Where is best crappie fishing

Many anglers also choose to launch farther south at Potholes State Park. Crappies often congregate around deeper cover here, and trolling is the most efficient way to locate schools of them.

More: Potholes Reservoir Fishing. While these honorable mentions may not be quite the sure bets that the aforementioned lakes are, they each offer opportunities to hook up with your favorite panfish. Bonnie Lake is a long, narrow lake of about acres, and it offers a lot of shoreline brush, rocks and fallen trees that can harbor crappies.

Some real giants have been caught here. The marshy area at the south end of the lake around the Rock Creek outlet is often one of the best spots. The lake is a bit hard to get to, located on the border of Spokane County and Whitman County.

Once you arrive, it also requires some walking. The only access site is off Belsby Road, and is only open to the public through the kindness of private landowners, so please be courteous in return to keep the privilege. About 40 minutes south of Tacoma, Tanwax Lake offers a solid crappie fishery during the spring months.

Expect a lot of fish in the 9- to inch range, with the occasional slab mixed in. Tanwax Lake is a great kayak fishing lake thanks to its small size. Paddling around the shoreline and casting jigs toward weeds and docks is often productive for crappies. As lily pads start to develop, crappies often use them for cover as well. Anglers armed with live minnows or Trout Magnet jigs are likely to catch a mixed bag of crappie and trout in April shortly after stocking.

More: Tanwax Lake Fishing. Spanning acres about 45 minute north of Seattle in Snohomish County , Cassidy Lake is easily accessible, with a DFW boat ramp on the western shore and a small fishing pier on the eastern shore. The recurring pattern at Cassidy Lake seems to be that crappies bite around dusk on late spring and summer evenings, and seemingly disappear throughout the rest of the day.

Around sundown, look for telltale dimples on the water that reveal crappies feeding on the surface. Suspending a jig under a float or using a cast-and-retrieve method can work equally well, provided you keep your bait high in the water column. An urban lake in the heart of Seattle often overlooked by King County anglers, Lake Union is a highly underrated option when it comes to crappies.

Lake Union is connected to Lake Washington via channels and also is chock full of moored boats, and the fishing conditions here are generally similar, even though Union is much smaller at 1, acres. If you make a purchase through one of those links, we may receive a small commission. For many anglers, catching crappie is a right-of-passage. Along with bluegill and other sunfish, crappie are often the first species many anglers ever haul in.

And for good reason, too. Simply put, crappie are a fairly easy catch. They are small, easy to hook, and can be caught in abundance. In previous articles, we have taken a look at some of the top crappie lures , as well as a list of panfish rod and reel combinations that cater to any and every budget and background.

Now, we want to look at the absolute cream-of-the-crop when it comes to crappie fishing in the United States. Seeing as crappie are one of the most abundant freshwater species in America, how can you possibly limit a list of top fishing lakes to 8? In reality, there are probably close to one hundred different lakes throughout the country that could have made the honorable mention list.

Located across three counties in northeastern Oklahoma, Oologah has nearly miles of shoreline and spans an impressive 29, acres. As a sizable lake, it is also known to have excellent crappie fishing. Many anglers employ a mixture of both live and artificial baits. Jigs and crankbaits tend to be the most popular lures, with minnows being the most popular live baits. Anglers have reported success with both a traditional bobber rig and through casting and dragging.

One of several Texas lakes that could have very easily earned itself a higher distinction, Lake Fork is just an excellent fishery all-around. Need proof? Home to the unrivaled "Arc of Slabs," which includes the hallowed waters of Arkabutla, Enid, Grenada, and Sardis, the Magnolia State could easily argue for top honors on the list.

Perhaps nowhere else on the planet do anglers have a better shot at catching big white crappies, including giants topping 3 pounds. In-Fisherman Editor In Chief Doug Stange notes the fishing is good year-round, but peak fishing starts in mid- to late March for prespawn giants.

In-Fisherman friend and crappie guru Todd Huckabee's home lake — Eufaula — is among the best on the planet for slabs topping 2 and even 3 pounds. But the lake's shallow, muddy, fertile waters are only part of the reason the Sooner State claimed a spot on our list. Fort Gibson is another, given its ability to kick out 2-pound-plus white crappies, especially when riding a year-class boom. Grand, Kaw, and Oologah are standouts, too.

Contacts: Eufaula Guide Todd Huckabee, toddhuckabee. Don't let the world-class bass fishing fool you, the Lone Star State is a stellar destination for oversize crappies as well. Phenomenal Lake Fork is a prime example. Numbers of slabs topping 2 pounds are possible in a variety of seasons and settings, from the early summer brushpile bite to the late-season deep-water blitz near the dam. Ivie, Richland Chambers, and the border waters of Toledo Bend — just to name a few. Like Kentucky and Tennessee, these two states share one of the world's top crappie lakes.

In this case, it's Kerr Lake, also affectionately known as Buggs Island. Give a Gift Subscriber Services.

There is a ton of cover in Barkley, maybe even more than Kentucky, which is why a lot of anglers prefer it. Numbers are coming back and it should be a hot lake again for the next several years. Most of the time you will have better water color over there. It fishes more like a river where cuts and bays still play a role during the summer months. At one point Toledo Bend was one of the best crappie destinations in the country.

With multiple places and ways to catch fish around grass, standing timber, brush piles and open water, Toledo Bend is still a top stop for crappie. It has quality fish but is overlooked for other good crappie lakes nearby.

They are so large you are almost afraid to touch them because they look like they might explode. From Piney to Shoal Bay, and all the way to the Illinois Bayou, this lake is full of better than average crappie. This is one of the iconic lakes in crappie fishing. Crappie fishing is not only great for numbers but also for size. Clear Lake hosts a tremendous black crappie population and has world record potential as the state record black crappie was just broke back in February Slip bobber fishing, open water roaming fish, fishing shallow cover like weed lines, brush piles and docks can all be good for crappie.

You can really spread out on Kentucky Lake or pick just one major creek and spend all your time there.