By Bart Gillon
My first tip is to keep it simple and use jigs. There are times of the year I want a crappie but in March the crappie are feeding up preparing for the spawn so jigs are better for the aggressive fish. If there are any doubts about not having a minnow, just tip the jig with one. When fun fishing I seldom add a minnow but when tournament fishing I’ll always tip with a minnow just because of old habits and confidence.
In the spring the fish will look for a harder bottom to spawn on. Most lakes and rivers will have some sand or rock gravel bottoms. On Reelfoot Lake it might be log. You can find these bottoms by searching and checking, but anyone with modern, advanced electronics can turn the sensitivity up and find the hard bottoms.
Bart Gillon had four top ten finishes in national tournament in 2017. He is sponsored by Mr. Crappie and Strike King, and is owner of Rod Safe, a system for locking and transporting rods.
