What is your best advice for catching crappie in Rhode Island. where should I start?

The first place you should go for crappies in Rhode Island is Watchaug Pond. Of all the rivers and lakes, this is the one place that has more than enough crappie for everyone. You will need a boat, because the crappies are not normally caught from the shoreline. You need to get to the depths of water where the fish are schooling. The best time to fish this pond is during the spring. You can cast, troll or drift. You will want to fish by the underwater structures and by the brush underwater. During the dark hours, the crappie are at the waters top, but as soon as the sun comes up, they move about ten feet down. You can use a minnow and a jig during spawning in the spring and spoons, jigs and minnows during the summer months. In the fall months, you will need to use a larger minnow and a jig. Because the fish are getting ready for the winter, they are on a feeding frenzy because the baitfish are not always close by where the crappies hide. One trick to remember is to use minnows from the same water you are fishing. It is possible for the fish to bite and release the minnow if it has a different taste then what they are used to. It is always better to catch the minnows in the pond or get some from the local bait shop that has them from Watchaug Pond. This should help you get your share of crappies.