Freshwater Fishing Archives - Page 44 of 86

April 25, 2026

Clear Water = long-lining crappie success

April 15, 2015 Phillip Gentry

In clear waters, many crappie anglers think that long-line trolling is a great way to target crappie from a distance. […]

Carry a wide selection of wildly colored jigs, given options for any kind of water clarity, which, in Mississippi, can range from clear to chocolate milk.

In most situations, go with bright jigs

April 15, 2015 John J. Woods

Jerry Gross of Meatgetter Jigs of Rison, Ark., is one crappie fishing fool — and, I mean that in a good way. […]

Steve Coleman likes a 12-foot pole, or longer, for trolling and for jigging. It gives greater reach.

Long poles vs. short poles

April 15, 2015 John J. Woods

On the surface, choosing a long or short jigging pole for crappie might seem like a no-brainer issue.

But is it? […]

April usually brings redear, a.k.a. chinquapin or shellcracker, bream to the beds. On light tackle, these delicious fish can be as fun to catch as they are to eat.

Obviously, crappie would dominate this month’s recommended fishing trips in Mississippi. Instead, let’s concentrate on another panfish species popular in the Magnolia State that gets hot in April. […]

Taylor Pratt of Canton strains to hold some of the bluegill that were biting on a trip with his grandfather on April 1.

Bluegill, not chinquapins, were hot

April 6, 2015 Bobby Cleveland

The moon’s reflection in the water was nearly full circle, which is why the plan was to find an active bed of redear bream, a.k.a. chinquapin or shellcracker. […]

A distinguishing red ear patch identifies the shellcracker, aka chinquapin.

Cracking the code — Expert tips for catching chinquapin

April 1, 2015 David A. Brown

It’s a well-founded piscatorial propensity: Tell someone you’re heading off for a panfish mission and you’ll typically hear some bluegill-related reply.

[…]

Steve Coleman loves fishing at Grenada Lake, where he often fills his stringer with 2- and 3-pound slabs.

Slab state — Mississippi’s top crappie hotspots

April 1, 2015 John J. Woods

When it comes to crappie fishing, Mississippi takes a backseat to no other.

Just look at Fishhound.com, a popular industry website. On its latest list of the Top 50 crappie lakes, the Magnolia State has the No. 1 hotspot, Grenada Lake, and two others in the Top 10, No. 5 Sardis Lake and No. 6 Barnett Reservoir. […]