Freshwater crappie fishing in the summer months, let’s see how I can put this..(separates the men from the boys). The summer offers the greatest challenge when crappie fishing.
After the spawn ends and water temperatures rise, crappie moves into deeper and cooler water, during the heat of the day, then moving to shallow water to feed at dusk and dawn.
If you are having trouble finding slabs, you might want to concentrate your efforts around and under bridges. The shade and deep water, along with the bridge pilings are ideal crappie fishing situations for feeding crappie. Focus on the down current side of bridges and along the shore at dawn and dusk as the current, along with the wind washes up food sources and minnows.
Cattails and weed areas that lie on the edge of deep and shallow water offer the crappie oxygen and shade and is also a good place for the feeding crappie to grab a yummy meal. You might want to try a chartreuse/ orange or white spinner, moving it along just fast enough for it to spin.
Water Clarity – Muddy or Clear
Crappie’s behavior is affected by water clarity. Check water clarity with a white jig, if the jig is visible at 6 or more feet, the water is clear. However, if the jig is not visible at 2 feet, it’s pretty safe to say the water is muddy.
Crappie Fishing Muddy Water
Because oxygen levels are less in deep muddy water, crappie usually seeks out shallow water. The bright sunshine in the middle of the day will find crappie feeding and fishing will be at it’s best.
Seek out old stumps, brush or fallen cedar trees near the shoreline. The crappie won’t spook as easily and tend to stay close to brushy cover. Consider live bait in these conditions as the crappie depends on sound and odor to locate food. But, if you must use a jig, stay with deep dark red, brown, black or dark blue for better results in muddy water conditions.
Fishing Clear Water
If you are going to be fishing in clear water, you need every advantage. The best fishing times are early in the morning, late in the afternoon or evening.
Things to consider:
- Light test line..4-pound
- Be quiet and careful
- Live bait works very well
- For jigs, try 1/32 oz. or smaller
- Colors sparkles, silver or spotted work best.
Try a minnow-jig combination. Make sure to hook under the lower lip and through the head in order to make the appearance more natural. The minnow action is very appealing to the crappie. The flash of the jig and scent of the minnow makes for an inviting meal to any freshwater crappie.
