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DON’T LET THE OLD MAN IN It was a sad day when country music star Toby Keith passed away from stomach cancer not quite a year ago. I have always enjoyed listening to Toby’s songs. He was a country boy from Oklahoma who made it big, but he didn’t act like it. He was always [...]

Crappie Basics: Future Angler Foundation Renamed Wildlife Forever’s newly acquired program, “Getting Families Fishing & Boating Initiative”, formerly the Future Angler Foundation, has a new home and will continue its mission to “Create New Anglers and Boaters”. Through a recently awarded U.S. Coast Guard grant, Wildlife Forever will partner with “Into the Outdoors” television program […]

“Don’t continue doing what isn’t working,” says CrappieNOW Senior Writer Tim Huffman. “Change your bait, present it slower or faster, move to deeper or shallower water, or to a different area. If you’re not catching fish, do something different.” (Photo courtesy Tim Huffman)     12 “New Year” Fishing Tips by Tim Huffman GET READY […]

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 […]