BIG CRAPPIE NOW
More on How 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.
 Although
anglers in Jordan's home state know him as a crappie
king, in a day of crappie fishing, he'll also take catfish,
largemouth bass, spotted bass, hybrid-striped bass,
white bass and an occasional carp. "While fishing
for crappie, I've caught a wide variety of other fish
besides crappie, including an 8-pound, 2-ounce largemouth,
a 17-1/2-pound saltwater striper, a 23-pound catfish
and plenty of 8- to 10-pound cats," Jordan mentions.
"If I don't catch a crappie as the jig falls,
I often take catfish when my jig first reaches the bottom.
As I come up the mound, I'll generally catch a largemouth
bass. Spotted bass seem to position themselves above
the largemouth bass with the crappie often holding just
above the spotted bass. Closer to the top of the ledge
I'll take saltwater stripers and hybrid-striped bass.
Then on the top of the ridge, I'll usually catch white
bass. Although you'll not always find the fish positioned
exactly like this, apparently, the fish on an underwater
mound have some type of order as to how the various
species of fish situate themselves on that mound."
 Jordan
thinks perhaps the way each species feeds on a school
of baitfish governs their position. White bass, stripers,
hybrids and spotted bass are fast-feeding, aggressive
fish that cut and kill as they attack a school of shad.
These game fish often injure as many baitfish as they
kill and eat. The wounded baitfish fluttering down toward
the bottom make an easy meal for the crappie, the largemouth
bass and the catfish. These three species of welfare
fish let the linesides and the spots do the killing
and maiming. Then they pick up the scraps without having
to work very hard.
However, on some days, Jordan catches a wide variety
of species at the same depth and in the same places
on underwater humps. Although Jordan doesn't like to
fish sunken trees and brush-piles, he will if he can't
catch crappie on some of his favorite humps and rock
piles. "I'll go to a spot and fish for 10 minutes
by my watch," Jordan explains. "If I don't
catch any crappie on that place within 10 minutes, I'll
pull up my  anchor
and move to another region. Sooner or later, I'll find
the crappie and usually catch them. If I must, I will
fish sunken trees, particularly single trees in open
water."
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: WHAT TACKLE & LURES TO USE
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