Hello Dan! I am taking a fishing course in my Physical Education class at school, and we have to do an “expert fishing” assignment on how to catch White Crappie. We need tips on how to catch it in various situations ie rivers, lakes, etc. What are the latest sure-fire methods? My best friend and I will have to do a presentation to the class based on the information we find on how to catch White Crappie. Any help, information, or links you could offer would be wonderful! Thank you!!

In order to be consistently successful at catching crappie, it is important to know your quarry, understand it’s seasonal habits, and apply them accordingly. Finding crappie is 3/4 of the battle. Study up on the pre-spawn, spawning, post spawn, fall and winter habits and movements of crappie until you can recite them in your sleep. Remember, crappie are migratory, and use the same routes year after year. So the next step would be to study the lake or the river you intend to fish, and then go scout it out. Know where the channels are, the average thermocline depth, PH levels, topographical details and such. You can scout out the area with a good fish finder and make notes of fish concentrations. Once you have acquired the necessary knowledge, then you can concentrate on tackle and tactics . A good outfit is a light-action, graphite rod with a specialty crappie reel, or a good spinning or spin-casting reel. For terminal tackle, you will need some #6 and #4 aberdeen hooks for minnow fishing, some small split shots, or slip sinkers (no larger than 1/8 ounce), and light floats, both clip ons, and some slip bobbers. You will need a good selection of jigs, mainly marabou, and plastic bodies. Jigheads should be in the 1/8 ounce range. You can round out your arsenal with some ultralight french and in-line spinners, and small crank-baits. The best rigs to use are the double-hook rig, and a slip sinker rig. For jigs, you can use a double jig rig under a bobber for most of the year. During the tough times of summer, an umbrella trolling rigs works best for locating active crappie.