BIG CRAPPIE NOW
 Where
to Fish for Crappie
Editor's Note: If you want to find buried treasure,
you have to search for the places other treasure hunters
have overlooked. You must use research others haven't
discovered. You must develop a method of searching for
and finding the treasure all those who have failed haven't
used. "To find the biggest crappie in any lake,
you've got to fish the spots no one else knows about
with a method no one else uses at a time of year when
no one else fishes," says Gaston Jordan of Alexander
City, Alabama. Jordan catches the most crappie during
the hot summer months by fishing the bottom of any lake
in the middle of that lake.  A
lone soul anchored down in a small boat in a vast expanse
of water seems out of place on a large lake as water-skiers
and tournament bass fishermen race by on both sides.
The men in these big boats must wonder if Jordan has
lost his mind. But from May through September, Gaston
Jordan finds the big slab crappie that most other anglers
don't catch.
"Usually you'll locate plenty of good crappie-holding
structure in the middle of most lakes," Jordan
said. "But most anglers don't know how to locate
that structure." With his depth finder, Jordan
looks for underwater Indian mounds,  submerged
home places (especially the ones that still have chimneys
or rock walls standing), rock piles and any kind of
hump he can pinpoint in 18 to 20 feet of water that
drops off into 30 or 40 feet of water. Some of these
humps only may stand 2- or 3-feet high off the bottom.
Although crappie like to hold on brush, they will concentrate
around rocks, particularly some type of natural rock
outcropping. When Jordan discovers a small rock pile
that most anglers will ignore when watching their depth
finders, he notes its location to return and fish it
later. Many of the humps and more-subtle fishing sites
Jordan locates he finds in the winter months when the
lakes are drawn down, exposing these bottom structures.
"I can catch crappie on submerged structure in
lakes all year long," Jordan explains. "My
favorite regions to fish are humps, ledges and mounds
from the first of May until September.  Even
during late March and early April, most anglers drop-fish
minnows along the bank in visible cover in 18 to 24
inches of water to catch numbers of crappie. But I continue
to fish on the deep ledges or humps and consistently
catch more crappie than the bank anglers do."
For more information about how to find and catch crappie,
order "The Masters' Secrets of Crappie Fishing"
by John E. Phillips by calling (800) 627-4295, using
PayPal or sending a check or a money order for $13.50,
which includes shipping and handling, to 4112 Camp Horner
Road Birmingham, AL 35243. You can learn more by visiting
www.nighthawkpublications.com/fishing/masterscrappie.htm.
TOMORROW: MORE ON WHERE TO FISH FOR CRAPPIE
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