I’m a little frustrated with the crowded conditions in most of the local fishing areas. Are there any out of the way places that would be good for fishing Crappie and not quick so overrun with other fishermen?

If you’re willing to do a little experimenting and aren’t easily frustrated, you can often find hotbeds of Crappie in areas that other fishermen won’t take the time to find.  In fact, you may find that fishing in unexploited areas just might land you the biggest Crappie yet.  Depending on your local area, the first place you’ll want to start investigating are the creeks.  Quite often Crappie will run up the creeks feeding into the lakes and rivers in early spring just before the spawning begins in the lake.  Creeks seem to be the most popular when the water is high and the temperature in the creek is slightly higher than that of the lake it feeds.  When fishing for Crappie in a creek, you’ll want to start early and move up the creek toward the lake as the spawning season continues.  While many creeks may be deep enough for a boat, in some cases, you’ll actually need to wade the stream instead.  Same principles apply for Crappie fishing in other areas; they prefer cover and clear water.  In most cases, you’ll have no problem finding debris that will hold Crappies in a creek and you’ll be fishing in depths of 3-4 feet.

If you’re lucky enough to find Crappie feeding on the surface of a creek, pull out the fly rod and a sponge spider and you’ll be pulling them in faster than you can get them off the hook.  Other good places to look for Crappie are secondary lakes, those found in state parks and county and municipal lakes that have outboard motor restrictions.  The best lakes are going to be about ten acres and have water that is at least 30 foot deep.