Our television promotions often tout the In-Fisherman staff as the most seasoned and best-traveled editorial staff in all outdoors—and, frankly, that sounds a lot better than saying we’re the oldest editorial staff surviving.
The miles have all been hard won, to be sure. Over 30 years of TV work, always traveling to try and film three different fish species from three different parts of the country for each show. Too, we just don’t travel to catch bass and a few other species, but everything that swims, including crappies. Meanwhile, our travels to do magazine work have been just as far reaching as anything we’ve done to get television footage.
So we’ve seen a lot of water from one side of North America to the other; and we also have a lot of trusted friends who extend that reach even more. Here are things to consider when it comes to traveling to get in on great crappie fishing.
Be Ready for the Unexpected Bite
Sometimes super crappie catches come as a surprise, even rewarding the unprepared. Editor Steve Quinn will never forget the image of sail-like dorsals carving the surface of a quiet cove on Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts. He’d been fishing the shallows for bass, but the huge black-and-gold flanks redirected his attention to the center of the bay.
With no panfish tackle aboard, he enticed several monsters with a #375 A.C. Shiner and a 1/4-ounce Bass Buster spinnerbait. The rest of the school, all well over two pounds, meandered back into the depths. Today, Quabbin remains outstanding and underfished for crappie. It’s closed to fishing during winter, and access is limited to a few areas. A 25 hp limit means parts of this 25,000-acre impoundment are rarely visited.
Heavy Harvest Hurts
For years, Editor Matt Straw has pursued big panfish on waters across the U.S. and Canada. Yet his most memorable catch came years ago at a small lake in Michigan. “Though we lived in the city,” Straw relates, “we had a cabin on a lake in central Michigan where Dad and I would fish. When I was about 10, he built a wooden boat and was eager to try it out. We launched and anchored by a fallen tree, pitching bobbers and minnows into a likely looking fork in its branches. The bobber would sit for a few long seconds, then slowly be pulled down into the tree.
“Every cast produced a crappie, each one bigger than the last, until Dad pulled in one that we later measured at over 18 inches. We didn’t know anything about state records for fish like crappies. And we knew nothing of catch-and-release either, back in 1963. The 18-inch crappie was fried for dinner, like all the others we caught that day.
“Crappies no longer thrive in that lake,” Straw says. “Nobody catches much there at all. And I can’t help thinking that, knowingly or not, my father and I played some part in the demise of that fishery. I’m sure this sad tale has played out on countless small waters across the northern states.
“In the Brainerd, Minnesota area, anglers to this day seem unwilling to release 11- to 13-inch fish, which have become infrequent catches. Heavy fishing pressure by skilled anglers and their reluctance to release big ones has made it lots tougher to find big crappies in area lakes.”
Today, prime waters exist where few anglers live—part of Northwest Ontario and remote areas of northern states. As we’ve pointed out, northern crappies can get nearly as big as their southern cousins; it just takes them longer. And the longer it takes, the more likely someone will catch and keep the fish before it reaches massive proportions.
For that reason, private waters today offer some of the best opportunities for fast fishing and big crappies. In-Fisherman contributor Roger Bullock of Greenbrier, Arkansas, advises: “Get to know farmers or landowners who have large fishing lakes on their property.
“When asking for permission to fish, mention that you’ll release all or most of your catch, according to their wishes. Some owners would appreciate a few fish for themselves, and they’re even happier if you’ve already filleted them. Be careful not to litter or damage anything. Most importantly, tell no one when you find a real winner.”
Pay Attention to Seasonal Aspects
Roger Gant, a veteran crappie guide and tournament angler, fishes the Southeast region from his base in Corinth, Mississippi. He suggests that anglers interested in catching the biggest crappie focus on the winter bite. “Everyone likes to fish in the spring,” Gant says, “and many big fish are caught then, particularly during the Prespawn Period. But in spring, even the best spots contain a mix of sizes, as males and females, young and old, feed and prepare to spawn in specific locations.
“During winter, on the other hand, the biggest fish tend to stack on specific types of structure. I know lots of spots on the reservoirs I fish. But I can also look at a map of another lake and select likely locations. The channels of larger secondary creeks are prime spots, with the big fish holding along channel bends in 20 to 35 feet of water. Work jigs slowly along stump rows or brushpiles there.”
For the traveling angler, weather plays a powerful role. The winter bite is most reliable, as crappies typically group in deeper areas in the lower end of reservoirs. Editor In Chief Doug Stange vouches for the vagaries of weather and its effects on the bite, as he regularly travels the South and Southeast in winter and spring, filming episodes for In-Fisherman Television.
“Cold conditions can make it unpleasant to fish,” Stange says, “but you can catch lots of crappies. If you visit a lake toward the end of a strong warming trend in spring, you may find incredible fishing as the prespawn bite peaks. But I can tell you from experience that your chances of predicting this timeframe and making it happen are slight.
“In spring, the advantage goes with local experts who can fish a lake regularly and stay on top of the fish, or else they can fish when conditions are prime. That’s the opportunity we have at home when the ice goes off the lakes in April. When it’s on, the spring bite is best of all, but your odds of finding at least passing good fishing are far better in winter.”
