Three Crappie Fishing Tips
Kevin Felts 07.17.18
Looking for crappie fishing tips? Then look no further. We are going to discuss some crappie fishing tips which should help the reader catch more black crappie.
Over the decades crappie fishing has become so popular it is now considered a sport of its own with a loyal following. To listen to the crappie loyalist, the popularity of black crappie fishing is comparable to bass fishing, but I do not know about that. Living near Lake Sam Rayburn in southeast Texas, rarely does a crappie fishing tournament come to town.
Enough of the babbling, let’s move onto those crappie fishing tips.
Crappie Fishing Tackle
Rather that using an open face baitcasting reel like what we use for bass fishing, look for a spinning reel. The spinning reel allows the use of lightweight tackle, such as 1/8 or 1/4 ounce jigs.
Some of the popular spinning reels on Amazon include:
The spinning reel allows the lightweight tackle to be cast up under cypress trees.
For the lures, something that has bright contrasting colors, and makes lots of movement.
- White and Chartreuse tubes
- Black and Chartreuse jigs
- Black and Chartreuse tubes
- Jigs with a small spoon
Something with a tail that makes a lot of motion.
Crappie Habitat
Crappie can be found in lakes, ponds, rivers, and reservoirs. From my experience crappie will typically avoid fast moving water. They may venture into a river channel when the water is not moving, then look for a hiding place when the water is moving.
Why would water in a river suddenly move? Due to hydroelectric dams up stream.
Fishing around tree stumps sticking up out of the water, around the base of cypress trees, and along the edges of lily pads may prove to be productive.
In other words, anywhere minnows and other bait fish hide from bigger fish.
Crappie Fishing Boat
Think you need a big, fancy and expensive bass boat to go crappie fishing? Think again. Just a small aluminum boat with a trolling motor and outboard will do. In some cases, such as ponds, maybe even just a trolling motor.
On a personal note,in early July of 2018, I was fishing at Steinhagen Reservoir, then headed north on the Neches river. There was an older gentleman who had maybe a 12 foot aluminum boat with a small Evinrude motor on it. I passed him, waved, then a little while later saw him again. I stopped and we talked for a few minutes. He had caught around 16 crappie in just a couple of hours.
His secret? He would tie off to fallen trees on the edge of the river, sit there and fish. He was out fishing people who had spent a small fortune on their boats.
Those small aluminum boats allow people to get into tight areas where the big fiberglass boats would not dare to go.
Final Thoughts
One of the nice things about fishing is that everyone is equal. Someone with a small, used 30-year-old aluminum boat can catch more fish than someone with a boat costing $50k.
Crappie fishing offers a nice change from other types of fishing. Sometimes tie off a tree, relax, fish, and enjoy nature.
