How To Catch Crappie: When, Where...
And A Killer Bait!

I'm going to show you how to catch crappie... the easy way. :)

As long as they exist in your body of water, here's how to catch 'em.

First of all...the BEST time to go fishing for crappie is in the evening hours...between 2 hours BEFORE sunset to an hour AFTER sunset. I call this time the "crappie witching hour".

The reason?

Crappie have extremely large eyes when compared to the size of their bodies, and they are very sensitive to sunlight. It doesn't stop them from feeding during the day (or you from catching them) of course... but you'll have an easier time of it in the evening.

Low light conditions are a big key to maximizing your catches per hours spent crappie fishing.

Next thing you must pay attention to is keeping your presentation as "natural" looking as possible. I know this is a very general statement...but just keep in mind you'll turn crappie off instantly if something about your bait doesn't "smell right"... or look right.

And this is especially true for the bigger crappies.

Some quick tips to "keep it natural":

* Use light tackle. This will allow you to sense more bites, and also your line will be harder to see under the water.

* Use 4 pound test line...fluorocarbon. This line is virtually "invisible" to crappie under the water. The downside is the line will break a little more easy, so it's important to "work" the fish back to you instead of pulling him the whole way.

* Fish around structure...specifically "wood" based structure like trees...fallen timber...or even man-made wooden structures like piers, boat docks, landings, etc.

* Use natural live bait you catch yourself, like minnows! This is always the best place to start.

Just a few tips to help you catch some more crappie...enjoy!