Tips for Catching Crappie

Crappies are the first fish to move to the shallows each spring. Their spawning migration is anxiously anticipated by both adults and children. Kids love the way they tug on the line, and parents enjoy catching them too. But, it’s even more fun to cook and eat them.

There was a time when crappie fishing wasn’t very good on Lake Norman. However, once the NCWRC began regulating the size and creel limit, fishing improved. In recent years, spring limits of twenty fish per person per day have been easy to achieve, and, more fish than not, exceeded ten inches in length. This year is seeing some really large crappies fill the live wells, with a few exceeding fifteen inches.

Crappies travel in schools, so when one is caught, more should be in the same general area. Best baits to use are small minnows, known by locals as crappie minnows, and a 1/32^nd to 1/8^th ounce lead head jig, garnished with a colorful skirt and tail made of soft plastic or Marabou hair.

Crappies like to hang out in the shade, which is why they can be found around bridge pilings, covered boat docks, submerged stump fields and underwater brush piles. Creative anglers spend the winter months dropping Christmas trees, hardwood branches and stalks from bamboo plants in the lake to create habitats that will attract crappies in the spring. Brush piles can be found with a fish finder equipped with down and side scan imagery.

Fishing peaks in April. When the spawning is complete, the fish will return to deeper water. In the meantime, fishermen will concentrate their efforts in water less than ten feet and move shallower as the spawning season progresses. At the peak, fish will locate in one to five feet of water, depending on conditions. Try different depths until you find them.

The best advice for catching crappie is to fish “gently.” Move the bait ever so slowly, give the fish plenty of time to nibble, and play it very carefully to the boat. The larger the crappie, the more likely its body weight will cause the hook to pull from its paper soft mouth.

Tips from Capt. Gus: Get in the habit of netting each fish, particularly if you’re planning to eat it.