Hot Summer Crappie Fishing Tips
John E. Phillips 07.06.12
In less than 30 seconds, my quill sank. I brought a 1-1/2 pound crappie over the gunwales of my boat. For the next 20 minutes, I continued to take crappie. Although the minnows-in-a-glass-jar idea of my uncle’s was strange, I realized that renegade tactics could produce crappie when no other methods of fishing would. From that early boyhood experience, I started looking for renegades in the sport of crappie fishing – both men and women who broke with traditional tactics and utilized off-the-wall strategies to consistently catch crappie. I wanted to find those unusual individuals who used creative alternatives to take crappie.
The other angler in my blistering weather contest also was highly successful fishing for crappie in deep water. “During the summer months, especially the hottest times of July and August, you usually find crappie on creek channels and river ledges in the main part of the river or lake where you find cooler water and a little current carrying oxygen,” the jig expert said. “But these fish often will be 15 to 30 feet deep, which is deeper than most crappie fishermen want to fish or know how to fish.”
To get to these deep water crappie and catch them, he uses a 1/24 or a 1/16 ounce jig. “I locate the spot where the crappie are holding on my depth finder and put a buoy market near where I see the crappie holding. Then I back away from that place and anchor my boat. I cast my jig to the area where I’ve spotted the crappie. When the jig hits the water, I feed line off my spinning reel and watch the line as the jig drops vertically to the waiting fish. As soon as I see the line jump or stop, I set the hook. Because you must watch the line to know when you get a strike, fish with hi-vis line. Usually deep water crappie will hit the jigs on the fall. Using this technique, I can fish my jigs from the surface all the way to the bottom and catch the crappie holding in that deep water.
“If the crappie are finicky and not biting very aggressively, you may want to fish 6-pound-test line and a 1/24 or 1/32 ounce jig. Using the bigger line and the lighter jig means your jig will fall slower – allowing the crappie to see the bait longer and perhaps causing the crappie to bite better. If the fish are hitting aggressively, I’ll use a 1/16 ounce jig and 4 pound test line to help my bait fall faster, get to the bottom quicker and solicit more strikes. Although I do take some crappie when reeling my bait back from the bottom to the boat, 80 percent of the crappie I catch during the hot summer months, I take as the jig falls from the surface to the bottom.”
To read more about fishing for crappie in 100 degree heat, click here.
To learn more about successful crappie fishing year-round, buy John E. Phillips’ book, “The Masters’ Secret of Crappie Fishing,” by going to www.nighthawkpublications.com/fishing/masterscrappie.htm.
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."
