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Crappie Fishing
Jerry Craft is a crappie-fishing fanatic. He doesn’t hunt deer much anymore; he doesn’t fish for bass; what he likes best is catching crappie at Lake Russell. In March when the crappie are on the move, coming up from deep structure out on the main lake and moving into the creeks ahead of the spawn,…
Cold wind, low clouds blocking any hint of a warming sun, and water temperatures holding at 48 degrees… Doug Nelms put the trolling motor down and eased into a lane through the timber up the Apalachee River, a spot known as the Powerline, and he began setting out his minnow-tipped jigs. I glanced at the…
The one-trick pony returns to Lake Blackshear during late February to the first of April. Now what exactly is a one-trick pony that relates to fishing? As you know, crappie can be caught year round, but during the early spring spawn, the green light comes on and crappie move into the shallows where we can…
It’s nearly spring, and springtime means crappie. There is no better time of year to catch slab crappie, and there is no better place in the Southeast to do it than Alabama’s Lake Weiss. This 30,000-acre Alabama Power impoundment spans the Georgia-Alabama border on the Coosa River. Although the lake spills into two states, all…
Tom Shapard says fishing is a lot of fun because you never know when you begin a fishing trip how the day is going to turn out or what you’ll catch. That’s the kind of day we had on beautiful Lake Eufaula (or Walter F. George) on November 8. The weather was absolutely glorious with…
Chuck McClendon has a passion for fishing. He started off catching bream and bass in small ponds before a fateful day over three decades ago. “A friend of mine took me crappie fishing and started what has become a life-long passion,” Chuck said. Chuck chases crappie in lakes across middle Georgia and for his money,…
I parked Dale Turner’s truck and boat trailer in the little gravel lot at his Lincolnton neighborhood’s private boat ramp and hustled back down the hill expecting to see him idling the boat up to the dock so I could jump on board to begin a day of crappie fishing at Clarks Hill Reservoir. When…
The crappie Wayne Peterman of Butler pulled out of Patsiliga Creek on September 15 would be considered huge anywhere, but it’s a monster for a Taylor County creek. Wayne was fishing a crappie jig in the creek, which drains into the Flint River, and he was catching a few of the standard, hand-sized creek crappie.…
Stan Payne of Athens used to pitch baseballs. These days, he would rather pitch lures around Lake Oconee as a fishing guide. Stan was on the mound when the Georgia Bulldogs won the 1990 College World Series, and he spent several years with the Oakland A’s organization before retiring from the game and returning to…
Randy Dover is in a different boat almost every time you pass him on Lake Lanier. Due to his local reputation for knowing the best docks for crappie, you might think his constant selling and buying of boats is his way of throwing other crappie anglers off his trail. Take one look at Randy and…
Crappie Recipes
What you’ll need:1 shaker of Tony Chachere’s cajun seasoning1 package of dried Italian dressing powder mixRitz cheddar cheese crackerspaprikablack pepperolive oilbutter After scaling the crappie, fillet them, but leave the skin on. Place the fillets skin down on a pyrex pan brushed with olive oil. Butter the fillets before sprinkling with black pepper, the cajun…