Systems For New Water

After elections, pollsters hang around the parking lot, taking what they call “exit polls.” Basically, they ask who you voted for. In spring, some anglers perform their own version of such interviews. They fiddle with their boats, pulling out rods, taking off the tarp, and performing countless other chores that would be better done at home. But every angler returning to the ramp gets the third degree.

If you try to escape with a disclaimer like “Just caught a few,” or “It was kinda slow,” they buttonhole you, asking what kind, and how big, and what bait. And nothing gets them going as much as a glimpse of a few sizable crappies in the fish basket or livewell.

Come spring, seems like everyone’s catching crappies. Cast a minnow or small lure along any shallow, protected bay, and you’ll likely get one or two. Little ones with big fins, big eyes, big mouth, and not much meat. Those big slabs are another breed altogether. Not literally, of course. They’re just a couple years older. But in that time period, they adopt differing habits that separate them from the bankrunners.

Among America’s most traveled anglers (excluding TV hosts, journalists, and the like) is Roger Bullock of Eugene, Oregon. In the past, he’s graced In-Fisherman magazine with reports of hot spots for trout, bass, and crappies. Not only does the former postal worker travel a lot, but he keeps up with a network of fishing acquaintances around the country who help him choose his next angling destination.

Pre-trip Planning

From his home in Oregon, Bullock might foray to Alabama, stopping off in Kentucky and Illinois as the spring season advances north. He targets the hottest bites among the many species options across the country. He has to be able to find fish fast on unfamiliar water.

If you’re after a big-fish bite, you’ve got to go where the big crappies live. Sounds obvious, but it’s not always easy to determine. Certain waters across the continent maintain a reputation for outsize crappies—Lake Weiss in Alabama, Melvern in Kansas, Kentucky Lake on the Tennessee-Kentucky line, Lake of the Woods straddling Minnesota and Ontario, Buggs Island (Kerr Reservoir) in Virginia-North Carolina, Lake Roosevelt in Arizona, Georgia’s Lake Seminole, and many more.

Some of those waters seem to routinely produce big fish, many over 2 pounds, which is the benchmark of a real slab anywhere. Lake of the Woods and Kentucky Lake particularly come to mind for offering steady production. Many other top waters, including most major crappie fisheries, undergo cycles of production—boom periods followed by busts when both average size and numbers of crappies decline.