Why Fish For Crappie?

Crappie fishing is one of the most popular types of fishing among anglers in the United States due to the plentiful supply of fish in lakes throughout the country. However, without the right information, it can still be difficult to catch a sufficient amount to make your trips worthwhile. This article will go over some general information on crappie fishing that will make your trips more efficient.

Depending on the time of year that you strike out to take a fishing trip, tactics used to catch crappie can be very different. For example, if you take your weekend crappie fishing excursion in the middle of June or July, you won't find the crappie near the surface or in shallow waters as you would in early spring. Instead, you'll have to fish deeper, usually closer to fifteen feet where the waters are cooler more consistently.

In general, crappie fishing is inconsistent mostly because these fish have a personality that requires very specific conditions for fruitful reproduction. For example, it seems that activity increases as the full moon nears, and some anglers find that the best crappie fishing can take place in twilight or at night about four to five days prior to the full moon. However, they seem to become sluggish as the full moon hits, so this is perhaps the least productive day of the month in which to go fishing for crappie.

If you are going to go crappie fishing during a full moon, you should try using live bait, as it is more likely to catch the attention of lethargic crappie. Also, be sure to use a slower technique, such as slow trolling. However, in the days prior to the full moon, crappie fishing will be most productive with a fast troll using jigs. Because the fish are active, it takes more movement to catch their eye and get a hook in on a nice slab. Different anglers will recommend different bait overall in the summer months; however, using a 1/16 ounce green or chartreuse jig tipped with a minnow seems to do the trick every time.

Crappie fishing can be found at hundreds of thousands of lakes and streams throughout the United States, so there is no easy answer as to where you'll find the most productive lake at any given point. Although they tend to be some of the smallest fish sought out by anglers overall, crappie is one of the most abundant types of fish in the country, meaning that they can easily be found and caught, even be inexperienced fishermen. In fact, because crappie fishing can be so easy, if you go out in the spring for a fishing excursion, it doesn't much matter what equipment you use; you are almost guaranteed to find crappie and have a decent catch.