In December, Christmas dominates our thinking – as it should. Jesus’ birth was certainly a game changer. We rightfully give Him our thoughts and praise.

However, in January, for outdoorsmen, they quickly change their thinking to crappie. When I was growing up in Jena, we called crappie “white perch.” I was told that the French in south Louisiana called crappie “sacalait.” Well, no matter what you call them, we all call ‘em great fishing, fighting fish and good eating fish.

I started fishing for crappie when I was nine years old and haven’t quit yet. There’s nothing like seeing your big red float quickly start going under the water’s surface and knowing that something good is about to happen. They fight you while under the water, keep fighting on top of the water,and even when you put them in your hands, they’re still fighting to go free. It’s a thrill.

They like to feed in cold water during January, February and March. Sometimes they keep feeding on into April and May. When I lived in Missouri and fished in the Lake of The Ozarks there was a local saying: “When the dogwoods bloom, the crappie bite.” I found that to be a true saying. I also noticed that crappie would often move into shallow waters to feed. Sometimes I could see their dorsal finds above the surface of the water. At those times, they seemed to eat any kind of live or artificial bait. One effective artificial bait in particular was called a “rooster tail.” I’ll bet I caught hundreds of crappie on that bait. I used the rooster tail that had a white skirt. There were many other artificial baits that were effective, depending on the temperature and depth of the water.

Minnows have been, and always will be, the most popular live bait. The bigger the minnow the more likely you will be in luring the crappie to bite. I have seen many fishermen use all kinds of floats when crappie fishing. However, some prefer not to use a float at all. The rule of thumb is: “Whatever ‘turns your crank’ is what is right for you.”

Presentation of your bait sometimes determines your catching rate. Most fishermen experiment with several ways to present the bait to see which one works. The fish don’t always follow the same pattern of biting day after day. So don’t be disappointed if yesterday’s method doesn’t work today. That’s what makes fishing challenging and fun.

Always take more warm clothes than you think you’ll need to stay warm. Sometimes, when you get over open water the wind picks up, you feel like you are freezing your buns off. Fishing ain’t no fun when you’re freezing. If you take a lot of heavy coats but don’t need them, that’s o.k. But if it gets cold and you don’t have any, it can ruin your experience. A jug of hot coffee is a good addition to use when going after crappie.

(Narrative and photo provided by Jena native Gale Trussell)