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Hope y'all are having a great week and enjoy this Target Crappie email! Thanks for tuning in – any comments or suggestions, just email us back! Thank you!
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If your email program cuts off the bottom of the email click "View this email in your browser" up top to see the whole thing. Sorry about that – email programs keep changing stuff!
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5 Qs with Will "Fishing by the Numbers" Duncan
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Will is a kayak-exclusive crappie hammer in the Houston area who posts some epic crappie smackdowns on his YouTube channel, Fishing by the Numbers. There he shows the fishing world that it doesn't take a big rig to consistently catch limits. Wanted to connect with him, here's 5:
1. What's the story behind Fishing by the Numbers?
> "I'm a CPA by trade. I work as an accountant at a publicly-traded company...been doing accounting probably 14 years.
> "I'm essentially a weekend warrior when it comes to crappie fishing – anytime I get a chance I'm out there trying to catch fish. ...I've kind of evolved as a fisherman. I've become pretty known for catching limits of crappie every time I go out.
> "So fishing by the numbers, which originally started off as an accounting guy going out fishing [is now] this guy who goes out fishing and catches pretty big numbers of fish."
2. What's your what's your go-to technique if you're going out on the water this weekend?
> "My 8' ACC Crappie Stix Rod, then I'm gonna put on probably like a 1/32-oz jighead with a 1/8-oz split shot. I'm just gonna try to find some structure and vertical jig.
> "It just kind of depends on what the water temps are.... If I get out on the water and I see 55-60 degree water temps, I'm going straight shallow. But if those water temps are still in the mid- to low-50s, then I'm probably going to be hitting 8-10' of water first, and then just work my way out to deeper water and find the fish."
3. What baits are dominating for you right now?
> "That Bobby Garland Minnow Mind'R in 'silverfish' has been absolute money. It's kind of got that split-tail action. That thing has been just phenomenal.
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> "Some of the water I fish has had a little bit of a stain tint to it, so that chartreuse tail has really been able to get those crappies' attention. Not to mention the fluidity of that bait. It moves so fluidly under the water that it just gets a lot of lot of attention."
4. What adjustments do you make for pressured fish?
> "...I'm looking at the bottom contour hard. A lot of time when that pressure gets up crazy [the crappie] might not just be suspended. You might pull up to a brushpile and scan it and be like, 'Oh goodness, there's no fish there.'
>"If you look closely at the bottom you could see a little bit of a difference in the contour around it – a lot of times that's crappie just down there on the bottom.
> "Also the size of the bait. If they're not really responding to a 2-inch bait or a 1.75. I'm gonna drop down to maybe like that [Bobby Garland] Itty Bit Swim'R and try to get that down there and get some action with them too.
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> "Whenever they're real finicky like that, lighter is better and smaller is better."
5. What's the best piece of fishing advice you ever received and who gave it to you?
> "This guy – he actually guides on Lake Houston – he mentioned one day: 'Move fast, but fish slow.'
> "I didn't quite get it until I got out there and started trying to crappie-fish and understood that whenever you pull up to a pile, it could be loaded with fish. If those fish aren't active and you drop down a few baits on them, don't stay.
> "Take your time trying to catch them. But if they don't bite, move around, hit another spot. Keep hitting different spots until you find those active fish. ...now I pretty much live by that."
Bonus Q: What's the biggest kayak disaster you've ever had?
> "I was on a canoe, actually, in my neighborhood with one of my neighbors. We were trying to go across a canal to target some fish on some little structure.... I was in the front of the canoe and she was in the back. It didn't have stable seats. I was sitting on a bag of lifejackets and she was sitting on a wobbly bench.
> "I got hung up and when I pulled – I swear I wasn't even pulling that hard – I guess it kind of tilted. It made her tilt the canoe and she lost balance, and the canoe flipped.
> "We both went overboard – the canoe capsized. She looked like she was freaking out and I needed to rush over to her to try to put her on the bag of lifejackets. Thankfully her husband was up the way on a smaller kayak so he came zooming over to us and was able to grab her.
> "I lost a bunch of fishing reels. Lost all the fish that we had caught that day. I lost the phone that day and my wedding ring. So it was a bit of a disaster."
Dang! Check out Will's crappie slams here! ⬇️
YouTube
Instagram
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Clay Blair: 3 tips for spring slabs across the South
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Clay is a crappie legend – 40+ years on the water, 15 of 'em guiding, doubling as a MS fireman with Special Ops cred. Grenada Lake, one of the MS "Big Four" crappie lakes, is his proving ground for scent-soaked baits and LiveScope reads in spring mud.
But his hard-won "tricks" – nailing water-temp timing and juicing bait tactics – stretch beyond Grenada to any southern lake with muddy runoff in 59-62 degree water.
Tip 1: Time your trips by water temps (afternoons are key)
> "I think one of the things that crappie anglers overlook is water temperatures...they'll go in there in the afternoon and catch fish...then get up early the next morning and say, 'Man, I know exactly where they are'....
> "But you've got to realize, the morning after overnight temperatures come in, the water temperature cools off tremendously and it backs those fish off. Or if it doesn't back the females off, they just won't bite.
> "So I do a lot of wade trips in the afternoon, giving the water temperature time to warm up a little bit for those fish to move in."
Tip 2: Go big with scented baits (in muddy water)
> "If the fish are lethargic and not really wanting to bite, I spend a lot of time going through colors. I fish predominantly with Crappie Magnet Slab Bites.... I like to use scent and apply it on larger baits. I love the orange – it's got a little smell.
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> "When the water temperatures cool and it's muddy, you'll see a fish flashing a bait – they'll blow by it. People say, 'Well man, I missed him.' No, you didn't miss him...he missed the bait. That's when I opt for vibration and smell."
Tip 3: Scout smarter (zoom out and move fast)
> "I'll zoom out [on sonar] extremely far...to the 50' range...and then I go extremely fast. Once I see that fish at 50, I'll punch back into the 20' range and I'll get the [guide clients] in position.
> "I have the Minn Kota Raptors on my boat with Crappie Brakes – I can actually hit a button in the front and [the Brakes] stops me [in my tracks]...it pulls me away from the fish til I get in position to catch them."
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DIY fuzzy baits for crappies
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If you're not familiar with "fuzzy" or "fuzzy dice" baits, it's the term for all the small whisker bass baits that have really caught on the last couple years like these:
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Now you know! And if you think they're just for bass, well...here's some info from Z-Man about crappie fishing with 'em:
> "You can quickly and easily craft your own creepy, crawly, fuzzy creations...all that's required is a handful of silicone skirt material, your preferred ElaZtech bait and a $2 fly-tier's bobbin threader.
> "For crappies, select the finest cut silicone (aka, frog hair) strands available, which maximize movement and natural breathing action.
> "Begin the bait surgery by piercing its body with the bobbin [and] running the tool's dual wire arm out the other side.
> "Slide a single strand of silicone skirt material into the bobbin and pull the tool back out, threading the strand and leaving a set of fine, quivering legs in the bait."
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Z-Man pointed out that it's almost industructible ElaZtech plastic material means you can do all this without ruining any (or as many?) baits, as you would with some other soft-plastics. They also recommended using their Micro Finesse baits like the Micro TRD and Tiny TicklerZ.
So why do the fish bite these whisker baits? Some think it reminds them of the plankton they ate when they were fry. Some think it's the quivering whiskers. Some think it's just a bait they haven't seen before. Hey – if they catch 'em, that's all we need to know!
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Check out Bartusek's Twin Cities metro monster!
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Adam Bartusek, Crappie Chronicles' front man, jammed a 17.5" 3.5-lb black slab a stone's throw away from the Minneapolis, MN metro area. That's a for-real metro mutant, ripped from under the ice with a black CLAM Drop Kick and Soldier Fly combo.
He worked it using a "barely-there," ultra-finesse, slow sink to get the bite. The beast smashed it late in the afternoon as the snow poured down.
Nice one man! 💪
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UT white crappie C&R record broken 3 times by the same guy – this year!
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Jesse Pashia broke the Gunnison Bend white crappie record multiple times – from the bank! Here's some of the deets from Outdoor Life:
> "I'd caught a couple small crappies and released them that afternoon, then about 4 pm I hooked a bigger, stronger fish. I figured it was a white bass until I got it close to shore and saw it was a crappie.
He landed, measured, and released it, a 13 3/8" white crappie. He submitted it for the record a couple days later:
> The state finally recognized Pashia's crappie as the new state catch-and-release record on Feb 21, and he was issued a record certificate to commemorate the achievement.
> By that time...Pashia had already caught and released 2 more white crappies that were bigger.
> "I got one crappie that measured 13.5 inches, then I caught a 14-incher. I have 60 days to submit the largest fish for another record, and I'm gonna wait at least a month or so because I think there are bigger crappies to catch. The spawn hasn’t even started yet."
What he said he's been fishing:
> Berkley PowerBait Power Grub ("orange/green" = "natural chartreuse"?) on a 1/16-oz jighead under a bobber.
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> Designed with UDSP [ultra durable soft plastic] for exceptional durability and a soft, lifelike feel, these swimbaits feature a paddletail....
They're also having a 1/3 off sale on their Micro Jig Boxes.
6. TN: Reelfoot crappie limit lowered as of Aug 1
From 30 fish per day to 20.
7. FL: 1 mil eelgrass plants going into George
One goal is to increase crappie habitat. Sounds like they should all be in there by July.
8. VT DNR proposed reg changes would affect crappie
> Add panfish bag limits to inland waters of 50 fish in total per day, and no more than 25 of a given species, for bluegill, bullhead, black and white crappie, pumpkinseed, rock bass, white perch and yellow perch.
> Add black and white crappie to the list of game fish species prohibited for sale and purchase.
9. FL: Renovated Hickory Point ramp reopens Friday
Now has 6 new concrete ramps to "last for many years to come."
10. AL: Riverview ramp on the Warrior got a new slab
> "During the closure, the facility's damaged launching slab was replaced. ...repave the existing parking lot and install a new access pier in the coming months. The additional improvements will be completed in phases."
11. AR: $500K access improvements at Wilhelmina, Wildcat Shoals
12. DE: Ingrams Pond ramp closed
For construction of a new ramp and an expanded parking lot.
Almost every bigger body of water in DE is named "pond," even the biggest lake in the state: Lums Pond (200 acres).
13. LA: Northern snakehead found in Concordia Parish
14. DC: USFWS is now saying ice fishing can "spread" stuff
Keep an eye on this kinda stuff:
> Invasive species and diseases don't take the winter off. They can spread through bait, gear, and even frozen water, threatening fish populations and water quality.
Where is this going? Call me skeptical – because I am – but I think it could eventually go like this: "No more fishing here [X lake or river] because all you careless fishermen are spreading Y [bad thing]."
Keep an eye on it and remember – almost all these policy people DON'T FISH!
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Do you paint your float bottoms?
Post on Lurenet talkin' painting the bottom of your bobbers black so that fish can't see 'em as well:
> "Crappie will move to just a foot or 2 beneath the surface when the sun warms boat pontoons and docks supports,
> "[Since they're so shallow] paint the bottom of the float black because a white underside tends to spook the fish with the jig so shallow."
Cool little tip!
Note: The Thill pro Series Flip Floats and others are already (mostly) painted black on the bottom....
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