Page 5 - Crappie NOW - November 2018

NON-TRADITIONAL PLACES

risk the obvious, crappie are where you find year-round on the Santee lakes, he doesn’t
them. always encounter vegetation on lakes where
tournaments are held. It’s a welcome bonus,
Grass, Cypress and Current however, when he finds grass on tournament
South Carolina pro Matt Outlaw follows waters, and he always checks the possibilities
that idea on the Santee Cooper lakes near while pre-fishing.
his home. Admittedly, he spends plenty of “Mainly, I’m looking for some grass on
time trolling for crappie around deeper wood the Florida lakes, and we find some grass
structure while fun fishing near home or on Ross Barnett (in Mississippi),” he said.
while tournament fishing on various venues “While you can’t always depend on the grass
around the Southeast. just because it’s there, it’s always a possibility
But Outlaw also seeks out fish in what because most people are not going to fish it.
others might view as unusual locations. That may not be the case in Florida, but in
“I guess the main one would be around other places, people tend to ignore the grass
grass,” Outlaw said. “It’s not really a secret when crappie fishing.”
anymore around home although plenty of Outlaw and his father, veteran pro Whitey
fishermen still zip right on past the grass Outlaw, finished second in the American
looking for crappie in other locations.” Crappie Trail event on Ross Barnett this
Outlaw suggested there’s something of year.
a mental block to pursuing fish in a non-
traditional way.
“I really don’t know why,” he said. “They “There was no brush or wood
just don’t seem to associate crappie with
grass. With the exception of a few places, around. They were relating to
like the Florida lakes, that always seems to the barge.”
be the case.”
The result for Outlaw – and the few other
fishermen who regularly target crappie
around grass – is unpressured fish that can “We’ll probably always focus on trolling
be caught in huge numbers and with little to catch most of our fish in tournaments,”
difficulty. Matthew Outlaw said. “The grass sometimes
“It has become my favorite approach to comes into play and provides us the possibility
catching big numbers of fish around home,” of at least a few fish.”
Outlaw said. “They find just about everything Perhaps the average fisherman ignores
they need under that grass, food, shade, some of these non-traditional locations
safety. You can count on them being there because they are thought to be difficult to fish.
year-round, in hot weather and even in the Outlaw admits that’s the case with the grass.
winter.” While the approach has become second
Outlaw looks for floating masses of grass, nature to him, he hears all kinds of excuses
mainly hyacinth, duck weed, or gator grass about why grass fishing can be more difficult
on the Santee lakes. He said the grasses than simply hovering over a brushpile.
may vary in other locations, but the crappie- “People tell me all the time, ‘You’re going
holding qualities of aquatic vegetation, are to scare the fish’,” Outlaw said. “That’s just
consistent from lake to lake. not the case if you don’t go in there and shred
He said any grass mat with at least three up the grass.”
feet of water will hold crappie. He occasionally When fishing for fun, Outlaw typically uses
finds mats floating in deeper, open-water a flat-bottom boat that he runs up on top of
areas but generally focuses on mats in four large mats. He positions the boat beside
to seven feet. smaller areas.
While Outlaw can count on the grass “Some of the best ones may be no bigger

5 Crappie NOW November 2018