Texas Crappie Fishing Secrets

Crappie fishing is very popular in many states all across the nation and Texas is no exception. Crappies can be found gathered together in large groups called fish schools. Once you locate a school of crappie you should be able to reel in your limit fairly quickly. The lakes, rivers and reservoirs located in Texas provide the perfect environment that is excellent for crappie, which is one of the reasons this species of fish are so plentiful in this state.

When it comes to sport fishing in Texas, crappies are at the top of the list. The two species of crappie that are found in Texas waters are the black crappie and the white crappie. The black crappie is recognized by its darker color and the seven to eight spines that are located on their dorsal fin. They also have dark spots on their sides. The white crappies are lighter in color and have five to six spines on the dorsal fin. Instead of spots they have vertical stripes on their sides.

Here are five of our Texas crappie fishing secrets that you need to get the best catches, no matter where you are in Texas fishing.

Tips and Techniques for Texas Crappie Fishing

There are several techniques that can be used to catch crappie in Texas that will work very well. The four main methods of fishing for crappie are trolling, drifting, casting and still-fishing. The best bait to use would be jigs, lures and live bait such as minnows, worms and insects. It is important to keep your live bait in a cooler to keep it fresh during the entire fishing trip.

The crappie spawn in the spring and this is the time when you can catch the most fish in the shortest amount of time. You will find them gathered together anywhere they can find cover. This would be where trees, branches and stumps are in the water and around ledges, rocks and all types of artificial covers. As the season moves on into summer you will need to move into the deeper water to find the most crappie.

In the early morning and late evening you can find the crappie in water as shallow as five to ten feet. They will go deeper when the sun is heating up the water so you will need to start fishing around twenty-five feet to find them and have the most success. Crappies are normally found in the deeper waters during the night as well.

In the fall the crappie will be found in the shallow to moderate depths when fishing early mornings and late evenings. Doing the hottest part of the day they will move out to deeper water. During the winter the crappie are less active and have a tendency of gathering in groups deeper in the water than they will be during any other season.