Opening Cast – May 2024

The Opening Cast

by Richard Simms

We should probably call this issue of CrappieNOW “The Destination Issue.”

Who among us doesn’t occasionally grow tired of fishing our “home water?” No matter how good the fishing may be, don’t we all dream of hitting the road and traveling to new destinations in search of new scenery, new people, new water and especially new fish waiting to be caught.

I’ve just returned from a road trip with several of my friends to the Promise Land that crappie fishermen know of as Northern Mississippi. There we were guided by the fine folks with Barton Outfitters. Fishing Enid Lake one day and Sardis Lake the next, the four of us fished with four different guides. We used a variety of patterns – wading, spider-rigging and livescoping. We caught fish every way, with a couple of two-pounders in the mix. I especially enjoyed wade fishing – my first time ever going toe-to-toe with crappie, fishing in only one-to-two-feet of water. In addition to the slabs in the livewell, we threw back big numbers of “short fish.” Remember, out there, where the minimum size limit is 12-inches-plus, we were releasing LOTS of 11.5 inch-crappie – fish that we would have been bragging about in my home water, the Tennessee River.

It was a joy to explore new water with new friends. But Northern Mississippi is definitely not the only great crappie water out there in the world.

In this issue CrappieNOW writer Brent Frazee shares the words of famous angler Al Linder (HOTLINK TO FRAZEE ARTICLE) – and the reasons why crappie anglers should never ignore the North in the search for great crappie fishing. Linder tells us why Minnesota can also be a promise land for crappie addicts, and he shares the best techniques to catch them.

Meanwhile CrappieNOW Senior Writer Tim Huffman says Minnesota’s next-door-neighbor, Wisconsin, is home to the not-so-well-known Chippewa Flowage near Haywood, WI (HOTLINK TO HUFFMAN ARTICLE). Two of the area’s top guides share their tips on how fill the livewell there.

Moving South, crappie expert Keith Sutton tells us about the four “Diamond Lakes” of Arkansas (HOTLINK TO SUTTON ARTICLE). They are relatively small bodies of water but they can produce big rewards.

From Arkansas it’s just a hop, skip and a jump across the Mississippi River into Kentucky. There the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources offers multiple state lakes perfect for crappie anglers (HOTLINK TO KY SMALL WATERS ARTICLE) – especially those who might prefer fishing from a kayak, johnboat or even from the bank.

Whether one of these stories, or the many others you’ll find in our “Destinations” section – including Huffman’s latest list of the “Ten Best Crappie Lakes for 2024” – start making plans now to find a new destination that suits you, wherever you live.

Richard Simms, Editor

“The outdoors is not a place, it’s a state of mind.”

Capt. Richard Simms is the Editor of CrappieNOW magazine as well as owner of Scenic City Fishing Charters. Formerly he was a game warden for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency before becoming a photographer and PR guy for TWRA. That lead to a 30-year career as a broadcast journalist and freelance outdoor writer. Follow Capt. Simms other writings on his “Richard’s Ramblings” Facebook page.