Jordan Lake in North Carolina is loaded with crappie, and veteran guide Travis Bradshaw
said slab-catching potential is great during fall and winter. (Photo: Terry Madewell)
Jordan Lake – The Tarheel State’s Crappie Mecca
by Terry Madewell
Tucked away in the middle of North Carolina is one of the top crappie fisheries in the state. Jordan Lake supports an outstanding crappie fishery that rivals crappie action anywhere. I’d read good things about this lake, heard eye-popping stories from friends, but I’d never fished it until last winter. I wish I had fished it sooner.
About Jordan Lake
Jordan Lake is a mid-sized, man-made lake impounded on the Haw River about 30 miles east of Raleigh, NC. This Corps of Engineers-managed lake offers nearly 14,000 surface acres of water, with 180 miles of shoreline. Named initially New Hope Lake, it was renamed B. Everett Jordan Dam and Lake in honor of Benjamin Everett Jordan, a North Carolina US Senator from 1958 to 1973.
Jordan Lake is a year-round producer of quality crappie, with late-fall and winter fishing being exceptional. This fall and winter, fishing offers anglers the opportunity to catch slab crappie in significant numbers.
Making the Crappie Connection on Jordan Lake
Travis Bradshaw of Willow Springs, NC, has been guiding on Jordan Lake for nine years, and he said November through winter is a favored time to catch limits of slabs.
“The crappie fishing is excellent in November and December, and right through the winter,” he said. “Size and creel limits exist, but keeping a limit of 11-to-13-inch fish is a good possibility at this time of the year, and 2-pound fish are realistic. We typically catch and cull many fish on a normal day. It’s an excellent crappie fishery for numbers, with slab potential.”
The 36-year-old Bradshaw said anglers need a good plan and must be willing to work out the daily pattern to consistently catch fish.
“The overall pattern at this time of the year is consistent for fishing deep water with tightline rigs,” he said. “But the exact fish-catching scenario changes daily.”
Bradshaw, with Pigpen Guide Service, said the basic pattern in late fall and winter is to fish water depths ranging from 20-to-45 feet with deep ledges and adjacent flats as his primary targets.
“But my key as to exactly where to fish changes daily,” he said. “I trust my electronics, and I search for schools of shad, with crappies mixed in and around them. Then I’ll know whether the fish are near the bottom or suspended.”
Bradshaw said he avoids getting locked into a single pattern because the crappies may be right off the bottom one day, but suspended at mid-depths the next day.
“A graph exponentially speeds up my fish-finding process,” he said. “Without a graph, anglers can still catch fish, but it’s a lengthy process to figure out the depth, and depth is the ‘moving-target’ key for crappie fishing success.”
Bradshaw said crappie often relate to the bridge pilings in deep water at this time of the year, and multiple bridges on Jordan Lake produce good action without relying as much on electronics.
He said his basic tightline rig consists of a dropshot weight on the bottom and either one or two leaders, ranging from 6 to 18 inches above the weight.
Bradshaw summarized the Jordan Lake crappie population by stating that the fishing is booming right now, and the long-term prospects are excellent.
Fishery Biologists Rave about Jordan Lake
Bradshaw is not alone in his excitement for this crappie fishery. Seth Mycko, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) Fisheries Biologist for District 5 that oversees Jordan Lake, agrees with Bradshaw’s assessment.
“Crappie populations are cyclic, but we’re in a boom phase with a strong base of quality fish and lots of young year classes of fish,” he said. “The crappie fishery at Jordan Lake has enjoyed several years of successful crappie spawns, enhancing the already excellent crappie fishing.”
Mycko said the 2024 summer conditions were almost ideal, and he believes the excellent fishing will continue well into the future.
“By 2027, when the 2024-year class is 3 years old, the fishery should be outstanding, so long as the lake’s annual surface levels & water conditions remain on the same trends.”
The minimum size limit for crappie on Jordan Lake is 10 inches, with a daily creel limit of 20 fish per person.
Opportunities Beyond the Fishing
This exceptional crappie fishing experience is conveniently located near a central hub of activities in the Piedmont area of the Tar Heel State, near what’s known as the Triangle.
The Triangle consists of three major cities near Jordan Lake: Raleigh, Durham, and Wake Forest. Combined, they provide a vast diversity of opportunities for family fun after fishing on Lake Jordan.
For anglers wanting to stay close to Jordan Lake, Bradshaw said Apex, NC, has ample lodging and restaurants. He suggests Googling ‘Lodging,’ or ‘Restaurants,’ in Apex, NC, for options. For broad information on lodging, restaurants, and things to do in the general area, check out Triangle.
Located along Jordan Lake in Chatham County, the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area includes a park, camping, hiking, access areas, and swimming opportunities around the lake. Jordan Lake is one of the largest summertime homes of the bald eagle, and an observation platform makes it easy to view. The Visitor Center offers a wealth of information to help plan your trip.
For North Carolina fishing license information, go to Go Outdoors North Carolina.
Coming in December
The use of minnows for crappie is much more than dropping a minnow rig into the water and holding on with both hands for the inevitable bite. Fishing minnows is an art form, and in the December 2025 issue of CrappieNOW, we’ll go into depth on how Bradshaw employs minnows for cold-weather fishing.
Terry Madewell of Ridgeway, S.C., has been an outdoor communicator for nearly 50 years. He holds a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Management and has a long career as a professional wildlife biologist/natural resources manager. He’s passionate about sharing outdoor adventures with others.
