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The Target Crappie team hopes y'all had a great and reflective Easter weekend! We reflected on and celebrated the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior. No matter how busy your weekend was, we hope you yours had time to thank Him!
Glad you’re here with Target Crappie today! If you – or a fishin’ buddy – aren’t on the email list yet, smash this link to keep the free crappie juice flowin'! 🧃 Let's get into it!
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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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Slabs aren't just on the bank, they're offshore too!
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Target Crappie team member and Sam Rayburn, TX guide Brett Jolley has been crushing 'em offshore this spring even when most folks are on the bank. Here's what's happening:
> "The past few weeks on Sam Rayburn have been incredibly windy, but those days often bring the best bite. The wind stirs up the water and the fish don’t get stingy as fast in the piles. You just have to find the right ones.
The right brushpiles
> "Rayburn is littered with piles, and it seems like most of the crappie like to be on them almost year-round. In a lot of lakes, crappie roam and get into these big schools and chase bait, but I wouldn’t say that’s typical for here – at least not the ones we’re catching."
> "It’s that time of year when fish are scattered: Most have spawned but some still have eggs. We're targeting 99% offshore in piles, and the bite hasn’t slowed down one bit.
> "Lately we’ve been fishing piles in 12-30', but the shallower ones are holding the bigger more-aggressive fish."
> "The key is finding piles that consistently reload – especially in spring when fish are moving. I’ve got 1 go-to pile that’s been producing 1- and 2-man limits since Thanksgiving.
> "The key is finding transition-area piles – fish use them moving in and out, and they reload fast with 11-15 inch crappie. Deeper piles might give up a few big ones right now....
> "The best piles right now are on mid-range flats with deepwater access, like a creek channel or big dropoff, close to spawning areas. I look for flats near creek mouths, and when you find one like that, you’re setting yourself up to catch fish all winter and spring – essentially year-round."
What we're catching 'em on
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> "One of the biggest things for catching them consistently is my bait. I'm keeping it incredibly simple and that’s helping me, as well as clients, keep catching them.
> "For the past few months, all I’ve been using is a white 1/16-oz Big Bite Baits Double Eye Jighead with a 2" Bobby Garland Original Baby Shad. I usually throw a 'natural shad' color, but lately they’ve been absolutely gorging on the 'lights out' color." (Pictured ^)
> "I'm rigging it on 12-lb Seaguar Basix flouro leader with a 10-lb Flame Green Berkley X9 Braid – heavier than most would use, but since I’m out with clients and throwing into brushpiles I’m able to bend the hooks out and get them back in the water fast instead of breaking off.
> "The crappie don’t seem to care about the heavier line. I haven’t noticed a difference so it’s just what I do for efficiency.
> "For my splitshot I tie an overhand knot about 10 inches up the line so it won’t slide down. That heavier line holds up fine – I’ve caught big bass in the piles and haven’t broken that knot.
> "If I’m shallow with no wind, I’m using a #7 splitshot. If there’s some chop or I need to get it down a little more, I’m using a #4. And if it’s really windy like it’s been lately, I’m using a size #1."
My setup:
> 2" Bobby Garland 2" Original Baby Shad (lights out) on a 1/16-oz Big Bite Baits Double Eye jighead (white), 12-lb Seaguar Basix flouro leader to 10-lb Flame Green Berkley X9 Braid mainline, 7' 2" Crappie Thunder Spinning Combo.
The technique
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> "To set up on these brushpiles, I get about 30' away and never really use Spot-Lock so I can always see what I’m doing. I watch my bait and my client’s fall straight down on an open bail and close it about 2' above the pile.
> "The key deal here is what I call painting a frame around that pile –keeping the bait the same distance above it the whole time and bringing it back in a flat, smooth line. I dial in the perfect reel speed and rod lift to keep it about 1' over the top where I can watch the fish the whole time. Pretty quick, they’ll come out and follow it.
> "Most people want to jerk or jig hard, but crappie don’t like that. I’ve seen them bolt from baits moving too fast. They don’t want anything fancy, just a slow rise.
> "We keep working that sweet spot until we’re either out of fish or only catching short ones. Then I’m gone."
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Long-lining secrets in dingy water 🤫
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Northern AL crappie guide Brad Whitehead is seeing 60-80 fish days on Pickwick Lake (TN River), even with murky and fluctuating water. He's targeting large, expansive flats with old-school long-lining tactics. Here's how he does it:
> "When the water goes up, these fish have more places to roam. I troll to cover water fast and catch active crappie on the move.
> "Pickwick has an abundance of huge flats in it. You will have a 1/4 mile of nothing but 12' of water, and a 1/4 mile of nothing but 15' of water.
> "All these creeks drain towards the main river. So I often set up above the creek and pull down towards the mouth because that is the natural way of bait moving once the current picks up.
> "If you catch 5 or 6 fish on a pull, most people will just keep going. They will not turn around and come back. I always turn around and come back. Sometimes fish want it going from north to south, sometimes they want it going east to west.
> "People say, 'How in the world are we not going to get these tangled up?' It's real easy. You go from point A to point B. When you get to point B, pick the rods up, turn the boat around, and go back to point A. That's how I avoid crossing lines."
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> "My setup is simple with 6-lb Vicious high-vis [mono]. On the inside of your reel, there's a little tab that you can wrap fishing line around to mark distance. I mark distances at 60', 70' and 80'...I have my kids pull the lure to 60', then wrap the line around that tab to lock it in.
> "This keeps every 1/8-oz jighead precise, running 8-12' deep at 0.9-1 mph.
> "I can slow it down, and the baits will drop a little bit. Or I can speed it up and they'll raise a little bit. So if we're catching fish in 12' of water, and I've got them all out at 60'...say I decide I want to ease over into 10' flats, then I know I can crank them up by going a little faster.
> "Using the Vicious high-vis line allows me to see those lines, and it helps the customer know that they're not going to get tangled up."
Color and jighead eyes are important
> "One of my keys to catching these fish is the Charlie Brewer double action minnow.... It's a 2 1/8-inch bait and it has a flat tail. It has a lot of vibration. That is my go-to in dingy water.
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> "...black/chartreuse is #1 [in dingy water]. 2nd is pink and 3rd is red... I paint my own jigheads and put eyes on 'em too. I have done this long enough to know that the eyes make a huge difference.
> "I normally start off with a handful of [bait] colors, but by the end of the day I'll usually zero-in on 1 color they're eating better than the others.
> "I've heard it for years, especially from our older fishermen: 'If they don't hit black and chartreuse, they ain't biting today.' [For] a guide, that's not a really good mindset.
> "So I normally take a handful of [colors] and lay them on the deck of the boat. I'm constantly changing when I take fish off of customers' rods."
Weak bites = tough days
> "If I catch a fish and the hook's in the bottom of that fish's mouth and it's turned backwards – if you were looking at a fish and you had his mouth open, the hook would go in through his bottom lip and turn backwards...sign this is going to be a tough day because it's a weird bite, and I can't really explain it.
> "When I get on the water [in the morning] and I don't hear birds chirping, or don't see things moving around, the bite usually won't start 'til later in the day."
Brad's long-lining setup
2 1/8" Charlie Brewer Slider Double Action Minnow, 1/8-oz Eagle Claw plain lead jigheads, 6-lb Vicious high-vis line, 8' B'n'M BGJP Rods and 10' B'n'M BGJP Rods.
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NC guys say big baits = big slabs
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Here's some juice from a NC Sportsman post talkin' upsizing baits. Are we fishing too small? 🤔 Maynard Edwards of Yadkin Lakes Guide Service:
> "Have you ever looked at the mouth on a big crappie? It’s not that small. It can swallow a pretty good-sized bait."
Maynard has caught 3-lbers trolling 3" grubs for stripers. These days he upsizes his plastics and his hook:
> "Most of the hooks you find on jigs are #6s. I’ve gone to #2 and I use the Slider head. I think they’ll hold a big bait better.”
Tom Sprouse, another NC crappie expert in that post, agrees and mixes in live bait:
> "I'll use a Kalin grub and tip it with a #6 minnow. Most people buy #4s, but you can get #6s. The combination of the grub and minnow does it for me."
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"Fish the tree’s entire root structure."
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- Quote from crappie angler Steve Danna talkin' 'bout cypress trees in LA but it applies everywhere. Full quote:
> "A cypress tree's root structure is what counts for crappie. If you see the tree’s longest limb coming out 5', then know that’s how far the roots will come out too."
He likes green cypresses too....
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> "The 5th Annual Big Crappie Bash returns to Watts Bar Lake on Apr 26, offering anglers a chance to compete for a $5,000 grand prize and $1,500 hourly awards. With over 80 boats registered, this year’s event promises to be the largest yet."
Staged out of Terrace View Marina. Find registration and info here.
2. New Luck E Strike Luck E Bug
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4. TX: Concho River record broken
Caught by Jeffery Schwartz this month, weighed 1.55-lb and was 14.25" long. He beat his own son’s previous Concho River record of 1.25-lb caught in March.
5. Here's a guide for in-line vs offset hooks
Something to think about especially when fishing with minnows.
6. TX: It’s going down up shallow
Consensus around the state is that they’re still in spawn mode. Crappie are "excellent" on Cypress Springs, Sam Rayburn says "good" – we think it’s better than good!
7. IL: Lake Jacksonville is healthy with crappie
> The IL DNR completed its spring trap net survey at Lake Jacksonville. Using 10 trap nets for 24 hours, the department collected 324 black crappie and 324 white crappie. Of the fish caught, about 30% of them were 10" or longer....
8. IA: Crappies are moving shallower!
9. OK: Top lakes for crappie fishing are…
Murray, Grand Lake, Altus-Lugert, Broken Bow, Kaw, Thunderbird. Look right to you OK peeps?
10. AR: Lake Conway renovation moving forward
11. OR: DFW improving fish habitat at Willow Creek Rez..
> "..by anchoring woody structures, such as juniper trees, to the reservoir bottom to create more cover for fish.
> "...goal of the pilot project is to increase the survival of...bass, crappie, and other warmwater species by improving the otherwise sparse habitat and fish cover in the reservoir."
12. Where to find ice belt crappies right now
> "Focus your efforts on northern, northwestern and northeastern shorelines and offshoots of the main lake – the first areas to warm up. That could also mean backwaters and marinas on rivers or creek channels and coves on reservoirs."
13. Bryton Marine names new Prez/COO of Alumcraft
James Irwin who was at Alumacraft for a time and is now back after Bryton Marine acquired it.
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Dan Langston: Boat control tips for FFS
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Dan is half the team that won the recent Crappie Masters on Eufaula, OK – he gave the juice on that win in last week's TC. He also talked to us about boat control in rough conditions for using forward-facing sonar (FFS).
He says a solid seat base to lean into helps keep you locked in, and a strong trolling motor is non-negotiable. Also:
> "Power Brakes are phenomenal for stopping. And if you're not burning at least 160 amp hours on a windy day, you're fishing too slow.”
He trains using tree targets:
> "I'd sit on a tree and hold it on-screen for 10 seconds, or I had to start over. Then I’d move right, left, through timber – keeping that jig on-screen no matter the drift."
Get a boat-control lesson from a local guide:
> "FFS boat control is a totally different game from the old-school way. Find a guide who teaches it."
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This absolute tub was caught by Dylan Armstrong. No weight or length but it did practially swallow that Megabass Vision 110+1 bass jerkbait! (Color of that bait is "French pearl.")
Caught this week on Lake O' the Pines, TX in while Dylan was Scoping in open water for bass. Don't sleep on bass lures when you're hunting for big crappie!
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