Crappie are a springtime favorite of Oklahoma anglers. These tasty fish can be caught near shore in great numbers during their spring spawn. Small soft plastic lures, hair jigs and live minnows are essential crappie fishing tackle. March through May is the peak window for bank anglers targeting crappie. Areas with hard bottom, standing timber and brushy cover are ideal habitat.

Crappie are tasty table fare. Their flaky white meat is great for fried bites or pan seared for tacos. Bigger fillets can be wrapped in foil with butter, salt and pepper and thrown on the grill or baked in the oven.

Harvest of crappie between 6- and 12-inches is an important tool for a healthy crappie population. Crappie are highly susceptible to stunting when left unchecked, especially in smaller bodies of water. With a liberal daily bag limit of 37 crappie, anglers can have a big impact each year on the future success of their favorite crappie fisheries.

Fishing Tips

Before the spawn, when water temperatures are between 45˚F and 55˚F, crappie will begin moving from their wintering habitat to transition areas

(areas of rapid depth change) near their desired spawning area. During the pre-spawn period, live minnows, hair jigs and soft plastic lures like baby shad fished around transition areas near spawning habitat is an effective way to catch fish.

Crappie prefer hard bottom to spawn. Target shallow areas with rocky outcroppings, gravel or hardwood logs in April for the peak of the crappie bite.

Naturally colored tubes, swimbaits, curly tail grubs, hair jigs and inline spinners or a live minnow are all good options for targeting crappie when the spawning cycle begins.

Bobber jigging a baby shad, small hair jig or live minnow is an easy and effective way to stay in the strike zone longer. Crappie can be lazy biters. The longer the bait can stay in front of and above the fish the better. Use a stick bobber for this presentation as crappie rarely submerge the bobber due to their tendency to bite upward and suspend. Instead, the bobber will fall flat on the water indicating to set the hook. This is a great technique for crappie anglers of all skill levels. Type “bobber jigging for crappie” into the You-Tube search bar for dif-

ferent video how-tos on presentation, baits and rigging techniques.

Depth control is very important in crappie fishing, especially in water deeper than 4 feet. Crappie eyes sit on the top of their head. They prefer to attack prey from below, so keeping your lure or bait in front of and above a crappie will lead to better bite action.

When crappie are suspended in deeper water, a slip float is the most effective way to target them from the bank. Type “how to slip bobber for crappie” into the YouTube search bar for different video howtos on presentation, baits and rigging techniques.

Casting and retrieving artificial lures will catch fish, but is typically less productive than using a bobber during the spawning cycle. Post-spawn, lipless crankbaits, diving crankbaits and jerkbaits can be effective for open water schools or over grass flats.

A small lipless crankbait like the Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap Mini-Trap in Chrome Black Back is an excellent multi-species cast and retrieve lure for rivers and reservoirs.

Chartreuse is a universally tried and true color for crappie, especially in dingy water. Whites, silvers, blues, greens, oranges, reds and pinks are also effective color choices depending on the body of water.

A live minnow on a 1/8th ounce jig-head is great for dock fishing. Simply let line off your reel until your bait reaches the bottom then reel up a couple feet at a time until you find the depth where crappie are actively feeding.

Female crappie get in and out after dropping eggs on the nest and retreat back to transition areas to rest and feed.

Male crappie provide the parental care to the eggs and fry. They don’t actively “feed” during this time, but they defend which creates prolonged bite action in shallow water.

This is the time to fish small brightly colored lures (pinks, oranges and neon colors) in the areas immediately surrounding the spawning habitat.

Male crappie are not intentionally trying to consume baits while protecting the eggs or fry, but rather injure or warn the intruder, so you have to be quick on the hook set. Try to get your hook point as close to the back of your bait as possible without compromising its swimming action. You can cut a quarterinch off the front of a soft plastic bait before affixing it to your hook to achieve this or use a small inline spinner like a Rooster Tail that has the hook affixed to the back of the bait. It’s important to keep slack out of your line so you’re in constant contact with the bait.

Once the spawning process has concluded and males have left the fry, go back to targeting the transition areas that have the most cover and bottom structure and use presentations from the pre-spawn period.

During the spring, summer and fall, target transition areas in the morning and follow the fish toward shallow cover as the day progresses. Crappie will retreat in schools to suspend in deeper water overnight in order to avoid predation from nocturnal shallow feeders such as walleye/saugeye, catfish and bass.

Habitat to Target

• Woody structure – standing timber, tree lay-downs and brush piles will hold fish all day long.

• Rocks – large rocks, rocky outcroppings, dam/fishing jetty riprap and gravel beds with vegetated cover create prime ambush spots and also funnel food.

• Open Water – areas adjacent to transition zones, such as the middle of coves, creek/river mouths or wind blown sides of points will hold suspended fish when too many predators are on transition structure.

Rod/Reel Setup

• Light to medium action rod

• Spinning, spincasting or casting reel

• 4-pound test up to 8-pound test line (monofilament or fluorocarbon line)