The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

Gabby’s fishing fever

Fishing slowly for crappie in winter


It sure looks like winter outside, but for those anglers still looking to go fishing might want to give crappie some thought.

Crappie are one of the fish that are not as bothered by the colder water. Along with smallmouth bass and trout, they will remain active and feed in colder water during most of the winter. As with any fish during any time of the year there will be lakes that offer the best fishing at certain times.

It is always a good idea to check out fishing reports and current lake conditions online before you take a trip this time of year. Cold weather and cold water is nothing to play with and can get very dangerous very fast so be extra careful and stay dry and safe.

As for crappie this time of year they will school and hold in most lakes on main lake structure — areas where they can move from shallow to deeper and warmer water by moving up and down. Places to fish for crappie in winter include cliff lines and bluffs, the deep side of points, channel dropoffs into deeper water, especially where creek or old river channels run through.

Baits like crappie jigs or tube baits fished slowly over these areas can do very well. Also, live minnows are a top choice. Just look for large schools of these fish holding around the deeper cover and fish slowly for the best results.

Leave a Reply