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The best Doppler radar tracking I've seen, just click on your area of the map when it comes up!

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Last Killer Update - May 13, 2012

Whoppers Of The Week 

Jeff Young sent in this picture of a really nice black crappie he caught.

Marion Reed with a 2.05 lb whopper white crappie he caught at Bee Lake in Mississippi on a blue and white jig tipped with a minnow.

YOUR PICTURE HERE

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We love pictures - please send us yours. Just click on the link in blue below, attach your picture and I'll post it. 

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Video Clip From

Best Of Crappies On SOA

The Transition Zone

Many of you have heard me talk about the transition zone. This is the spot crappies will hang out in after they have moved into creeks and coves from the winter, but have not gone up to the shallow water to spawn yet. This short clip is from an episode that explained the transition zone, showed how to find it, and how to catch fish that are in it. Hope this helps some of you find a few more fish in early spring.

Time 

This is how your kids spell love. This is a very powerful little clip. Take just a minute to watch it - you will not be disappointed.

Video Clips

Click on the picture to see the video clip 

"Twisted Line? Here's How To Fix 

Crappie Killer Jigs 

No Longer Available

   It is with regret that I discontinue my signature series crappie jigs. While they were hugely successful and very popular, the risk and cost involved with making them became too great. I want to thank all of my loyal customers for buying the jigs. I hope they helped you catch a ton of crappies. 

Crappie Killer Instructional DVD's are available on the Killer Stuff page.

If you want to learn some of my tricks of the trade, or simply learn how and when to catch crappies, you need to see these DVD's. I have received so many great compliments on these DVD's that I continue to offer them for sale. I have reduced the price so they are truly a bargain!

Find Information On Any Lake!

Click on the big map above and it will take you to the US Water Information page. Once there you can click on any state and a list of the lakes in that state will come up. From there you can get a variety of information including some pretty decent maps. The "Hybrid" satellite map is my favorite. Click on the name of the lake and then click on the "MAPS" tab at the top of the page. You can see three different ones from there. Check this site out and I'm sure you will find it useful and fun.

Crappie Killer "Swag"

 Now Available

You asked for it - You got it!

New shirts, hats, mugs, decals are all available right now. You can order your killer gear by clicking on the Crappie Killer logo in the left hand margin or just click on one of the pictures above. Profits from sales of crappie killer apparel will go to support the web site. In addition to this, donations will be made to our designated charity, The Victory Junction Gang. We will continue to add new designs and colors to our line. I thank you in advance for your support and for wearing your killer gear with pride!

5/12/12

Post spawn ugh... almost as tough as summer time crappie fishing. Everyone knows that summer time is the right time for night time. Once the water warms up and the lake lice (jet skis, party boats, etc...) get on the water, night fishing is a whole lot more productive and relaxing. But what do you do between now and then...?

Crankbaits! Tie some on and get moving! Yes crappies love crankbaits of all shapes and sizes. And these baits allow you to move fast and cover a lot of water and different depths. 

Start by surveying a good topographical map of your favorite lake. Find the creek channel, long point or bottom feature that leads into the area you were catching crappies a few weeks ago during the spawn. Now survey the map for any flats that are near or adjacent to that spawning area. Look for water that is 12' - 30' deep. Start there. Turn on your depth finder and cruise over the area. Mark any bait or fish you see. Collect this information and use it to determine if you should keep looking or choose crankbaits that will reach down to your bait and fish. There are times when I spend several hours riding and looking before I ever drop a bait in the water. But believe me when I tell you that this time is well spent. You learn a lot about the bottom contour of the area you are fishing by watching that depth finder and reading your map.

Water temperature and clarity can effect where the fish are. But most of the time it's simply proximity to good spawning grounds. The fish are worn out and they just look for a good place to hang out and recover. If there is bait in the area, all the better. But I have found big congregations of crappies in open areas with no bait this time of year. But if you troll a nice juicy crankbait in front of them, they will hit it.

Once you have selected your spot, it's time to pick your crankbaits. Here in Tennessee Bandit crankbaits are very popular. They come in several sizes and a million colors. The 200 and 300 are the ones I like the best. You can run them from about 6' down to around 15' with the right diameter line and speed. Needless to say there are a million choices. I also have a bunch of Bill Norman's in my boat. They work great and have a distinctive wobble that I like. You can use bright colors or natural colors. I really like blue/chrome, black/chrome, TN Shad, Fire Tiger, Red, White and blue/chrt. Any combination will work. Switch them out until you find one they like. I have one that is pink, yellow and purple that tears them up at times - go figure... But the fish you will be targeting are suspended, so pick the crankbait that will run at the depth the fish are holding.

I always troll my cranks on 6lb line. Yes I loose a few using this light line but it gets the cranks down deeper than heavier line. I use my standard trolling rods. They bend a little more but who cares. I usually cut down to six rods when I'm trolling cranks. That's enough for me. I troll about 1mph sometimes 1.2. Put your crankbaits in the water on a short line and watch them for a minute. Make sure they are running straight and true. Adjust the line tie one way or the other to make sure they are running straight. Now chuck them out there on a medium cast and start trolling. I don't throw mine out very far. The line drag of a long, long cast effects how deep the bait will run. 50'-60' behind the boat is plenty. The shorter cast also allows for better boat control and positioning of the baits.

Keep your drag set on a medium weight. You never know when a big fish will grab one of your baits or you get snagged. For this reason, always keep a plug knocker in your boat. This little tool will save you a lot of money in crankbaits when you get hung up. 

Trolling crankbaits is a lot of fun. For a small investment in baits you can get a big return. Hope this helps you try a new technique and stretch out your line and your crappie fishing season out a little more.

Best Fishes', 

Mark