Crappie fishing

Lets get a debate started! What is the very best crappie lake in Alabama? Ive heard that weiss is the crappie capital of the world? Does this still stand true in lite of the poor water management, water levels and the poor spons?

Wow! Great discussion Guys. I thought this was a discussion board! No wonder this site gets no action. No one wants to participate.

I like to crappie fish Guntersville. Huge fish and when the crappie stop biting go bass fishing.never have fished any others lakes in Al. When does the crappie start bitting good in northern Al?

I asked about Weiss but never got a response. Thought maybe everyone was just out fishing. So, I am still wondering. Maybe some replies to this post will tell me what I need to know.

I have been to Weiss once about 4 years ago. We did o.k. We stayed at a place called Riverside (near Centre). It must have closed or changed names. We fished at several places that were very close to there. We caught several fish but not big slabs like we thought. I talked to several locals there at the time and according to them there was a power struggle between Georgia and Alabama over the water from the Coosa river. The lake levels would change drastically from one week to another. Therefore the spon and the overall population was declining. As I said this was 4 maybe 5 years ago. The fish we did catch we all around docks in the front of lake homes. The local folks had these places baited pretty good with brush, and sugar cain stalks. In 4 days we caught over 100 keepers which I thought was good at the time. Turns out in previous years others told me we should have faired much better. I've been to West Point 3 times. We did much better there 2 times and worse 1 time. The crappie we caught there were larger and easier to catch. A place called Yellow Jacket Creek on the NE end produced the best for us. It was a large creek bed with lots and lots of standing timber. We also trolled the channel because the fish were just beginning to move into the wood. The creek was muddy and warmer than the shallows where the timber was. On each trip we used a variety of jigs and tipped them with rosy reds (minnows). When the fish were really picky we used a gold hook and a minnow. I really like West Point but its a long way for me to pull a boat. I'm interested in going to Guntersville, but I dont know any thing about the crappie fishing there. Any Information is greatly appreciated. Any Info about Kentucky Lake is also needed. I'm trying to decide where to go the last week in March. THANKS

The crappie bite usually really turn on in march, depending on the water temp. Ive been in late march 2 times and the 1st of April a couple of times. We never hit it exactly right. I try to monitor the reports from various sites and watch the water temp. and the weather.

Weiss Lake used to be the crappie capital of the world, but the exploding striper population and lack of creel and length enforcement by gsme wardens has left it a shadow of what it once was.
Guntersville, on the other hand, is known for fantastic bass fishing, but it also holds a tremendous crappie population too. If you want to catch them in the spring you'd better be proficient in fishing milfoil and hydrilla, because that's where they are. My job does not permit me to chase springtime crappies, but the fall action is just as good as the spring bite, just a little deeper. Crappie over 2 pounds are plentiful ... I mean fish that really weigh over two pounds. Most folks call a 1 1/2 pound crappie 2 pounds and never put it on the scales. If you can hold it by the lower lip and drop a 12 oz can down in its mouth, you can be sure it is over 2 pounds.
Wheeler Lake, just downstream also holds plenty of slabber crappie. The Tennessee River chain of lakes in north Alabama is blessed with a great algae bloom, abundant shad populations, and great fishing.
Wilson and Pickwick, just downstream from Wheeler has some of the finest smallmouth fishing in the world. I'm sure they also hold good crappies, but I'd rather chase brown bass when fishing there.