Getting a fish to bite is the key to success. However, the fun comes when you can swing one into the boat
or slide it into the net. Wade Mansfield pulls a fish from Tennessee’s Reelfoot Lake. (Photo: Tim Huffman)
Fish-Catching Tips for 2023
by Tim Huffman
Downsize and Finesse
Hayden Jefferies, 2022 Wally Marshall Invitational Champion, ACT Champ, Crappie Masters Champ, says “After the first of the year in late winter, the water is cold, so crappie tend to go a little deeper and they don’t want to move around a lot. I fish Ross Barnett in Mississippi, where the winter fish are around 14 feet, but fish can be caught most of the year at 9 to 12 feet. These fish are finicky, so you must downsize the bait and finesse them a lot more. Crappie can still be caught that time of year, but it can be tougher because the fish are a little lazy. The fish bunch up a lot like they do most of the year, but we will also see and catch individual fish. Don’t swing the bait past them. Instead, put the bait right on the fish’s nose and hold it there to entice it into biting.”
Ice Fishing Tip
Brady Laudon, fishing guide and Asst. Director of Bemidji (Minnesota) Tourism, says you can go on your own, hire a guide or stay the night in an icehouse.
“Ice fishing requires special tools and setup, but catching fish still comes down to a good presentation. My January fishing tip would be to use small plastics, like a 1/32-ounce jig. Tip it with a wax worm. You’ll typically catch 10- to 13-inch crappies here in Minnesota.
“For a newcomer to ice fishing, you may want to get a guide because he will have the right equipment, show you the technique and how to catch fish. Another option is to try an icehouse rental for a great overnight experience. We have over 200 lakes within 25 miles of Bemidji. Give me a call and I’ll help you.”
Live-Imaging Sonar Makes a Difference
John Harrison, guide and tournament fisherman, says. “I suggest getting (live-imaging sonar) and learning it. You’ll become a better fisherman. People buy this and think they can just go out and start catching fish. They believe it’s a cure-all for fishing problems. However, a fisherman must go out, find fish, and catch them. It takes time and practice. For example, you’ll immediately see fish but won’t know what they are. You’ll soon learn to identify crappie by the way they react as you spend time on the screen. Learning (live-imaging sonar) will make a difference in your fishing.”
Find’em Stacked Up
Mitch Glenn, Pico Lures, says “I love to fish all year for different species, but January is one of the best months of the year to catch crappie. The fish are stacked up so a fisherman can catch numbers of fish. I fished a bridge piling one New Year’s Day and caught 200 fish. I like that! It’s a good way to get the year going.”
Slow Down
Brad Wiegmann, guide and outdoor media expert, says, “The biggest tip I have is to slow down. You need a bait that doesn’t have a lot of movement to it, like a stinger shad or something with a tail that has little movement. Crappie are positioned on the cover, often on standing timber. You want to drop the bait down to them and you don’t want it to have a lot of movement. The baitfish are not moving around fast when the water is cold. Also, the shad are smaller. Find a pattern and it will hold from December to February here in the Ozarks and other places. Your New Year fishing should be a consistent pattern for a month or two.”
Go Ultralight
Wade Mansfield, Grizzly Jig Company, says, “We can all learn from watching northern ice fishing videos. The fish are lethargic, but they eat all winter. The people up north have been forever showing us how to catch crappie and bluegill on wax worms and leeches. They leave a bait down in the water under the ice and the bait does nothing. We watch the fish on video and there is no feeding frenzy going on. There might be 20 fish down there and one will swim over and suck it in. Other fish aren’t fighting for the bait. Therefore, I believe winter is a great time for ultralight fishing no matter what part of the country you’re in. I’m talking 4- or 6-pound-test line, a fly rod, light jigging pole or soft spinning rod, and 1/32-ounce or smaller jig. A 1-inch tube, hair jig and our Grizzly jig are good baits to try. So is a 1/32 Road Runner that is an ultralight with a blade that wobbles or spins on the fall. Always tip jigs with a wax worm or Crappie Nibble.”
Unexpected Crappie Hotspots
I’ll end by sharing one of my fishing tips. Don’t hesitate to check water that is deeper or shallower than you would normally fish. One winter, a friend took me to a big bluff on an Illinois lake where we caught huge slabs at 58 feet. I would have never tried the spot on my own and certainly wouldn’t have fished that deep. On the other end of the spectrum, some of my best winter fishing has been in a shallow cove on my home lake. It was very shallow and difficult to get into after lake drawdown. The crappie were in four-feet deep water on two lone, underwater stumps. Water temperatures were often in the 30s and warmup from sun or southern wind wasn’t necessary. It was a magic fishing spot that produced a lot of fun fishing along with a few stringers to win tournaments. My tip for 2023 is to try different depths, no matter which season you fish. Many places you try won’t produce, but you may find an unexpected goldmine of fish.
Contact Information:
- Hayden Jefferies, Ross Barnett, MS guide, 601-608-8098
- Brady Laudon, Minnesota guide 218-280-2941
- Bemidji Tourism VisitBemidji.com 877-250-5959
- John Harrison, Louisiana guide 318-278-3149
- Mitch Glenn, Pico Lures
- Brad Wiegmann, NW Arkansas guide 479-756-5279
- Wade Mansfield, Grizzly Jig Co. 573-333-9866
Tim Huffman is CrappieNow co-founder and senior writer. Check out his crappie fishing books at his website, www.monstercrappie.com
