PUBLISHER
Dan Dannenmueller
EDITOR
Keith Sutton
SR. WRITER
Tim Huffman
ART/ CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Matt Mullikin
GUEST WRITERS
Anietra Hamper
Scott Mackenthun
Steve McCadams
Keith Lusher
Richard Hines
Larry Whiteley
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Larry Marek
COVER PHOTO CREDIT
John Godwin of Duck Dynasty fame displays a beautiful Alabama River slab caught in May during a CrappieNOW media camp. Since retiring from the reality TV show, Godwin has become one of crappie fishing’s best-known ambassadors. Photo by Keith Sutton
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Opening Cast: Spawning Season Surge: Game On for Slabs
Slab crappie catching is in full speed ahead! Game on!!!!
Crappie are in all stages of the spawn: prespawn, on the beds and postspawn. During any given day, hour or weather, they are catchable.
During this time, multiple techniques work while most fish are anywhere between one and 14 feet deep. This is great fun and well worth the time on the water to catch a limit of some of the best-eating fish that swim.
Look for the big females suspended over deeper water near the spawning areas, while the males will be on or near the spawning beds. The males will be in packs of all sizes. Clear-water spawners will look a bit deeper, while dingy and muddy conditions promote very shallow beds.
Big fish will eat small baits (one inch or less), especially if you have clearer water. Go to one to two inches in dirtier water. The bigger size displaces more water, which creates detectable movement for the crappie to feel and zero in on.
If the fish are aggressive, casting and swimming baits such as Road Runners and Bobby Garland baits can be very effective. If it is after a cold front, slow down and vertically jig or bait fish.
Remember always to match the hatch of your favorite fishery, and you won’t go wrong.
Good luck and good fishing,
Dan Dannenmueller – PUBLISHER
