the float so the jig or minnow is just off bottom, cast the rig slightly upstream of a brushpile or logjam, and then let it float down to your target. Often creek water is super-clear and the fish are tight to cover and extremely spooky; I like to let the bobber float right against the cover. Also, avoid putting too much action on the float and lure with the rod tip; a simple dead-stick approach often pays off better in this situation."
Creek fishermen may be treated to a most amazing sight: crappie feeding on the surface, Garry added. "It's more like a trout surfacing than a bass; just a subtle rise with hardly any splash, but it's really neat to witness. Of course, this should come as great news to the flyrodder - you can wrack up a nice mess of creek crappie with a sponge spider or a small popping bug."
Secondary Lakes
With most crappie-fishing attention focused on large bodies of water, it's no wonder that smaller angling venues often remain underfished - and full of slab crappie. Such is often the case with state park lakes, county and municipal lakes, "borrow" pits formed during highway construction, and other so-called "secondary" lakes. Legendary Tennessee guide Harold Morgan makes a practice of sniffing out these overlooked hotspots, and has found they can offer good- to- excellent crappie fishing, as well as a chance to escape the crowds. "These days it seems everybody has a boat with a big outboard on the transom, and they want to fish places where they can put the hammer down and speed from one hole to the next," Morgan pointed out. "Many secondary lakes have outboard restrictions; others lack launch ramps and must be fished from shore, or waded. If you've invested a big wad of money in a boat, chances are you're not going to bother fishing these places. But they have a reputation for producing monster crappie. The 4 pound, 4 ounce Tennessee state record black crappie came from an obscure state-managed lake you can practically jump across."
Many small public lakes are stocked with crappie; the best producers in terms of both numbers and size tend to cover at least 10 acres and have some deep water - the deeper, the better, Harold said. "For crappie, I like a small lake with some 18 to 30 foot water; this helps enable the fish to survive harsh winters and provides a more suitable habitat for threadfin shad, the crappie's preferred forage. Not all secondary public lakes I've fished meet these criteria, but the ones that do tend to be super crappie fisheries."
Jim Duckworth, another Tennessee crappie guide, seconds Morgan's high opinion of secondary lakes. "Where permitted, a boat with a good depth finder is a huge help when exploring these mini-fisheries," he noted. "A 20- to 50-acre state park or state-managed daily-fee lake usually has the same types of structures you'd find in a huge reservoir, including flats, points, a deep channel, submerged humps, etc. My best tip for fishing these lakes is to look for what I call 'subtle structure', that is, places that aren't readily visible to the naked eye. A prime example might be a ledge running from a point back into a cove or short tributary arm, one that drops from 8 to 12 feet. I can guarantee that most anglers who frequent these lakes will ignore such a spot, and will focus instead on the more obvious structures such as points and flats."
Trolling a small crankbait with your electric motor is an excellent way to ascertain the lay of the land (or water) on these small fisheries, Duckworth said. "This method will allow you to cover lots of water efficiently and is capable of catching crappie that are either hugging bottom or suspended in the water column. Use your electric motor to pull a small crankbait across main-lake and tributary flats, as well as around suspended baitfish schools that may be hanging around channels and ledges. For covering depths of 10 feet or less, I recommend trolling a 200-series Bandit on 8 pound mono. I go to the larger 300-series Bandit when probing deeper water; it'll run down to 18 feet." Trolling is especially productive in post-spawn, the guide noted: "Crappie often suspend off the edges of flats then, and are suckers for a trolled crankbait."
Strip Mine Lakes
In areas of the country where coal is extensively mined, lakes formed from reclaimed strip mine pits offer tremendous sport fishing opportunities. Once mining activity is finished, many of these pits are filled with water and stocked with gamefish such as bass, catfish, and in some cases -- crappie. One might raise valid concerns about the ecological implications of such mining practices, but there's no doubt about the awesome fishing that can result.
Famed Kentucky Lake guide Steve McCadams says strip pits can produce some giant crappie. "These are often extremely clear and lack extensive wood cover; black crappie tend to do extremely well in them - this species acclimates better to clear water than white crappie. Strip mine lakes are my first choice for a non-traditional crappie venue."
Nashville angler Steve Dodson fished many strip mine lakes while living in southern Illinois. "I'm primarily a bass fisherman, but you wouldn't believe the big crappie I'd occasionally catch from these lakes," he said. "A local sporting goods store had an annual fishing tournament that awarded prizes for the biggest largemouth and smallmouth bass, catfish and crappie. I placed high in the crappie category several times with crappie I'd caught on spinnerbaits while bass fishing. A crappie big enough to hit a half-ounce spinnerbait is a real toad, and these lakes were known for producing some giant slabs."
Most strip mine lakes fall into two categories, Dodson explained. "The first type is deep, extremely clear and often devoid of cover except for the occasional tree or brushpile that anglers have sunk. It's found in areas where the coal vein ran fairly deep. The banks of these pits are often straight up and down. Most of the crappie in them are either hanging tight to this sparse wood cover; in small, shallow cuts off the main bowl of the lake; or suspended in open water. The second type is most common where the coal vein was located close to the surface. It features a series of parallel humps, somewhat like corn rows, with their tops either sticking out of the water or covered by a foot or two of water, and a trench 10 to 12 feet deep running between the humps. These pits often become overgrown with weeds in summer, but can produce some big crappie the rest of the year."
Many reclaimed strip pits are on private land, Dodson said. "Often for a nominal fee you can join a sportsman's club that gains you access to several of these lakes; it's worth it if you're after a trophy crappie and don't want to put up with a crowd of anglers. Other strip mine lakes are managed by the state or county and are free or require a daily fee to fish. They're definitely worth checking out."
Other Places to Check Out
Subdivision lakes - Usually better for bream and bass, but can support crappie if large and deep enough. Fish them from the bank with twister grubs or live bait under a float.
Golf course lakes - Ditto the above.
Irrigation ditches - I've heard of huge crappie being caught from irrigation ditches in eastern Arkansas. Many such ditches are deep enough to support crappie. Worth fishing in early spring; try a small spinnerbait. And watch out for snakes
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