Harris Crappie Report

Ed Mathis and I slipped out yesterday for a little Veterans day crappie hunt. Waters temps are falling but are still in the 60s but the crappie offer the opportunity for a tasty catch any time of the year. Using light actions crappie rods that range in lentgh from 8 to 12 ft , we fished around submerged roadbeds by slow drifting our Coleman-Capps style Crappie rigs just a couple of turns of the reel handle off the bottom.

Alot of people focus their efforts to land crappie to the springtime when the fish move shallow to spawn, but I find that fishing the winter month can be extremely rewarding and they provide an opportunity to land fish when other species might not be so cooperative. Because the crappie is such a prolific spawner, biologist feel that they may be near over-populating. Therefore there are no size limits or creel limits on crappie on Shearon Harris which can make for a really productive day of fishing.

Crappie move around alot, so having a goog fishfinder/ gps combo can ne imperative for locating fish and being able return to the spot for additional bites. The bite can be slow if the fish are scattered and you may only pick up a fish or two on each pass. On this day the action was outstanding and at times, we found ourselves much too busy to fish with more than one rod. The fish were so agressive that we caught two on the same rig. However, watching the rods closely is alway necessary as the strikes can range from so violent that they bend the rods double to so subtle that the indication of a fish is a slack line.

Though not the largest fish in the pond, the crappie provides the angler with the challenge of learning to locate fish and presenting the lure to their liking and excellent and abundant tablefare.

Had a great time Tom , there weather was great and the fish were very co-operative. Good day, good times, and good friends that's what it is all about.