Page 3 - Crappie NOW | May 2015

EDITOR/ SR. WRITER Opening Cast
WRITERS
Darl Black The crazy winter that
Vic Attardo stuck around too long has
Jeff Samsel finally given way to warmer
Keith Sutton weather and periods of really
Ron Presley good fishing across the south
Vernon Summerlin and middle state regions.
John Neporadny, Jr Fishing has been up and down
due to fronts and changing
© Copyright 2015 water conditions, but the
warming has thrown fish into
Cover Photo: pre-spawn, spawn, and in
Punching a jig through thick some cases post-spawn. It’s
cover can be challenging but great to see weekend fishermen out on the lake enjoying
the sport. Sure, it’s crowded but we can’t blame fishermen
rewarding. for heading to the lake this time of year.
Photo by Tim Huffman I had the opportunity in March to fish with some
BnM pro staffers and then attend the Crappie Masters
tournament on Grenada Lake in Mississippi. It’s always
a blast to fish at Grenada because you never know if the
next bite will be a monster. I had a 2.90, 2.81 and got
to net a 3.10. I enjoyed the fishing and got to take a lot
of photos to go with interviews, tips and stories I’ll be
sharing in magazines.
A question arises this time of year. What is a big,
slab crappie? Some lakes I’ve fished a 1.5 pounder is an
excellent fish you can be proud of catching. Mississippi
lakes and a few others have much higher expectations. A
Wildlife Officer at Grenada hates to see people just take
the 3-pounders for granted. He says a 3-pound crappie
is the equivalent of a 12.06 pound largemouth. There are
lakes in Texas, Mexico and Florida where the big bass can
be caught but seldom do you see a 12 pounder anywhere
else. Same with crappie. Few places produce 3-plus
pounders. So, like in deer hunting and bass fishing, the
size crappie considered to be a big slab is relative to the
region and water you are fishing; not to be judged just by
the premier big crappie lakes.
May CrappieNow Magazine has good fishing
tips for lily pads, rigging a boat and other typical how-
to information. However, fishing is more than just the
nuts-and-bolts of catching fish or throwing a fillet in the
grease. Keith Sutton sets the mood in a unique article
you’ll enjoy. Darl Black shares some in-sight of a writer’s
crappie camp. Hope you enjoy it.
Good fishin’ & God Bless,
Tim Huffman, Editor

3 Crappie NOW May 2015