Page 3 - Crappie NOW - March 2019

Opening Cast

I’ve been writing about crappie

March 2019 EDITOR/ SR. WRITER fishing for thirty years. I’ve
learned there are three things
that separate the best fishermen:
experience, elimination and
WRITERS analyzing.
Darl Black Nothing replaces time on the
Vic Attardo water. Some of us do not have
Ron Presley the luxury of fishing several days
Vernon Summerlin a week but learning from each
John Phillips
Greg McCain trip does have an accumulating
John Felsher effect. Experience on home waters means knowing
Kenny Kieser where the brushpiles are located and where the fish go
Larry Whiteley after a quick rise and dingy water. Less time is required
Ron Wong to find fish.
What about unfamiliar waters? Find an area that is
similar to an area on your home lake then fish it like you
would your lake.
The second thing is to eliminate water. For our
example, consider a late spring trip with fish in post-
spawn. A fisherman fishes the very shallow spawning
depths, 2 to 5 feet in stained water, and finds no fish
remaining so eliminates the 2 to 5 foot range. Next is 6
to 10 foot depth range, a stump row is fished and then a
small drop-off. Only a couple of crappie, so at least for
now, that depth is eliminated. The next is 11 to around
18 feet. The first check is a flat next to a channel and
fish are found suspended up at 8 feet over 15 feet of
water. It’s like a chainsaw woodcarver I watch creating
an Indian out of a huge tree trunk. When asked how he
© Copyright 2019
knew what to cut off, he said, “I cut off everything that
doesn’t look like an Indian and end up with an Indian.”
Eliminate water that’s non-productive and you end up
with productive water.
Third key is to analyze results. During the day and
at the end of the day, a good fisherman analyzes what
worked and didn’t, and why. They don’t keep doing
what isn’t working. On both good and bad catch days,
Cover Photo: analyzing can add insight and overall fishing knowledge.
It’s time to catch some of Enjoy the upcoming warm weather.
these pretty fish.
Vic Attardo photo.
Crappie Clubs....39 Good fishin’ & God Bless,
Tim Huffman

3 Crappie NOW March 2019