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CHRISTMAS LIKE IT USED TO BE  Every year, I dress for the cold and go crappie fishing before Christmas. My goal is to catch enough crappie for Christmas dinner. To me, crappie caught in cold water tastes better. It is my Christmas gift to me. I went crappie fishing with a young man from our […]

Crappie Basics: Something Shady About Crappie Fishing Video by Richard Simms On bright, sunny days – summer or winter – crappie often like shade. Anglers who shoot docks or any other cover know that. But sometimes huge schools of crappie seek out grander expanses of shade. And that is often more likely to occur in […]

Richard Simms, CrappieNOW Editor, has spent 50 years sharing the message of conservation and the beauty of nature. During this holiday season, he simply wishes all the words he’s written have not been in vain. (Photo: Richard Simms)   A Christmas Wish from the Editor by Richard Simms There you sit, surfing around on the […]

THANKSGIVING CRAPPIE by Larry Whiteley I look forward to Thanksgiving this year and all our family coming over. All but one of our kids and grandkids live in other states and are busy with their lives. So, Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only times we get to enjoy being together with all of them. I […]

Lure of the Month: Berkley Power Switch by Terry Madewell   Forward-facing sonar (FFS) has changed the game for crappie fishermen. This impressive tool provides instant feedback that shows anglers a crappie’s reaction to a specific lure or presentation. Like it or not, FFS eliminates a lot of the guesswork to determine whether the fish [...]

CrappieNOW Editor Richard Simms won a 1st Place Award for this B&W photo of two anglers using forward-facing sonar to seek out trophy-sized crappie on Sardis Lake in North Mississippi. (Photo: Richard Simms, CrappieNOW Editor) CrappieNOW/Simms Garner Outdoor Writing Awards by CrappieNOW Staff CrappieNOW Editor Richard Simms, and CrappieNOW Magazine, garnered an impressive array of […]

The Reef Runner Cicada bladebait, like similar lures, creates a vibration in the water that is irresistible to jumbo slabs like this. (Photo: Keith Sutton)   Big Bad Bladebaits by Keith Sutton For crappie anglers who typically use jigs or minnows to entice their quarry, bladebaits might seem like the misfits of the fishing-lure world. […]

I LOVE AUTUMN by Larry Whiteley Autumn is a time that lingers in your heart and mind. After a hot summer, cooler temperatures refresh our bodies and souls. The landscape is awash with colors. Sunsets are coppery. Something within you yearns to be outdoors soaking in the many wonders of the autumn season. Some of […]

Barry Morrow is famous for jigging. He uses a stiff Todd Huckabee rod and heavy line to feel more bites and to quickly swing fish into the boat. (Photo by Tim Huffman) Technique-Specific Rods for Crappie by Tim Huffman Choosing the right screwdriver, wrench or other tool is important for doing a job right. It’s […]

Too Much Screen Time by Larry Whiteley In today’s world, we spend too much time watching or using screens of smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, TVs, and computers – and yes, with forward-facing sonar, even fish finders. Most children aged 8-12 in the United States spend 4-6 hours a day looking at screens. Teenagers spend up […]

Matt Xenos has been producing crappie fishing videos for many years. In this segment he explains why the Fall transition might actually start happening in September, even if daytime temperatures haven’t cooled off much.   Crappie Basics: Summer/Fall Transition by Richard Simms, CrappieNOW Editor If you’re a few decades old, like me, you remember a […]

Product Buzz, by Scott Mackenthun Trika Rods 6X: Medium Light, Extra Fast   An independent company with engineering expertise in hunting has made the crossover to fishing. Trika builds high performance specialty rods with incredible sensitivity on light, carbon fiber frames with Fuji guides. These lightweight rods are designed to transmit everything to the angler’s [...]