Be Versatile

To catch post-spawn crappie, you must be versatile. According to Dr. Tom Forsyth, a fisheries biologist, "Once the spawn is over, crappie scatter away from the bank. To catch post-spawn crappie, either drift fish with live bait, or troll jigs along ledges and bottom breaks. Remember, after the spawn, the more water you cover, the more crappie you'll catch."

Also re-run your same crappie-fishing hotspots. Crappie often hold on the same sites immediately after the spawn that they've used during the prespawn. You can find them on points in the mouths of creeks on the first or second drop-off from the spawning area or on ditches and ledges that lead into the spawning area. In most places, the crappie will hold in water 8 to 15 feet deep during the post-spawn. You also can locate crappie in the tops of brush piles in 12 to 15 feet of water.

If you'll check the docks on a lake, you'll find that most shore-side residents have piled brush on the sides of, under and in front of their docks. When crappie leave shallow-water spawning areas, they'll go to the underwater brush in the middle of a dock or out on the end of a dock.

To learn more about successful crappie fishing, go to Night Hawk Publications Home Page and click on fishing books.

TOMORROW: VARY YOUR TACTICS TO TAKE POST-SPAWN CRAPPIE

Check back each day this week for more about Tips For Catching Post-Spawn Crappie ...

Day 1 -Be Versatile
Day 2 -Vary Your Tactics To Take Post-Spawn Crappie
Day 3 -Get Ideas From your Fishing Buddies
Day 4 -Pay Attention To Your Surroundings, and Use Unusual Techniques To Take Crappie
Day 5 -Small Things Make The Difference In Success for Post-Spawn Crappie

John's Journal