Nov 2020

Crappie fishing typically involves catching numerous undersized fish to bring home enough for the frying pan. Inevitably some of those fish will be hooked deep in the gullet. Texas fishing guide Roger Bacon reveals a technique for taking out the hook that allows the fish to be caught another day.

As a tournament director, the most important part of my job is understanding and instilling integrity.   Waypoints: A Time for Everything Learning to fish and live life by Geremy Olson WayPoint: Doing what is right comes with a cost. The cost may be relationships, financial loss, a position or status in the short term. […]

Spicy First Course: Crappie Soup Thinking of a way to kick off your Thanksgiving feast? Think spicy crappie soup. This hardy dish will take the edge off the hunger that’s been growing in your guests’ tummies ever since they arrived and began circling your kitchen like starving vultures. 1/2 pound crappie fillets 1/2 onion, chopped […]

Sometimes it can be difficult finding crappie in the fall turnover period but when you find them, you can often find lots of them. (Photo: Richard Simms)   Crappie Basics – Fall Turnover by Tim Huffman “You’re a hero or a zero in my part of the country in the fall,” said Oklahoma guide Todd […]

Early morning fishing in the Fall may include some fog, but searching open water for schools of shad, then working the area, can lead to great results. (Photo: Tim Huffman) November Crappie… North, South, and In-Between by Tim Huffman November is a great time to chase crappie. The lakes are less crowded and crappie are […]

Many of Darl Black’s friends agree: the late fall crappie bite in western Pennsylvania is the most consistent day-to-day fishing of the entire season. The deepwater crappies are in no hurry to go anywhere, and more fish continue to arrive – at least until ice-up. (Photo: Darl Black)   Going Straight Down in Late Fall […]

Double jig rigs will work well for jigging over structure. (Photo: Ed Mashburn)   Winter Open Water Crappie by Ed Mashburn Don’t Sweat the Cold   It’s cold and the wind is blowing. The warm, pleasant days of spring and the red-hot spawning crappie bite are long over. But don’t be overly tempted to settle […]

Video Tip: Loop Knots Loop knots can increase the action on your lures   Loop knots are extremely important to anglers who use artificial lures because they allow the baits to have the most action possible. You can find dozens of excellent examples for tying loop knots on YouTube.  

Travis Bunting (center) and his brother Charlie are regulars on the crappie circuit. While Travis enjoys using jerkbaits for crappie occasionally, Charlie isn’t so crazy about it.   Crappie Basics – Don’t Rule Out Jerkbaits by Tim Huffman   It isn’t a common technique and most hardcore crappie anglers never consider it. But the fact […]

During the winter drawdown on I-55 lakes in Mississippi, Clay Blair says, “Fish ledges and points for crappie.” (Photo: Ron Wong)   Winter Slabs on the I-55 Lakes by Ron Wong Catching Crappie After the Drawdown   Each year, the big 4 lakes: Arkabutla, Sardis, Enid and Grenada on I-55 in Mississippi experience major drawdowns […]

Good crappie are part of the fun of November-December fishing. Lee Pitts shows off two good Alabama crappie!   Weiss Lake Fall Crappie Action by Tim Huffman Crappie Capital of the World No lake has a better claim to being “Crappie Capital of the World,” than Weiss Lake in Alabama. This northeastern Alabama lake offers […]

MAKE SURE YOU VOTE  It has always been surprising to me that many people choose not to vote. Voting is an important part of our democracy. It was even more surprising to me, or maybe a better word is shocked, when I recently read in an outdoors magazine that 30 to 50 percent of licensed […]

OPENING CAST  I love fall crappie fishing!  November can have its fishing ups and downs as cold fronts come and go and the barometric pressure rises and falls.  The fish are on the feed to fatten up for the cold winter months that follow. Depending on the weather conditions, crappie this time of year will […]