Productive Crappie Fishing Without a Boat
John E. Phillips 04.17.14
The crappie spawn is on from now through the end of May in many areas of the country. Most anglers will fish from a boat to catch these delicious panfish. However, if you don’t have a boat, here are several suggestions on how to take crappie with no boat from avid crappie angler Jeff Williams, the owner of Outdoor BrandZ in Grove, Oklahoma, which makes and distributes the Fle-Fly jig.
Although many fishermen who fish crappie tournaments have emphasized spider rigging (slow trolling with often as many as 12 to 14 poles out at one time) to catch crappie, many crappie anglers, including myself, still enjoy single-pole fishing for crappie with jigs and minnows.
Wade to crappie
In the spring when crappie move to the bank, I’ll occasionally wear shorts and tennis shoes (depending on how cold the water is) or put on waders and head into the shallow water of lakes and rivers, using a jig pole and a crappie jig. I’ll swim the jig around the brush to catch crappie and tie a stringer to my waist for the fish I catch. Wade fishing for crappie, especially in shallow water, creeks, sloughs, and bays off the main river or creek channel can be very productive. Using this tactic means you don’t have to have a boat. I often catch as many crappie as (and sometimes more than) the folks in boats when I’m wading.
I’ll cut limbs from sycamore trees during the wintertime and stick them in the mud in the bottoms of rivers and lakes. When the water comes up during the spring, those limbs will be in two to four feet of water. I’ll fish with a bobber during the spring spawn by putting a Fle-Fly Go Go crappie jig about two feet under the bobber, casting it out, and letting it fall beside the sycamore branches.
You can walk the bank with an ultralight rod and use a bobber and a Go Go minnow with a 1/16-ounce weedless head tied about a foot or two under the bobber, then cast and retrieve around stumps and logs that you visibly can see from the bank.
Rent a boat slip and/or fish from docks
One place you always can find crappie throughout most of the year is at floating boat docks. Most people who rent slips in a boat dock will put brush at the back ends or the front ends of it. Ask the marina owner if you can fish in one of those vacant slips. Consider also the possibility of leasing one of those slips, just as if you have a boat to put in it. Sink brush or stake beds in the boat slip that crappie will come to, and you can fish at anytime of the day or night. This tactic works best on deep-water floating docks.
You may want to get two or three families that don’t have boats to divide the cost of renting the boat slip for the year to give everyone a place where they can fish and catch crappie. Most boat slips are covered and lighted and will give you dry spots to fish in inclement weather and at night.
Learn about bank and pier fishing for crappie
Many states have fishing piers at lakes or rivers, and state-owned lakes open to anglers. Check with the fishery section of your state department of conservation. Also use a state road map to look for places where bridges cross creeks, branches, and backwater areas. Often you can go right down the side of the bridge and fish. Crappie usually hold next to bridge and pier pilings, which are very productive places to catch crappie from the bank.
For more information on crappie and crappie fishing, check out the Kindle books Crappie: How to Catch Them Fall & Winter and Crappie: How to Catch Them Spring and Summer. By April 28, 2014, these books will available in paperback to purchase from Amazon. You can see more of John E. Phillips’ books on his Amazon author page.
John, the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors.
Phillips has been a contributor to many national magazines, has been affiliated with 27 radio stations across Alabama serving as their outdoor editor and wrote for a weekly syndicated column, "Alabama Outdoors," for 38-Alabama newspapers for more than 13 years. Phillips was Outdoor Editor for the "Birmingham Post-Herald" for 24 years. Phillips was also the executive editor for "Great Days Outdoors" magazine for 3 years.
The author of almost 30 books on the outdoors, Phillips is a founding member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and an active member of the Southeastern Outdoors Press Association (SEOPA). Phillips also is the owner of Night Hawk Publications, a marketing and publishing firm, and president of Creative Concepts, an outdoor consulting group.
Phillips conducts seminars across the nation at colleges in freelance writing, photography and outdoor education besides teaching courses in how to sell what you write to writers' groups. Phillips received his photography training as a still-lab photo specialist for six years in the Air Force. He was the chief photographer for Mannequins, Inc., a Birmingham modeling agency, for 11 years.
While serving as 2nd Vice President of the Alabama Wildlife Federation, Phillips was in charge of all press releases for the organization as well as serving as Chairman of Alabama's Big Buck Contest, which he founded more than 30 years ago. He also was president of the Alabama Sportsman's Association for three years.
Phillips is the recipient of a Certificate of Merit from the Governor of Alabama and the Department of Conservation for his work in the outdoor field. Phillips is vitally interested in the outdoors and travels the nation collecting personalities, stories and how-to information for his articles and features.
EDUCATION: B.S. degree from the University of West Alabama with a physical education major and a history minor.
EXPERIENCE: 10 years parttime and fulltime physical director for YMCAs and 34 years as a freelance writer, photographer, editor, book author, lecturer and daily-content provider for websites. Currently, Phillips is a field editor for Game and Fish Publications; serves on the editorial board of Grandview Media; is a regular contributor to 12 internet magazines and a daily content provider for 8 websites.
WRITING AWARDS: Runnerup - Best Outdoor Magazine Feature - 1981 - SEOPA; Certificate of Merit - Awarded by Alabama's Governor for writings on conservation; Most Outstanding Sports Writer in Southeast - 1983 & 1984; Best Outdoor Feature in Alabama, 1987 - Alabama Sportswriters' Association 3rd Place; Best Book of the Year - 1989 - SEOPA; 2007 - inducted into the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Communicator; 2008 - received award naming him 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the Year from the Crossbow Manufacturers' Association; 2009 - GAMMA Honorable Mention for Consumer/Paid Best Essay for July/August 2008 in "Southern Sporting Journal."
