by Mark Brazel

Created on: February 05, 2009

Well its seven in the morning, the sky is cloudy with no chance of rain, the winds are calm and its sixty-five degrees. Come with me, we're going crappie fishing.

Crappie fishing is without a doubt, one of the most enjoyable and adrenalin filled ways to spend your time on the water. As a former crappie fishing guide and published outdoor writer, I can share methods which I have used to catch crappie over the years. These are simple tried and true methods that can be learned by both experienced and inexperienced fisherman.

The first item of attention should be to make sure the time is right for catching crappies. The spring and fall are the best times to fish however you can catch crappies year round if you are able to locate them. Check your local fishing reports and talk with bait shop owners to see if the crappie are biting at your planned destination.

Let's start with the boat set-up. Any boat can be used to fish for crappies but a sleek, quiet, simple fishing boat is all you need. Make sure the boat is equipped with a trolling motor. Before you approach the area where you are going to fish, shut off your outboard and quietly sneak into your honey-hole using just the trolling motor. Crappie are very wary creatures and will easily spook at the sound of an approaching boat. Though they will eventually return to the area, it may take a few minutes before they feel comfortable with their surroundings and begin to bite. You also need a couple of anchors to hold you in place. Ideally the wind up anchors are the best but a simple rope tied to an anchor and gently dropped overboard will do. A couple of well padded swivel fishing seats are a must as you will be sitting most of the time, which of course make crappie fishing a very stress free, relaxing sport.

Now let's talk tackle. Personally, I go pretty cheap here. If you have the money to invest in high dollar rods and reels, knock yourself out, but a crappie will bite on a twenty dollar rod and reel the same as one you bought for a hundred dollars. I have used Zebco's Model 33 reels for years. The Bill Dance crappie reels and Abu-Garcia Abu-Matics are also good choices. These are well priced inexpensive reels that are very versatile and ideal for crappie fishing. I pair these reels with an Uncle's Bucks crappie rod. I prefer a rod between five and six feet long as it makes it a little easier to handle. You can also use the very long rods which are great for lifting and moving from place to place. These come in versions

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>