By Ronnie Parris
Hey folks, I hope you are doing well. Looking forward to more great weather and awesome fishing. This month in our mountain lakes you’re gonna get a mixture of fish, usually spotted and smallmouth bass, white bass, yellow perch and crappie. The crappie are in their pre-spawn pattern, so this will probably produce some of the best crappie fishing of the year. Although crappie tend to hold on submerged brush, and some will be found there now, I tend to catch the bigger slabs out from the bank, in the middle of the lake.
Most will be scattered in small schools, but you will see singles too. The live scope has really made fishing for these fish possible. Years ago, there was no way to locate and track these schools, but with the live scope, you have an advantage that’s priceless. I usually start with my Garmin set for scanning around 100 feet, and I scout till I locate a school. I then pull it in to around 50 feet so it shows my bait or jig better.
As far as my baits, I use multiple Bobby Garlands, sliders, twisters and crappie magnets as well as live minnows, small plugs and spoons. Every day is different as far as colors, so just keep changing until you find what they like that day.
A slow retrieve is a must. Crappie don’t do a lot of fast chasing and tend to wait for the bait to come to them. I use 6 pound mono for my line and a medium light action rod. Hits are subtle, so watch for the tick in the line and don’t overset the hook, as their nickname are papermouths for a reason.
Most of what I catch will usually be in the 5 to 20 ft range, but I’ve seen them drop deep on calm, bluebird days. I prefer a slight breeze on the surface to help with getting close and not spooking them.
Crappie make great table fare at a size of 8 inches, but I won’t keep one smaller than 10 inches just because there’s not much meat on an 8 incher.
Spring is here so get out have fun, and as always, take a kid fishing.
Ronnie Parris is owner and head guide of Smoky Mountain Outdoors Unlimited-Fontana Lake Fishing Guides, headquartered in Bryson City, NC, 488-9711.