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Hey folks, hope y'all are having an awesome week! Huge shoutout for makin’ Target Crappie your go-to read – y’all rock. Spread the love and tell your fishin’ buddies to join the party – they can hook up with us right here. 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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Bluff walls got 'em...? 👀
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Interesting post on lurenet.com – OK crappie veteran Gary Rowe talkin' how bluff walls might be some of the best crappie spots you're not fishing.
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Here's how he picks out the best ones:
Structure and depth
> "I like having the channel close to the bluff, but not right up against it – ideal is a channel that's 50-60 yards away with either a slow tapering bottom, or a 3- or 4-tiered flat that separates the base of the bluff from the nearest channel edge.
> "My personal preference is for a high-walled bluff that rises well above the
water's surface and has a vertical depth of at least 15' of water directly below. Big boulders and basketball-sized rock offer a good mix of cover that crappie like.
> "Bluffs that have wooded growth on the face and/or near the top are a bonus – [crappie] are constantly replenishing on wood structure underneath.
> "The more diversity of cover and depth between the bluff and river channel, the better the spot.
> "I like to think of crappie using different breakline depths as stop signs. The
more stop signs you have to stop and hold crappie between bluffs and river
channels, the more places you have to look for and find [them]."
Wind and current breaks
> "Breaks in the bluff wall's face, especially along lengthy bluffs, can deflect wind and water current to the benefit of where crappie position and how anglers can set up to fish for them effectively.
> "When the options exist, I like east-facing and west-facing bluffs. Both
orientations provide a high degree of shade at least once during the day, and
each has a reflective surface that at some point could become a factor in
influencing ambient water surface temps directly below."
They're spawning areas! 👀
> "Broken bluff walls littered with big boulders and laydowns offer great spawning areas. Bluffs that have flat-slab rocks, inset cuts, overhangs and coves can be good areas for spawning, too.
> "Bluffs that have one or both ends that transition into creeks and coves are
excellent for attracting and holding crappie during their movement into and out of spawning shallows."
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Tacklin' the toughest bites
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Grenada, MS guide Clay Blair doesn't mess around. For 40+ years he's chased crappie across big waters, cracking the code when the bite gets tough.
Asked him about early spring, here we go:
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Cold, muddy, can't-see-a-thing conditions
> "When I pull up at the water, I look at the the color of the water...basically right then and there is going to determine where I'm going to start off....
> "...I like to take a bait and put it under the water...2-3 inches, and [if I can see that bait] then I can go with a little bit more natural [color].
> "...crappie love minnows and shad...crappie love 'natural'...but [in the spring] the water clarity doesn't always allow it...."
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If the bite's tough, go big
> "I fish predominantly with Crappie Magnet plastics.... Crappie Magnet has this bait called Slab Magnet that's a little bit bigger. It mimics a pretty good sized shad.... I usually start off with that [in dirty water].
> "...and if they don't like that, I may downsize to a Crappie Magnet that's got a lot more action...because of the split-tail.... The split-tail profiles mimic the natural movement of prey. That flutter can get picky fish to bite when bigger baits don't work."
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Adjusting for finicky fish
> "I'll go to a small hair jig that mimics the fry around trees after spawn. It's a natural look they can't resist. A tiny jig, like a 1/16-oz, can pull bites when nothing else works.
> "...I will even go down to a 1/8- or 1/16-oz hair jig – something with a smaller profile – but I let the fish tell me [what they want] and go from there.
> "Slow down to match their mood. When crappie are finicky, you've gotta take it easy to get 'em to bite."
Catching bigger fish
> "So one piece of advice that that consistently helps me is paying real close attention to the water temp...it's such a key factor. Most people don't pay enough attention to it.
> "Let's say it's 40 degrees...the fish are sluggish.... If the [top of the water column] is muddy, I'll go with a bigger bait. If they can't see it, they gotta be able to smell it or feel it.
> "...but most importantly, read the lake. Water temp and clarity tell you what to throw – big baits in muddy water, small ones when it's clear."
Muddy water = vibration and scent
> "...when the water is cool and it's muddy, sometimes you'll see a fish flashing a bait...they'll blow by it...and people say, 'Well, man, I missed him.'
> "No, you didn’t miss him – he missed the bait...It’s hard for him to see it.
> "...so if you take away the sight [dirty water], then they rely on vibration and smell.... A bigger bait with scent can trigger that reaction strike."
Colors and conditions
> "Most of the time, color's overrated. Put it where they are and they'll hit it. Live sonar helps you do that.
> "...with dark, stained water you want to go with the [bright colors] and stuff to try to get them.
> "...I throw black and chartreuse, red and chartreuse, blue and chartreuse, a lot of that....
> "I love the orange [Slab Magnet] with Slab Bites and scent.... And those fish can actually smell it."
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Spring yakkin' techniques for spawners
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Ever chase 'em in a yak? Definitely a stealthier and cheaper option. Here's how outdoor writer/photographer Phillip Gentry gets after spawners – tips you can use no matter where you fish. Excerpts from a good post on CarolinaSportsman.com:
Jig poles in tight cover
> "Using a long jig pole to catch spawning crappie is a go-to for fishing in heavy-cover areas.
> "A kayaking angler can use an 8-12' jig pole and scull around in thick
backwater coves and drainages – and practically have the spot to themselves.
> "Slip up on standing and submerged timber and dip a 1/32- or 1/16-oz crappie jig around the base."
Hit smaller waters
> "Anglers on big waterways across the Carolinas will see tons of powerboats
slow-trolling the same 1/32- and 1/16-oz crappie jigs along shallow spawning
grounds.
> "Kayak trollers can use a rod in each hand or set up 2-3 rod holders on each
side, staggering rod lengths so lines don't cross.
> "Focus on trolling smaller, hard-to-reach waters like oxbows, small reservoirs and big ponds."
Float'n fly simplicity
> "Working the shoreline with a crappie jig works great. Retrieve the rig with 1-2' pulls on the line – it'll make the jig swing like a pendulum and then stop."
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John Godwin's new rod nails long, accurate casts
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We got B'n'M owner Jack Wells for the scoop – here it is, starting with FFS (forward-facing sonar):
> "For us it opened the door to develop more spinning rods – in the 6, 7, 8, 9'
range – stuff that wasn't big in our lineup til FFS came along.
> "Most of my guys will tell ya – when you're using FFS and putting it right in front of 'em and they're not biting, 9 times outta 10 going smaller will trigger bites. John Godwin would say that for Caney Lake or D'Arbonne, and my Grenada crew will back it up too.
> "How a rod loads when you cast light line and a light jig is key to nailing
accuracy and distance."
John's Crappie Cast rod is a 7' 6" 1-piece built for FFS finesse:
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> "How this rod loads – when you pull it back to cast and swing it forward – it'll
launch a small jig on light line farther than any rod I've ever seen."
Jack says the rod has a diagonally-wrapped piece of graphite in the backbone to keep it solid, giving it strength while keeping that loose tip ready to launch.
> "...John Godwin's an awesome fisherman. Yeah, the [Duck Dynasty] show makes him out to be a great duck hunter – and he is – but he's also a killer crappie fisherman.
> "[If] folks think, 'We'll just slap John's name on it, and it'll sell' – nope, not even close. This rod's a top-notch, high-quality piece of gear that nails accurate, long casts every time."
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2. IL: Time is right for crappie bite
Was on Yahoo.com, can't find the link now:
> “With the warmer days finally on the horizon, however, the water temps will rapidly climb, meaning the slab-sided papermouth action is here... With water temps now in the 50s in much of the area waters, now is the time to start keying in on some hot crappie action.”
How to find some sneaky spots:
> “If you fish any flood-control reservoirs that are lowered during the winter, visiting such impoundments during these low-pool months can reveal stumps and other structure not normally visible when the reservoir is at summer pool.”
3. TX: Where they're biting right now
> Bois d'Arc: ...crappie are excellent from the mouth of coves to the back of
coves with natural-colored jigs. Crappie are spawning in the timber west of the
bridge.
> Cooper: ...crappie are excellent in 2-10' focusing on timber in the river channels with crappie jigs.
> Nacogdoches: ...crappie are excellent roaming in large groups on brushpiles in 5-10' with chartreuse jigs.
4. LA: Sabine River report
Says rising water is pushing them upstream. Find 'em in 2-4' shallows near
cypress, buck brush and timber. Single-hook jigs or 1/16-oz underspins with
meat.
5. LA/TX: Toledo Bend report
> Crappie are picking back up in the backs of the creeks with Roadrunners and tube jigs. Bends in the creeks have been the best place to hold the bigger
crappie in 6-8' near shallow flats. As water warms the action will continue to
improve.
6. MO: Mark Twain Lake report
Post says crappie are heating up at Mark Twain Lake's Little Indian Creek, tube jigs near submerged cover in 6-10'. Pre-spawn fish are staging in coves and creek arms, with bigger slabs holding close to brush and docks as water temps climb into the low 50s.
7. TX: Central TX ramp closures due to water levels
> Lake Travis: Tournament Point at Pace Bend Park open, "all other public boat ramps are currently closed due to low water levels."
> Lake Buchanan: Ramp at Burnet County "White Bluff" Park open, "all other public boat ramps are currently closed due to low water levels."
8. Win the latest Humminbird and MinnKota stuff!
New Humminbird XPLORE 12 fish finder, new Humminbird MEGA Live 2 FFS,
and a MinnKota Ultrex QUEST! All entries are dueby 11:59 pm CT on Monday, Mar 31.
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Look for debris piles in creeks
Some good juice from an older In-Fisherman post. John Harrison of JH Guide Service talkin' early spring in MS, but it applies anywhere you have higher water and debris:
> "In March, I go as far up a creek channel as the boat can go, where the water is the warmest. I typically start in about 3'. As the water warms, I may move into 1.5' of water, jigging vertically. Even in 8-10 inches I vertically jig.
> "I look for stumps with branches and piles of trash on them. I call them drifts. A log floats down in high water and lodges on a stump. Once something hangs up there, it begins catching everything that drifts down. The biggest pile of debris is what we're looking for."
> Harrison doesn't jig right under the boat, but reaches out with a 10' B'n'M BBUL (Bug's Best Ultralight), with 8- or 10-lb test in that heavy cover, jigging with a Southern Pro or Mister Twister 1/16- to 1/8-oz jigs.
> "A heavier jig sometimes shakes loose better than a 1/16-oz one. I tip it with a Mister Twister 2-inch Sassy Shad or 2-inch Southern Pro Tube and fish all the way around the drift. There's usually a sweet spot and crappies hold around it – males pack in tight to small areas.
> "They back into the cover and quit biting during cold fronts, but it has to get really cold for a week to pull them out of a good drift. They spawn in those leaves, sticks and limbs beginning in the mid-60 range, usually in the last week of March to the first week in April."
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"People think you have to have the most expensive equipment and gear on the market, and that's absolutely not true. You can take a bucket o' minnows and a jig, or a hook and some a cork in the springtime, walk the banks and have as much fun as anybody in a boat."
- Grenada, MS guide Clay Blair talkin' about how you don't need FFS and all that to catch fish!
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Check out this MS 3-lber! 👀 From a Bobby Garland FB post:
> "BIGGUN – LA crappie angler Tim Hebert made a big-fish pilgrimage to the Big Four [MS crappie lakes] and not only caught a 3-lber, but the 3.10 was also a Crappie Forever tagged fish. Tim was using his go-to big fish bait, a 2.25" Slab Hunt'R."
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