Summer Crappie

When the mid-summer hits, most crappie fishermen and women start to target other species as crappies seem to "disappear" into the abyss. This happens to be one of my favorite times to target crappies and once you find them, it can be a very rewarding experience.

When asked, "Where Are They?" Most people will say, “they are along deep weedlines in 18 FOW or more or they are suspended over open water chasing minnows”. While this can be true, there are other options.

I like to look for underwater points that start at the shore or ones that come off a big flat and end up in deeper water. "Deeper water" does not necessarily mean double digits though. On my last trip out, my friend John from VT and I found fish over a pound with some over a pound and a half in 6 to 8 FOW, AND right during the middle of the day!!!

We were looking for underwater points that ended in "deeper" water with scattered rocks and weeds for cover. The one spot where we caught most of our fish, was a point that came off a large flat and started in 5 FOW and ended in 10-12 FOW with most of the fish right at the 7 to 8-foot mark.

The big thing to remember is, they are usually on the "spot on the spot", so patience is a must, but once you find them, it's just a matter of finding what they want to eat. We noticed large schools of 2-inch minnows cruising around, so we started using the Eurotackle "B-Vibe", which is a 2 inch paddletail style swimbait. Rigged on a 1/16th oz jighead, we would slow roll the lure close to the bottom and just tick the rocks and weeds.

The key to catching some of the bigger fish of the day was to use a bigger bait, the Northland Tackle Impulse Jig'n Leech rigged on a 1/8th oz jighead was just what the doctor ordered. This is a 3-inch bait and looks just like a real leech swimming through the water.

Look at your favorite crappie lake and look for some underwater points and give it a try, be patient, try different baits until you find what they want and have a great day on the water.