How to Catch Crappie Early and Often

Early spring can be an exciting time for the avid sportsman. Fishing this time of year requires a lot of patience and practice. First and foremost, you have to make sure that your equipment is ready for the new season. You should sort out all of your fishing gear and be prepared for each type of fish that you will be going for this early spring.

Crappie fishing here in Manning, South Carolina is one of the best times of year. You can see men, women and children heading out to the local lakes and rivers as soon as the temperature begins to rise. Knowing how to catch crappie is just the beginning. Taking time to learn their habits and which sex fish are going to bite first is a must.

When the weather warms up, the waters do the same. When this happens, crappies begin to come up from the deeper waters to find places to bed and spawn. The male crappie is the first to appear in water near the shoreline. The female crappies remain in a little deeper water. The males go into shallow water to find the best place to make their beds so that they can spawn.

When you start to fish for these tasty crappie, you will want to try two things. First, you will want to use small to medium size minnows for bait. To fish for the males, you will want to fish close to the bank of the lake or pond. These fish will normally be about 1 to 3 feet of water. Using minnows and corks are great for this. The females will be in 5 to 8 feet of water, so you will want to adjust your fishing gear accordingly.