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Hey y'all! Joel and Brett back with another Target Crappie email packed with the latest slabby goodness!

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Head for the bluffs (A/C!)

When summer's blazin' and we're sweatin' buckets, we duck into the A/C to cool off right? Same deal for resident crappie. When it's real hot, they bolt for bluffs along river channels 'cuz these spots are the deal for cooler water + shade and food.

Here's a little from a cool post on Lurenet.com – TX fishermen Jeff Schwieterman and David Morrison break down why bluffs are summer slab magnets and how to catch 'em:

> "Crappie can quickly go to shallow water for feeding and then get to the deeper water for comfort." ...the cooler water along the bluffs makes it easier to [catch 'em shallow]...in less than 10'....

> ...the structure allows the fish to either move horizontally along the rock walls following baitfish, [to] vertically shift up the bluff to feed and down the rock wall to reach a cooler comfort zone, or stay put in a piece of cover.

> Sunny weather...[they] move horizontally to find shade or...descend into the cooler depths. [On cloudy days] crappie will remain shallow along bluffs.

> ...spider-rigging tactics or [trolling] crankbaits [work for]...summertime crappie suspended in the open water near bluffs. [Jeff prefers] casting, pitching or dipping to target crappie that relate to [cover].

> Jeff: "I am looking for those that have trees that have toppled over and are lying in various depths...sheer rock walls with trees with a quick depth change...from 0-30' deep in a matter of 5-10' from the bank."

> ...crappie will stay in the laydowns throughout the summer as long as baitfish are present and the weather remains stable.... "Bluffs are more like river systems to me...when it rains there will be a lot of flow there and the fish will have to adjust...."

When he finds 'em stacked on a tree: 

> ...Jeff moves within dipping range of the target. He uses 13' rods...keeps his boat 10-12' away from the tree...works the outer part of the laydown first. 

> "...in the summertime I use a smaller bait...a double-jig rig with two 1/8-oz jigs. If I am fishing cover...I will just go to a single jig."

The Bobby Garland Baby Shad is his favorite deal for chasin' the bluffy ones:

> He favors a pink jighead and 'bone white chartreuse' and 'monkey milk' for the Baby Shad.

> "If they are active fish, they are generally going to hit the jig on the fall. If they are not active...just get it to where that fish is at [and] let it sit for about 5 seconds. If they don't react to it...give a jiggle to it a few times...."

David says look for bluffs with ledges scattered with logs rising off the bottom – brushpiles too:

> ...the ledges he keys on are usually less than 15' deep. He finds the cover [with his] Lowrance ActiveTarget...[and] positions his boat parallel to the bluff wall so he can work his lure along the ledge bottom at the same depth throughout his presentation.

> The 2-in Bobby Garland Slab Slay’R in the 'lights out' (black/chart) color is Morrison’s favorite lure for summertime bluff crappie. He favors a 1/8-oz jighead...because the heavier jig helps him keep the lure in constant contact with the bottom. "I mainly bounce it on the bottom."

> Looking at the cover on his live sonar, Morrison casts to the end of the wood cover closest to him and lets the lure sink to the bottom. If a crappie fails to hit the lure...slowly reels the lure along the bottom and [watches] his live sonar to see how the fish react....

> If the part of the cover closest to him produces fish but the bite stops, Morrison moves his boat closer to the wood and makes a vertical presentation to the fish. He will drop his jig straight down into the cover all the way to the bottom and then slowly reel up...to trigger a bite.

TC review: Kistler Jig Head Minnow Rod

Brett got ahold of the new-ish Kistler Jighead Minnow Rod which was made with bass in mind but he found out that – no surprise – it works great for slabs too. In fact it's his new favorite rod for fishing smaller stuff with forward-facing sonar (FFS, aka LiveScope) – and here's why:

> To me, this is the best jighead rod I've ever had in my hands, I'm no pro, but I am a 22 year-old that spends most of my fishing time looking at FFS – I've gone through my share of jighead minnow rods and this one is just legit.

> It's a 6' 9" rod for throwing minnow-style baits for bass and it's absolutely perfect for that. I figured that the action would be great for casting crappie jigs too and I was blown away when I started using it for that.

> That rod is so light I can use it all day for a few days straight without getting fatigue or anything. No doubt the lightest in my arsenal.

> The weight just gives me so much control over my technique and really helps me get way more bites too – I give it a lot of different twitches and hold it at different positions depending on what kind of jig I'm using or how the fish are acting.

> A lot of jighead minnow rods I've used are either stiff all the way through or you can wrap 'em in a circle. This rod has the soft tip with a good backbone – it's just right.

> You can make these micro shakes with your hand and that rod has such a unique taper – it throws tons of slack in the line with small movements and gives baits a fleeing action without pulling the bait to away too fast.

> It's still has a great backbone for an ML to drive an exposed hook in without tearing mouths up – crappie pretty much hook themselves. ...when I hook up, I know that crappie is getting in the boat – no tearing mouths."

Brett also said he likes the Abu Garcia Revo Rocket SP30 with 10-lb Berkley Forward Braid:

> "I can put lighter jigs way out there with very little effort. That line really is the slickest braid I've ever had on a reel...I can do anything and everything with that setup – it's featherweight and it's efficient."

Website says the rod is a 6' 9" Lite-Medium designed for 1/16- to 1/4-oz baits and 6- to 15-lb braid. Price is $299 – but a 15% off deal might pop up on the site. 👀

Stop counting crappies?

Ran across a cool vid on Facebook from Grenada, MS crappie guide Patrick Stone Fishing – showa a slick little deal that helps track your limit of fish without having to open up the livewell. 

It's called a Catch Counter – it's an automatic fish-counting deal that mounts on your cooler, livewell, bucket lid and most any other flat surface.

Here's what Patrick had to say about it:

> "Here's 1 of the devices that make my life easier everyday. Not sponsored by them, but dang it's nice!"

There's a spring-loaded door that sits flush with the lid when installed so you can keep your fish cold on the ice – pretty cool to have, especially in the summer.

When that door is opened up and you drop a fish in, the spring-loaded door triggers the counter and then closes the door back up.

It's built from sturdy ABS plastic and cleans up with soap and water. The chute's 10 1/8" – big enough for those 13-14" fish, but they sell a larger version too.

No word on how it handles super-small fish or if it ever jams, but we read some user reviews and didn't see any issues. 

Not cheap, but it's a lot cheaper than having 1 too many fish! Starts at $67.95 and goes up from there.

Does the moon matter? 🤔

Ran across a crappie.com forum post with a few interesting tibits about this age-old question. Here's some of 'em:

User Bytizawn shared some info from a trip around July 4: 

> My wife and I [fished] in the heat of the day...from 1 to 6pm for about a week [on Lake of the Ozarks]...burned up 10 dozen minnows/day...5 days in a row...[and] caught limits.... You could set your clock by 'em, I swear! ...the moon was full around then....

> ...anything that controls the tides of the sea HAS to have a profound affect on fishing...I am even more convinced than ever!

Interesting 2c reply from user Jiggah:

> Full moon: This is where it is best to fish at night...the fish can see good just like you.... [In] stained water you typically want to fish 5-10'. The fish can see the bait and will move up to feed. 

> Crappie are sight-feeders...[in] clear water you typically want to fish as deep as 15-20'....

> ...3 days before and 3 days after the full moon phase, you want to focus on evening/night fishing. If you fish the next morning of a full moon you may not be as successful...[because] they have been feeding all night.

> New moon: ...best to fish 1st light...the fish have been swimming around blind all night. The new moon...causes it to be pitch black....

> This is where your scents come into play – live minnows giving off vibrations, a light hanging off the side of the boat. 3 days before and 3 days after the new moon phase, focus on the morning bite!

Most incredible carved crappie of all time?

Check that out! A hand-carved crappie by Andrew Gardner at Melosh Fishing Lures. Looks so realistic you might try to filet it after a tough day lol!

> This is a 12" x 15" framed black crappie woodcarving. ...it's 8" long and carved from tupelo wood. Painted with acrylics and matte-finished clear....backdrop has been fashioned from a vintage minnow bucket. Signed and dated in 2022...this is a one off piece. 

Looks like that bad boy sold for $525! If you know of other great crappie art, please let us know!

1. OK: Crappie are biting on...

> Broken Bow, Sardis, Wister: Crappie good on jigs, minnows and spoons around brush, points and standing timber.

2. KY Lake is real tough right now

> ...the Hancock Biological Station was recording an all-time surface temperature this week. It is a strange sensation to try to unhook a fish and the fish is warm to the touch! The boat ramps are pretty much empty of [anglers]....

3. TX: Slabs are still biting on Coleman Lake

Sounds like minnows in 8-15' under the docks in Rattlesnake Cove is the deal.

4. MO: DNR giving night crappie clinics Aug 21 and 21 on Truman

5. TN DNR podcast: Record-breaking crappie production

> With nearly 1.9 mil crappie fingerlings stocked across 14 reservoirs, TWRA’s innovative mat-spawning technique has revolutionized hatchery output.

> Anglers will love the tips on targeting crappie in spring and summer, plus a unique recipe for baked crappie with shallots and mushrooms.

6. GA: Record 61-lb grass ate a crappie angler's crankbait!

> "That big carp nailed my lure, taking the plug well into its mouth. No way it was foul-hooked. It ate my crankbait. Both of the lure’s hooks were inside its mouth."

Yep grass carp and other Asian carp DO eat baitfish – and lures sometimes!

7. The 2.25" Flat Cat from Great Lakes Finesse looks good!

Not technically a crappie bait but DANG it looks juicey!

A cool thing about this bait is the matte finish, which all GLF baits have. gives it a little different look compared to the usual glossy plastic baits.

FYI they're on sale on Tackle Warehouse right now.

8. Tackle Warehouse bargain bin was restocked! 👀

We picked thru it to find slabby-lookin' stuff – in no particular order:

1/16-oz Mustad TitanX A-Tak Ned Head

1/16-oz Big Bite Baits Ram Head – Has a Gamakatsu hook.

Leland's Crappie Magnet Head

1/8-oz 6th Sense Line Thru swimbait treble head

1/8-oz Lure Parts Online Bill Lowen PinPoint Finesse Jig

1/16-oz Bill Lowen Hair Jig – Comes with a slab-sized #1 hook. 

1/16-oz and 3/32-oz Lure Parts Online Bill Lowen's Hair Jig – A real high-quality jighead with a neat keeper that locks the plastics on real tight!

9. Garmin's Q2 marine biz up year over year

> Revenue from the marine segment increased 10% in the 2nd quarter with growth across multiple categories led by chartplotters...resulting in $63 mil of operating income.

10. Yamaha Marine down in 1st half YOY

> ...$1.8 bil, down 5.9% from the same period of the previous fiscal year. Operating income was $251 mil, down by 26.5% from the same period a year before.

11. Suzuki FY Q1 was up

> Marine segment revenue increased 5.7% from the year-ago fiscal quarter to $216.5 mil. Operating profit increased 13.4% to $62.4 mil.

>...the revenue increase was mainly driven by robust sales in North America, despite the impact of tariffs.

Ever filet 'em in reverse?? 👀

If you've ever messed up and cut through the spine while filleting a crappie – no sweat: You can still get clean filets by working backwards.

Here's a quick step-by-step fix from Crappie Fishing TV on how to do it:

1. Start at tail, cut meat close to spine and move toward the head.
2. Trace the spine backwards, like a reverse head-to-tail cut.
3. Remove sides, trim excess and flip filet over.
4. Cut into tail between skin and meat, slide knife down and get 2 filets.

Beautiful shot of a mess of MS summer crappies! Posted by BnM on IG:

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH