Deep-water jigging for crappie can sound intimidating to the angler conditioned to chasing spawning fish in shallow water, yet many of the variables and difficulties involved in finding and coaxing crappie to cooperate dissolve during the post-spawn period. Deep structure will hold the majority of the fish through the summer and fall, and sunny, breezy weather will have more of a positive impact on the feeding behavior of post-spawn fish than during the spawning season.
Typically, crappie restrict their feeding to the first and last hour of daylight during the spawn. For whatever reason, when the sun rises above the trees and beams on the water, the bite slows down significantly in the shallows. Thankfully, crappie in their post-spawn grounds feed early and then continue throughout the day.
Guide Steve English prefers bright, sunny days when crappie are in deep water.
“We want bright sunlight in deep water,” he said. “It pushes the fish closer to the brush, concentrating them to a more confined area. But as the day goes on, the bite will slow down some when the sun continues to shine down. A little chop on the water later in the day will quickly remedy this problem, and the fish will feed better.”
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