Steve Brown displays a couple of slab crappie he caught on Ross Barnett Reservoir in
Ridgeland, MS – the very first time Brown had ever visited the lake. (Photo: Michael O. Giles)
Mastering Crappie on Unfamiliar Waters
by Michael O. Giles
Steve Brown studied his Garmin LiveScope intently, spotting a school of crappie surrounding a stump. It was located on a secondary point in deep water on Mississippi’s Ross Barnett Reservoir. Brown bumped his trolling motor, moving four spider-rigged crappie poles to get close enough to put his jigs right above the crappie.
Wham!
One of the hungry, or at least aggressive crappie darted up from the school, inhaling his jig. Brown quickly set the hook on a bragging-sized, 2-pound, 12-ounce crappie, landing him without any trouble. Our day was off to a good start, but that was just the first of many slab crappie we caught that day.
These fish, mostly 11-to-13-feet deep, were holding above and around the stumps or brush piles. On Brown’s forward-facing sonar (FFS) we could watch them as they moved around the structure. We stayed on the fish as Brown maneuvered the boat as needed.
Most amazing to me was that Brown, from Millbrook, Alabama, had never fished this lake before. We were in Ridgeland, Mississippi on Ross Barnett – locally called “The Rez.” It was the 2024 CrappieNOW Media Camp, an opportunity for fellowship AND a concentrated dose of “media content gathering.”
Brown, a tournament angler, often ventures onto new lakes he has never seen before. He explained his process:
Brown explained that before he came to the camp, he spent time reviewing lake maps online, noting this and other secondary points. Once on the lake, using his Humminbird graph, it was easy to locate and narrow down the “sweet spots” holding fish.
Brown explained, “Paired with my Humminbird, Lakemaster has a great topo map and I use it to study the lake bottom. Since we were in a post-spawn time, I found several good-looking areas that should hold those post spawners too.
“The second thing I do is to talk to local bait shops and local fishermen to find out what the fish are doing right now,” Brown said. “Now they’re not going to tell you where they are fishing but they will usually tell you the depth they are catching the fish. Then you can pinpoint places that have that depth water and narrow down your fishing choices on the map before arriving.”
Once you actually get to the lake you can use the knowledge gained to narrow down your top spots.
“We totally disregarded shallow water since we were targeting post spawn bass,” Brown said. “By spider-scoping we used two rods apiece and we were able to see our baits and the fish and entice them to bite.”
Modern Technology and Forward-facing Sonar
Without a doubt the mapping features on depth finders nowadays, along with FFS, have changed the game for crappie anglers, and tournament anglers especially.
“When I was growing up, we fished pre-spawn and spawn and didn’t fish for crappie the rest of the year,” said Brown. “In 2009 the Crappie Masters came to Millbrook, and I entered the tournament thinking those out-of-town anglers couldn’t compete. Well, I finished 53rd out of 54 boats and learned a few things. Rick Howard came in 2nd place, and he told me what I needed to do and how to get started and he opened my eyes to modern crappie techniques. I eventually learned to catch crappie year-round in all waters and I finished in the top 5 nationally and I was on my way.
“These days you’ve got to be proficient with the (forward-facing sonar) or you will never compete in tournaments again,” Brown said. “The young guys who have grown up playing on computers and video games absolutely have the advantage with the new system these days.”
It didn’t take Brown long to get in on the FFS revolution and he’s so proficient with it now that he can go to any brand-new lake, like Ross Barnett, and start catching crappie slabs right off the bat.
Lures, Bait and Equipment
Brown prefers using a B’n’M Diamond Series Pole with 12-pound Gamma Hi-Vis line when he’s spider rigging minnows or jigs tipped with minnows. If he’s casting lightweight jigs, he prefers 6-pound Gamma Hi-Vis line.
“I love using a Crappie Magnet with a chartreuse tail,” said Brown. “When the fish are post-spawn or finicky, I’ll use a smaller profile bait. Sometimes you know the fish are there because you see them on (FFS) but can’t get them to bite so we downsize that bait.”
Brown is a believer in using scents for crappie and his favorite way is with an Eye Hole jig with Crappie Magnet Slab Bites.
“All you need to do is insert the nibble into the eye hole and the scent will last all day. It not only draws strikes but helps them hold on longer so that you can set the hook,” Brown said. “I’ll use a Monkey Milk trailer and it will catch a lot of crappie.
“During times of low water or where the crappie are more finicky in slightly shallower water, I like to use a 1/16-ounce Road Runner with a Bobby Garland trailer and I’ll cast it on 6-pound line and work it over or around the structure.”
Back on the Rez
We continued fishing submerged stumps and brush piles that were holding baitfish and crappie on the main lake under bluebird skies the rest of the afternoon. Brown kept marking structure and then we’d catch crappie off of that structure until the bite slowed, thanks to Brown’s Garmin LiveScope and expertise at using it. Although we were practicing catch and release, we caught more than enough to fry up for supper had we chosen to do to do so!
If you are looking for prime post-spawn fishing action, then try Ross Barnett Reservoir. Ridgeland has all of the amenities with first rate facilities and dining along with some of the best crappie guides in the country!
As an avid fisherman and hunter, Michael O. Giles has decades of experience sharing his lifelong love of the outdoors. In 2013, Mike published his first book, Passion of the Wild – a compilation of inspiring short stories about people following their own passion for the outdoors. Mike and his wife, Kathy, have three beautiful daughters. The only things more important to him than the outdoors is his love for Christ and his love for his family.
