Crappie Archives - Page 22 of 27

Jordan Lake’s crappie are deep, but still biting

Jordan Lake’s crappie will continue to bite throughout the coldest months of the year, but anglers will find them considerably deeper than they will in the spring and fall. […]

Cooler December weather drives crappie to deep brush piles and stumps in Shearon Harris Lake. Troll jigs or fish dropper rigs vertically for slabs of good quality.

Celebrate Shearon Harris Lake crappie

Tony Garitta

Cooler December weather drives crappie to deep brush piles and stumps in Shearon Harris Lake. […]

A kayak is a great platform for “shooting” a tiny jig back up under a dock during prime crappie fishing times.

Paddle, pedal to plenty of crappie

Phillip Gentry

March and crappie fishing go together like peas and carrots, but while many anglers fish for crappie, far fewer consider chasing the popular panfish from a paddleboat. […]

Don’t let the Kerr Lake slab spawn catch up to you.

Running the slab spawn

Dan Kibler

Saltwater fishermen often run the tide, moving from spot to spot within a bay or coastal creek to take advantage of a certain water depth where fish are biting. […]

Planer boards open up shallow water to spring crappie trollers.

By the time March rolls around, crappie fishermen across the Carolinas are chomping at the bit for waves of slabs to invade the shallows. And even though tight-line and long-line trolling techniques are proven winners, guides like Brad Taylor of Batesburg, S.C., are adding another wrinkle, using planer boards to spread baits out even farther from the boat and access territory otherwise out of reach. […]

Pony head jigs like this Road Runner account for a lot of crappie, especially in stained water where the small spinner provides vibration and flash.

The jig is up. But which one?

Phillip Gentry

Walk into any tackle shop this time of year and you’ll likely be overwhelmed with choices of crappie jigs to use to tempt one of the country’s favorite gamefish. How do you decide which one(s) to buy and use? […]

Pay special attention to your depth finder when fishing for crappie in February. Don’t spend much time in areas where you don’t mark slabs or bait, and notice the depth fish are holding and place your baits just above that level.

It’s the little things that matter

Phillip Gentry

Paying attention to details is never more important than when fishing for crappie in cold water, especially in February. If everything is done right, an angler is rewarded with a box full of fish, but missing the mark often means coming up blank. Here are some common tips that often mean the difference between catching a limit and going home empty-handed. […]

Todd Vick poses with a typical wintertime river crappie.

Tips for Haw River’s winter crappie

Brian Cope

It may seem a little early in the year for hot crappie fishing across the Carolinas. But it’s been on fire for those willing to test out the waters a little sooner than most, at least on some days. Whether it’s longline trolling or anchoring over brush piles, anglers are catching plenty of slabs. Especially when the weather and wind are just right. […]

Guide Wendell Wilson catches Lake Russell crappie shallow and deep in March, when fish are moving in and out at different stages of the spawn.

Lake Russell slabs on the move

Pat Robertson

If catching slabs is your thing, March is the best month to fish for crappie on South Carolina’s Lake Russell, according to guide Wendell Wilson of Elberton, Ga. […]

Top to bottom winter slabs

Phillip Gentry

Crappie, just like anglers, are looking forward to the spring weather. But that doesn’t mean they won’t bite now. Anglers can catch a pile of slabs in February, especially if they follow these tips. […]