Crappie/Bream
April 15: Taxes or slabs at the Rez
Barnett Reservoir’s crappie spawn peaks about the time your taxes are due. So pay Uncle Sam early so you can hit the shallows for slabs. […]
Freshwater Fishing
Crappie/Bream
Gaining a little weight isn’t always bad
While most folks stress about putting on a little weight, guide Brad Taylor said that when pulling planer boards for crappie, adding a little weight can go a long way. […]
Freshwater Fishing
Bream ID: Shellcrackers and bluegills
Although commonly lumped together in many circumstances under the handle bream, bluegill and redear sunfish have distinctly different characteristics, especially when targeting one species or the other. […]
Freshwater Fishing
Tips for catching shellcrackers
Shellcrackers are colony breeders. If you chance upon one fish, circle back and fish that area thoroughly, because the likelihood of there being more fish is great. […]
Columns
Managing crappie is often a water issue
Reservoir crappie populations are notoriously cyclic. A strong year-class is produced once every few years and is usually followed by one or more weak year-classes. […]
Crappie/Bream
Slab-Slammin’ time
Every spring, an eons-old phenomenon takes place in the lakes and streams of southeastern states: the waters warm, crappie move shallow and become active, and fishermen rejoice. They reap the bounty brought on by the predictable behavior of the fair-fleshed fish.
Crappie/Bream
Crappie on a different plane
Guides like Brad Taylor are using planer boards to spread baits out even farther from the boat and access territory otherwise out of reach. […]
Features
Shellcracker fever is heating up
May is widely considered to be the best month for chasing bream, but die-hard panfisher anglers know that redear sunfish — aka chinquapin, shellcracker or just redear — move into their prespawn and spawning patterns much sooner than bluegill and other sunfish species that fall under the general colloquialism of “bream.”
Freshwater Fishing
B’n’M offers catfish gear
Several years ago, West Point-based B’n’M Poles, famous for crappie rods, entered the catfishing market with their own line of catfish rods for serious catfish anglers. The lineup includes the Silver Cat and the Silver Cat Magnum in longer sizes, as well as its new Bumping rod. […]
Freshwater Fishing
Strong design solves anchor problem
Steve Strong, a veteran catfish angler, has lost count of the anchors he has sacrificed to the Mississippi River. With its myriad of rocks, logs and debris, the river bottom is tough on anchors. […]
Crappie/Bream
When to tip a jig with a minnow
No discussion about jigs is complete without a discussion of how and when to pair live minnows with jigs for crappie. […]
Freshwater Fishing
Thoroughly work each spot
Fan-casting to tempt winter catfish is more than just a random presentation of baits. Once the boat has been anchored, catfish anglers must target specific features within reach of the boat. […]