Lake Murray seems to be a hot spot these days, with crappie so numerous that there’s no way to catch just one. In fact, the bite is so good it’s hard not to catch lots of them, according to guide Brad Taylor of Taylor Outdoors.
The fish are holding on structure in deeper water in the middle section of the lake, Taylor said.
“The crappie bite has been been pretty consistent,” said Taylor (http://tayloroutdoors.com). “The size has been down, but we’re catching good numbers. Lately they’ve been in 20 to 25 feet of water on brush piles, and they’re holding at about 12 to 15 feet. All you have to do is get over top of them and wait. There are definitely plenty of fish on the brush, just not quite the size you’ll find later in the year. We’re definitely catching them though.”
For bait, Taylor recommends using live minnows in any size you can get your hands on. Once you have your bait, it’s just a matter of finding the brush piles, baiting a hook and dropping your line in the water.
“We’re tight-lining right over the top of the brush piles,” Taylor said. “I would start at the middle of the lake and then move up. I’m sure there’s some being caught on the lower end, but it’s traditionally not as good an area for crappie. The middle part of the lake is probably your best bet.”
Taylor uses a 10-foot crappie rod, a reel and a No. 2 Aberdeen hook at the end of 4-pound test line.
“All the reel is doing is basically storing line for you, and you’re definitely going to catch plenty of fish once you find them,” he said.
Once the water temperature drops to about 60 degrees, Taylor said, the crappie bite will remain steady. He looks for the bite to hold until about mid-October when the water cools and fish move to a fall pattern.
“I was telling someone the other day that it’s almost like there’s so many fish you can’t get through the small ones to get to the big ones,” Taylor said.
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