PUBLISHER
Dan Dannenmueller
EDITOR
Richard Simms
SR. WRITER
Tim Huffman
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Matt Mullikin
GUEST WRITERS
Keith Sutton
Greg McCain
Brent Frazee
Larry Whiteley
Vernon Summerlin
Scott MacKenthun
Brad Wiegmann
Lindsey Lucas
ADVERTISING SALES
Phone: 334-285-1623
Email: info@catfishnow.com
Copyright © 2023 CrappieNow Online Magazine. A KMS, Inc. Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Cover Photo Credit
A boat provides any fisherman with lots of fishing locations and options. But in many cases winter crappie find refuge in large numbers beneath deep water boat docks, especially those that have a few sunken brushpiles. If you have access to one of those, you may have a built-in crappie storage area to visit at will.
With most of us shivering in our boots as winter takes another plunge at us, south in Florida, spring is almost sprung! This means the crappie (speck) spawn is pressing forward.
Sue and I traveled last week to mostly sunny Florida to fish the St. John’s River in a tournament. We first arrived, the water temps were in the high 50s and there was a definite chill in the air. But that did not last long. Within two days, it was in the 70s and then on the third day near 80.
As you can imagine, the water temperatures also followed this warming trend and so did the crappie. The water temperatures rose to 61 to 64 degrees in many areas. They were on the move to their spawning grounds or near to them. Some moved a mile or more in side waters and creeks.
Most of the big females were still cautious and hung near ledges while the males moved to the sweet spots staking out their territories. We caught a few that were ready to lay their eggs.
In just a few weeks, this will spread to the southern states, especially my home state of Alabama. I can’t wait as it will be so much fun.
So, if you were planning a southern fishing trip, leave the cold and ice and go to Florida soon to cash in on the fun. The St. Johns River near Deland Florida should be on fire.
Good fishing and God Bless,
Dan Dannenmueller, Publisher
