Dan Hudgens, MO, says, “At Kentucky Lake it will be post-spawn so fish will be scattered and suspended. They are hard to catch. However, if you move jigs fast or use cankbaits they will bite. Speed, color and depth are things you’ll have to figure out depending upon where the crappie are located and the depth where they are suspended.”
Tonya Stewart, MS, says, “Enid is usually good in May. We’ve had luck trolling minnows not too far off the bank, around 10 feet of water. Cover isn’t that important because the fish are suspended out in open water.”
Josh Dudley, MO, says. “It’s a great time to make a trip to Rend Lake and fish the buckbrush. It’s work but great fun. I start by Side Scanning the bushes. They are very shallow at a half to three feet deep, but I can find the fish. When I do, I drop a slip-cork rig set at about a foot deep.”
James Heflin, AL, say, “I do a lot of one-poling this time of year. I use a Bobby Garland jig on a 1/32-ounce head. I prefer a shorter 7-foot Ozark rod rigged with 4-pound test line. I target laydowns in about six feet of water and let the jig slow fall into the strike zones. Sometimes you lose a fish because of the light line but you get more bites.”
Phil Rambo, IN, says. “The spawn is usually over so work the channels and humps. If that doesn’t work start working your way shallow. Spider rigging is a good method. Electronics are very important because they reduce the search time to find the crappie.”
