Holy Crappie!

TEXAS FRESHWATER by Matt Williams
April 24, 2022
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April 24, 2022

A Quest for Trophy Panfish

by Matt Williams

ASK ANY PANFISH JUNKIE and they are sure to agree that crappie are only where you find them. They are school fish by nature. Find one crappie and others are likely to be nearby.

Come May, there could still be some fish spawning in shallow water in the backs of major and secondary creeks or pockets on your favorite crappie lake. Just know they probably won’t be there for much longer.

As a rule, now is a time of transition for crappie. It’s a time when the spawn starts to wind down, and fish begin a gradual shift toward deeper water where they will spend the summer, fall and winter.

Texas is home to two species of crappie — black crappie and white crappie. Blacks are most prevalent in East Texas reservoirs, where the water is generally clear and somewhat acidic. White crappie can be found in lakes statewide, but tend to thrive in more turbid reservoirs with some color to the water.

Texas has a lot of good crappie lakes producing big numbers, and big fish.

Texas has a lot of good crappie lakes producing big numbers, and big fish.
(Photo: Matt Williams)

As size goes, it is not uncommon for both species to grow beyond two pounds, although bigger fish are more abundant on some lakes than others.

Texas’s state records for both species have stood for a while. Toledo Bend along the Texas/Louisiana border produced the state’s biggest black crappie, a four-pounder recorded in December 2002.

The state record white crappie has been in place even longer. It’s a 4.56-pounder caught from Navarro Mills in Central Texas way back in February 1968.

There’s a passel of good crappie lakes in Texas. However, some tend to produce better fishing—and bigger bites—than others do.

The advent of forward-facing sonar technology such as Garmin LiveScope, Lowrance ActiveTarget and Humminbird MEGA Live Imaging has made it easier to exploit these fish than ever before. One student of forward-facing sonar recently told me “Only a fool would go crappie fishing without it.”

Forward-facing sonar is different from traditional sonar. It uses a special transducer that mounts to the trolling motor shaft or an independent pole. Anglers can slip quietly along as the transducer scans the water column all around the boat. High resolution imagery relays to the electronics screen in real time.

One of the main benefits is it boosts the chances of seeing inherently spooky fish before they know you’re around. Another is it helps you make precise bait presentations. More important, you can see how fish react to baits.

Lake Fork crappie fishing guide Gary Paris is a big fan of the technology for a couple reasons.

“First off it helps eliminate a lot of unproductive water very quickly,” he said. “If LiveScope isn’t showing you any fish, there is no sense in fishing there. You just keep looking until you find them.”

Second, Paris pointed out that crappie fishing is all about bait presentation at the proper depth. LiveScope makes it possible to tune in quickly and make adjustments on the fly.

“If you know the depth where the fish are, it helps keep the bait right in their faces 100 percent of the time because you can see it,” he said. “That isn’t possible with traditional sonar. If the fish move, you just stay with them.”

Lake Fork ranks among Texas’s best lakes with abundant populations of black and white crappie. Paris considers a 2 1/2 pounder to be a “slab,” but bigger ones are not uncommon.

Lake Fork ranks among the best Texas crappie lakes.

Lake Fork ranks among the best Texas crappie lakes. (Photo: Matt Williams)

In early May, he always looks offshore to find post-spawn schools in water ranging 20 to 55 feet deep. He uses LiveScope and a 1/8-ounce jig to bird dog fish that are typically suspended 12 to 17 feet down around old timber or brush piles.

Paris says he frequently catches black and white crappie in the same areas, but the whites tend to suspend slightly deeper. He added that it is not uncommon find large schools of black crappie suspended away from cover in wide-open water. Forward sonar is essential for homing in on these fish, which are often unmolested.

Lakes Toledo Bend, Lake O’ the Pines, Palestine and Cedar Creek are three other East Texas lakes that get top billing for big white and black crappie. In Central Texas, lakes Granger, Buchanan, Mexia, Limestone and Aquilla are worth a look.

On T-Bend, fishing guide Stephen Johnston looks for there to be still lots of fish spawning at the south end of the lake in May. He will key on major and secondary creeks as well as points. With no grass in the lake and water levels low, underwater stumps and lay downs should be holding fish to be caught on Roadrunners, tube jigs and hair jigs under a cork.

Once June rolls around, the fish will transition to deeper water, Johnston says. Most will set up around brush piles, big timber, and natural laydowns in 15 to 22 feet of water. They can be caught on dunking shiners or casting jigs, and forward-facing sonar is a plus.

Fishing guides Ricky Vandergriff and Jason Barber say similar patterns will be in play on lakes Palestine and Cedar Creek. On Palestine, Vandergriff likes to use LiveScope to target schools around flooded timber.

Along the Neches River, non-LiveScopers should look for brush piles in water ranging from 16 to 20 feet, or target bridge cross members. Small shiners and jigs can be equally effective, but Vandergriff prefers jigs the most. Tipping jigs with a Berkley Crappie Nibbles will help at times, Vandergriff said.

Barber says brush piles will be holding mixtures of black and white crappie on Cedar Creek, but deeper boat docks in five- to twelve-feet of water may be the better bet for blacks. Barber prefers using a jig fishing technique called “shooting” to get at fish attracted to docks by shade and forage. His favorite set up is a 1/16-ounce hair jig matched with a 6½-foot medium spinning outfit and six-pound high-vis line that helps to detect subtle strikes.

TPWD fisheries biologist Marcos DeJesus spent years overseeing Central Texas lakes before relocating to Tyler to accept a regional director gig. He says Granger and Buchanan were his favorite crappie lakes. While both maintain good populations of white crappie, Granger is the stronger of the two.

“Sizes aren’t as big as northeast Texas, but one- to two-pound fish are common,” he said.

The biologist says the best fishing from late spring through summer usually goes down around brush piles in water ranging from eight to fifteen feet.

TPWD fisheries biologist John Tibbs oversees several lakes in the Waco district. He ranks Aquilla, Mexia and Limestone as the best for numbers and quality of white crappie.

Tibbs says most of the fish move offshore and suspend around timber and brush after the spawn winds down. Anglers with forward-facing sonar will have an advantage over those who don’t.

“Limestone has quite a bit of submerged timber on the main lake that is deep enough for crappie to use,” Tibbs said. “But Aquilla and especially Mexia anglers will need to look for isolated brush piles and other submerged habitat.”

Tibbs added that all three reservoirs are capable of growing crappie upwards of two pounds, but generally the larger crappie will top out in the one- to two-pound range.

DIGITAL BONUS

Cook Your Crappie

Ok, so now you’ve got some crappie in the boat. It’s time to make ‘em into a tasty meal, frying style. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s outdoor chef Tim Spice shows you how.

 

 

—story by Matt Williams

 

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