How to find big crappie seems to be a well kept secret. In reality it is imperative to know their preferred habitat for the season. It’s worth saying a hundred times: ninety percent of the fish are going to be found in ten percent of the water.
On popular lakes the best crappie hotspots get pounded by anglers. It doesn’t take long before the big “slab” crappie are bite shy and little “dink” crappie are the only fish that hit. Every angler wants their own secret honey hole but few really know what is involved in making your own crappie hotspot.
A stretch of mild weather that loosens winter's grip is an alarm bell for stream smallmouth anglers fed up with being stuck indoors. And that mild weather isn’t going to send buckets of meltwater into Midwestern waterways.
Some, like my friend Jim Carpenter, would rather put on a pair of waders and jump right on into the streams to fish for winter smallmouth bass than any other way. For Carpenter, wade fishing a cold stream for bronzebacks is a surefire way to melt away the winter doldrums.
My father was a big fisher, mostly catfish. I remember every time we would get near a body of water, he would pull one out and clean it to eat. It was an unpleasant process, because he never took the time to avoid the spines on the dorsal and pectoral fin. And the whole experience was sullied by his swollen, bleeding hands. Mr. Crappie Slab-Slanger Gloves (in addition to being very fun to say) are made for fishermen like my own father, or any angler who would prefer to avoid the mess and potential injury while fish cleaning.
“I don’t fish for bass,” a guy mentioned last week as we discussed this spring’s fishing bonanza at a local boat ramp. “Besides, there is no way I could afford it,” he said gesturing towards a glistening metal-flake bass boat loaded with rods, boxes of lures and mysterious electronic gadgets. “It can get too complicated and too expensive,” he added.
Are you fishing for finicky fins in clear waters? The SPRO Aruku Shad Silent is an essential addition to your tackle box.
Catching any fish under twelve inches long usually isn’t worth my time. There are a few exceptions however and bluegill are one of them. Pound for pound they fight like a tiger and are second to none when it comes to table fare.
Most of the year giant bluegill can be difficult to catch. Thankfully late spring and early summer offer an exception. This time of year trophy sized gills are going through their mating ritual and aggressively feed while producing next year’s crop of offspring.
There’s something very rewarding about making your own stuff. Over the years I’ve made my own recurve bows, built boats, fly rods and a host of other things. However nothing has been more beneficial to me than making my own flys. It is extremely cost efficient and there’s nothing like fooling your favorite game fish with a gob of feathers and hair you personally put together at the tying vice.
Hit the waters this summer to become the next to break a local record.
The popular Under Spin Head is making a big splash with this mini re-release.
