Freshwater Fishing Archives - Page 29 of 86

Top tip for catching crappie in hot weather

May 10, 2017 Brian Cope

Keeping your bait fresh and lively is one key to catching crappie, especially in hot weather. […]

Summer is prime time for slab crappie if you look in the right places.

Crappie know how to stay cool

May 4, 2017 Hal Schramm

As I write this, the crappie are spawning. When you read this, the spawn will be over and the adults moving to their summer homes. For many anglers, crappie season is over. But the number of year-round dedicated crappie anglers appears to be increasing, as is their knowledge of how to catch summer crappie. The results of a crappie movement study by University of Missouri fishery scientists may offer some thoughts to add to your treasure chest of crappie-catching knowledge. […]

Crappie guide John Harrison doesn’t see May as just a post-spawn time. Not all crappie spawn at the same time in the same place. Spreading out your spawn fishing, or seeking alternate tactics to catch crappie can make the month productive.

Crappie’s post-spawn no reason to sing blues

May 1, 2017 Phillip Gentry

For many crappie anglers, fishing the post-spawn season is a lot like heading back to the car after the big game. The excitement is over and the place is a shambles. […]

Often left bloody from battling a giant flathead catfish, Hannah Barron says the adrenaline rush she gets from noodling is worth the pain.

The adrenaline rush that is hand-grabbing

May 1, 2017 Michael O. Giles

Hannah Barron dove underwater hoping to feel a big catfish in a wooden box, and she got just what she wanted. […]

Crappie expert’s jig-making tips

April 20, 2017 Jerald Horst

Crappie killer Murphy Royer makes his own jigs from scratch. […]

Writer Bobby Cleveland shows the kind of fishing action that made Trace Lake at Trace State Park near Pontotoc one of the top angling destinations in Mississippi with this stringer of huge redear bream. Due to a failing dam, the lake is being drained for repair.

One of Mississippi’s top lakes to be drained

April 20, 2017 Bobby Cleveland

Old Natchez Trace Lake — a.k.a. Trace Lake — at Trace State Park near Pontotoc will soon be drained and closed to the public during its renovation, according to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. […]

Tethering your boat to stumps makes for stress-free crappie fishing.

A better anchor

April 17, 2017 Andy Crawford

Although bream fanatic Lyle Soileau definitely uses a standard anchor, he also has another tool to help hold his pontoon boat in place when fishing snag-filled flats. […]

Minnows under a cork is the simplest technique for April crappie in Mississippi.

The best of the rest of Mississippi’s crappie lakes

April 15, 2017 Bobby Cleveland

Mississippi’s top crappie lakes are well documented, gaining national exposure as some of the best in the country — Grenada, Sardis, Arkabutla, Enid (which has held the world record for white crappie since 1955), Washington and Ross Barnett. […]

Another great April option is catching chinquapin (aka redear or shellcracker), a favorite of Joe Watts of Canton.

Chinquapins go to bed

April 10, 2017 Bobby Cleveland

The bedding activity South Mississippi anglers enjoyed in March will be available to bream fishermen in the rest of the state in April. […]

King crappie — Rundown of Mississippi’s top crappie options

April 1, 2017 Bobby Cleveland

The Magnolia State is No. 1 when it comes to crappie fishing — and there are so many options it’s hard to decide where to go. […]

No. 1 tip when fishing brush-pile crappie

March 21, 2017 Patrick Bonin

Chas Champagne uses pliers to intentionally weaken the hooks so they straighten out more easily when hung up. […]

Drag chains to tame March weather

March 15, 2017 Phillip Gentry

By preparing for the wind, such as using logging chains for drags, crappie anglers can reduce the effects of high winds and fish areas others can’t. […]