Not So Crappy Crappie

    Well, it's fall again, my favorite time of year. I get to dress up crazy for Halloween, gorge myself on Thanksgiving dinner, and most importantly.... Fly Fish in  Dixie amidst the beautiful changing leaves and cooling Autumn air. Smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and bream of all kinds are very catchable this time of year but my favorite Fall fish is Crappie! They are one of the best tasting freshwater fish anywhere and they don't fight very hard so you can use really light tackle to bring them in. 3 and 4 weight fly rods are my favorite but even a 2 weight will work, if you're a good caster and you want a better fight. I say you should be a good caster because chucking clousers and other streamers that crappie like are not terribly fun to throw on a two weight.

    Fall offers some unique opportunities to catch these fish in shallow waters. The water has cooled and it's that perfect temperature where crappie are more comfortable hanging out near the surface than they were in the hot summer months. In the summer, the best shallow opportunities for catching crappie on the fly are in the early morning and in the evening just before dusk whereas in the fall you can catch them ALL DAY LONG!!!

    Find shady lake coves with submerged cover close to the shoreline, river forks where a slow current meets a faster current, overhangs, driftwood piles that extend from the bank into the water, and deep pools underneath the shade of tree limbs. Chuck a Clouser minnow into any of these areas and you'll have more fun than you did on your honeymoon! I've even been catching Crappie on top water poppers and cricket imitators in the evenings, lately, fishing in the Kentucky Lake and it's surrounding creeks. 

    You might also try a yellow or purple wooly bugger. For me, the secret has been size 6 buggers and size 6 Clousers tied with bead chain eyes so that they sink slowly enough for me to strip them with 1-2 second pauses and keep them within two feet of the surface. During the middle of the day, they don't want to hit top water but they do want flies that are just 6-18 inches beneath the surface. That's the magic zone! Crappie almost always look up and right now, they're higher in the water table than they are in the summer. If you fish near the bottom they won't even notice your fly, let alone strike it. So, fish shallow even in those deep pockets and you'll see what I'm talking about! 

   Pay close attention to feel and use somewhat gentle hook sets. Crappie have fragile mouths compared to bass and they don't hit like bass, either. They have a very subtle, gentle take. Strip your flies at a slow-medium pace with finesse so that you can feel the strikes and set the hook quickly before they spit it out. 

    Another reason you don't want to strip it in too quickly is because those big crappie don't want to over exert themselves to get that little fly. I've noticed that I almost always catch smaller crappie on fast retrieves and I catch the biggest ones when I work it as slow as I can while still managing to keep the fly at their level in the water. A couple days ago I caught a handful in a cove only two feet deep at the deepest point, casting straight out and stripping line in with long, slow strips and 1 second pauses in between. 

    Don't hesitate to get out your boat, canoe, kayak, or walking shoes this fall if you're a crappie fanatic like me. Don your vest, put on your creel, pull out your favorite 3 or 4 weight and head to the water. Fish on!

Taylor Nauta

The Southern Fly Guy