The Crappie Spawn happens every spring when the water temperatures reach above the 60-degrees. Depending on where you live, the crappie spawn can be anytime from early March to the middle of May. Like other panfish, crappie build spawning nests in shallow water generally ranging between 1-6 feet of water. Male crappie build nests by aggressively brushing their caudal (bottom) fins like brooms in order to clear the ground for a spawning nest. Once built, male crappie will defend their nests at all costs. Now that you what crappie are doing during the spawn, here are 3 things to remember when ..read more

When the dogwoods bloom, the crappie are biting. There’s a lot of truth to that saying throughout most of the country since dogwood blossoming time usually coincides with the crappie spawn in the spring. The warmer climate in the southern half of the country triggers crappie into spawning earlier in that region, but the northern half of the country warms later in the spring and delays the annual crappie migration to the shallows. While crappie reside in many bodies of water throughout the country certain reservoirs contain thriving populations of these tasty panfish. Various tactics will prod ..read more

The cold water of winter slows down a crappie’s metabolism making the fish lethargic.  Crappie still have to eat during the winter and fortunately, their forage is also sluggish so crappie can mosey up to a baitfish and use a short burst of energy to pick off an easy meal. The key to catching crappie then is to rely on a slow presentation with a lure that can dive to the mid-depth of the water column for suspended fish or drop quickly to brush or rock piles in deep water.  Here are seven lures you can depend on to catch crappie throughout winter: 1) Marabou Jigs The tail feathers o ..read more

The Crappie Spawn happens every spring when the water temperatures reach above the 60-degrees. Depending on where you live, the crappie spawn can be anytime from early March to the middle of May. Like other panfish, crappie build spawning nests in shallow water generally ranging between 1-6 feet of water. Male crappie build nests by aggressively brushing their caudal (bottom) fins like brooms in order to clear the ground for a spawning nest. Once built, male crappie will defend their nests at all costs. Now that you what crappie are doing during the spawn, here are 3 things to remember when ..read more

The season of harvest festivals and the outdoor extravaganza of leaves changing colors is also a special time for crappie anglers. These fishermen know autumn offers some of the best opportunities to catch aggressive crappie without much competition from fellow anglers. The cool fall weather drops water temperatures and triggers crappie into a feeding frenzy as the fish fatten up for winter. This feeding spree produces some of the best crappie action of the year, but many outdoors men miss the fun because they target the fall hunting seasons. Let’s take a look at how you can catch fall crappi ..read more

When the dogwoods bloom, the crappie are biting. There’s a lot of truth to that saying throughout most of the country since dogwood blossoming time usually coincides with the crappie spawn in the spring. The warmer climate in the southern half of the country triggers crappie into spawning earlier in that region, but the northern half of the country warms later in the spring and delays the annual crappie migration to the shallows. While crappie reside in many bodies of water throughout the country certain reservoirs contain thriving populations of these tasty panfish. Various tactics will prod ..read more

Leaves turning colors and air temperatures dropping signal the start of the crappie fall feeding festival.  When autumn arrives, crappie snap out of their summer patterns and gorge on baitfish in preparation for a long, cold winter. The fish migrate from their deep summer haunts to the shallow flats’ dining areas before returning to deep water later in the season. Anglers who pattern fish as they transition from deep to shallow water and, later, from shallow to deep water will find hungry fish swimming in large schools. Here are 10 tips you need to know to help you catch more crappi ..read more

The cold water of winter slows down a crappie’s metabolism making the fish lethargic.  Crappie still have to eat during the winter and fortunately, their forage is also sluggish so crappie can mosey up to a baitfish and use a short burst of energy to pick off an easy meal. The key to catching crappie then is to rely on a slow presentation with a lure that can dive to the mid-depth of the water column for suspended fish or drop quickly to brush or rock piles in deep water.  Here are seven lures you can depend on to catch crappie throughout winter: 1) Marabou Jigs The tail feathers o ..read more

When the air cools and the leaves turn colors signaling the arrival of fall fishing, crappie make a run for the shallows. Like the spring migration to the shallows, the autumn run triggers some of the best action of the year if you can follow the crappie’s fall transition. Where To Find Big Fall Crappie Credit: David Yang On lakes lacking natural wood cover, brush piles sunken by anglers become key targets for finding crappie moving from deep water to the shallows in the fall. When the water temperature dips into the low 70s or upper 60s in early fall, you can search for crappie in ..read more

The season of harvest festivals and the outdoor extravaganza of leaves changing colors is also a special time for crappie anglers. These fishermen know autumn offers some of the best opportunities to catch aggressive crappie without much competition from fellow anglers. The cool fall weather drops water temperatures and triggers crappie into a feeding frenzy as the fish fatten up for winter. This feeding spree produces some of the best crappie action of the year, but many outdoors men miss the fun because they target the fall hunting seasons. Let’s take a look at how you can catch fall crappi ..read more