Lake Oconee Crappie Head Shallow in April

Ever thought about why crappie gravitate to the shallows in the springtime? To spawn, you say? Well, yeah… but why do they do that? Let that swim around for a bit…

Let’s get you in those shallows— specifically on Lake Oconee—and looking for crappie in April as they do their thing around brush and rocks in 6 feet of water or less. To dial it in even tighter, the full moons on March 25 and April 23 should be your two big waves of spawning crappie on Oconee. The March 25 moon is behind us, but those slabs aren’t done yet. However, you may want to make plans sooner than later to capitalize on what some say is the best crappie fishing of the year.

To get you ready, I had to get myself ready first. That’s where Danny Reed with Burning Daylight Guide Services enters the picture. Danny, who lives on Lake Sinclair, was kind enough to carry me fishing on Thursday, March 14. In the boat with us was his long-time fishing buddy Gary Hamil, of Kathleen. I was in very good hands.

“I’ve been fishing down here since 1979,” said Danny.

If you’re keeping track, that’s when Oconee was filled. He has been fishing Lake Sinclair since the early 1970s.

Gary has been fishing with Danny the whole time, so this was one of those trips where I sat and soaked it in.

Our first and only stop for the day was in Rocky Creek. With 61-degree water temperature, the crappie were still out deep, and we would be longline trolling in 25 feet of water. What we’d be doing is pretty much what Danny will be doing in April. He’ll just be fishing much shallower and using lighter jigs.

“The water has come up a foot overnight,” he said.

He wasn’t thrilled about that, but it’s part of the Oconee equation, where Georgia Power will move lots of water very quickly at the flip of a switch. However, Danny continued his routine by pulling out a tackle box full of crappie jigs.

“I use Tripple Ripple, AWD, curly tails, Hal Flys, Sugar Bugs, Jiffy Jigs,” said Danny.

I’ll decipher that for you: he doesn’t have a go-to soft plastic for Oconee this time of year. He likes variety.

Want to talk colors?

“They will change what colors they want in a heartbeat,” said Danny. “They’ll hit white today and black tomorrow. I always say that I have $10,000 worth of jigs and won’t have the right color. There’s a lot of trial and error in it.”

Want to pull hooks and not worry about trial-and-error?

“The old timers will troll with minnows,” said Danny.

The going rate around Lake Oconee for 50 crappie minnows is about $7 and 100 run $13, so consider this option if you don’t want to unlock the color code for the day. However, for jig pullers, there are some generalities to consider.

“It seems the closer you get to the spawn, the more white they want if the water is clear. I like black/pearl/white or a red/pearl/white or white/blue/white, or white/green/white,” said Danny. “In more stained conditions, they want that chartreuse tail.”

Danny’s roomy Ranger is set up for fishing plenty of rods. His standard setup is to fish eight long rods up front. If you want to match Danny’s setup, troll an 18-, 16-, 14- and a 12-footer on each side. Just make sure you put that 18-footer closest to the front of the boat to avoid line tangles when you get moving.

Danny’s 18-foot rods were B’n’M Trolling Rods (PST184). The 16-foot rods were the Denali Pryme series. For the 14- and 12-foot poles, he opts for the B’n’M Diamond Series.

Attached to his trollers, he likes Wally Marshall WM SS100 reels. Reels are loaded with Bass Pro Shops Crappie Maxx camouflage 4-lb. test.

Also on each side up front he has what he calls a “Peanut Rod.” This  3-foot Walmart rod can be put in a rodholder and trolled straight down using a crappie jig, 2-oz. sinker and a 30-inch leader. They essentially act like downriggers, and we did catch a crappie on one in March.

Out the back of the boat we fished six 5 1/2-foot rods.

Fish No. 1 hit a few minutes into our morning.

“Red/green/yellow,” said Danny.

Then fish No. 2.

“Red/green/yellow,” said Gary.

Both liked a 1/16-oz. offering. Seemed like we were on to something. Our biggest challenge for the morning proved to be what depth the suspended crappie were at in 25 feet of water as we trolled 1 mph. That’s not going to be an issue for you in April.

“I’ll average trolling 3 to 4 feet deep in 6 feet of water,” said Danny. “I use 1/24-, 1-32, maybe even 1/48-oz. jigs.”

 

With crappie from one end of the lake to the other, you’re liable to see Danny anywhere on the lake in April. He has about four guide buddies on the lake that he talks to regularly so that he can stay on top of the fish even better.

“I like Double Branches, Rocky Creek, Sandy Creek. I fish Lick and Sugar creeks, but the water has been so messed up (muddy),” Danny said.

If you’re going to the lake blind, look for the boats. While in Rocky Creek, on a Thursday, I counted 10 boats trolling around for crappie.

“If you see 10 boats, you know where the fish are at,” said Danny. “It’ll get worse in April. If you can go during the week this time of year, it helps. Sometimes you can about walk from boat to boat.”

There’s a reason for that.

“In April, we’ve been trolling and had every pole in the boat go down,” said Danny.

When those poles go down, crappie won’t be all you’ll catch. Expect catfish and linesides, as well. Danny said it gets pretty interesting when a big hybrid takes off with a crappie jig.

So why do crappie head to the shallows to spawn in the spring? I don’t speak much biology, but I do know their Creator wired them to do it and because of that, there ain’t no stopping it. Go check it out for yourself.

No Big Boat Or Longline Poles? No Problem!

You don’t need a roomy boat with 16 poles covering 40 feet of water to catch crappie in April.

“You don’t have to be this overloaded,” Danny said in regards to his setup. “You can get a cheaper set of rod racks and do it on a smaller scale. You can also go with just four rods out the back, and those rods can all be the same size.”

Danny enjoys talking about his earlier trolling days.

“I had a 14-foot Ted Williams fiberglass boat with a Ted Williams 7 1/2-hp tilt-steering motor. We’d stick two rods under each leg and troll.”

If you have a boat but don’t want to troll in April, it’s hard to beat anchoring by a blowdown off the bank and fishing with a cork and minnow.

If you don’t own a boat, watch for the trucks at the bridges, and you’ll know the crappie are up shallow, spawning and likely biting.

Meet Danny Reed With Burning Daylight Guide Service

Danny Reed started fishing Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair back in the 1970s and offers guided fishing trips for whatever bites, but he likes to target crappie, linesides and catfish.

He is the former CEO of Reed Construction and retired in 2021 so he could enjoy life with his wife Sharon of 49 years. What a blessing as they celebrate a half-century of marriage in 2025.

Danny fishes as often as he wants but only guides a few days a week to keep it from becoming overwhelming. Since retiring, he said, “I fish and go to church.”

Danny and Sharon joined Lakepoint Community Church in Putnam County in 2022. Danny is involved with their men’s ministry, a group led by Mark Smith, another Lake Oconee fishing guide.

“We help widows in the church and feed local sports teams a few times a year. We have breakfast once a quarter, and this year we’re taking a trip to Louisiana fishing. Those trips are great times of fellowship.”

Danny said Lakepoint was exactly what he was looking for in a church.

“Everything they do points to Jesus. That’s what I was looking for.”

Before Danny moved from Warner Robins to Lake Sinclair, he was in a hunting club in Houston County. Since his move, he hasn’t hunted.

“To be honest with you, the fall fishing is so good up there I haven’t missed it yet,” said Danny.

Lately Danny thinks the Lord is opening a door for guided fishing trips with staff members from churches. In addition to a guided trip, Danny and Sharon have a small cabin where church staffers can stay, and they provide them lunch.

If you want to take a guide trip with Danny, call him at 478.235.6469. You can also find him on Facebook.

 

 

 

Danny said April is all about trolling shallow water. He’ll troll as many as 16 rods at a time and says it’s not uncommon for multiple rods to start bouncing at once. Although crappie is the target species when longline trolling, you’ll pick up linesides and catfish, too.