Fishing Report Archives

Does Christmas crappie have a nice ring to it? Golden fillets sure taste good out of that cold water too.

Winter fishing officially begins next week (December 21st) across the Kentucky Lake area. Most crappie anglers hate to see fall fade away as it has been a good one for them.

It’s fair to say the fishing has been better than the duck hunting! Poor weatherman; waterfowlers want a weather change, cold north winds and right now across the region some heavy rain!

Anglers have been pretty consistent in their catches of crappie these last few weeks as they stalked deep structure such as brushpiles and stakebeds.

Depths of 12 to 14 feet have been productive at times but some nice slabs have been taken in deeper depths such as 16 to 20 feet out on main lake ledges.

Both jigs and minnow have paid dividends all fall. Winter crappie often favor the deep sides of ledges but if mild weather lingers then midrange depths will hold good numbers of fish.

The crappie are following their forage base, namely threadfin shad, and the baitfish will linger in shallow to midrange depths if surface temperatures hang around the mid to upper 40’s. If a cold spell descends and surface temp fall quickly it often results in a shad kill.

The shad don’t have a tolerance for quick surface temp changes and will go into shock if they’re caught up shallow during an overnight drastic temperature drop. A few times during the winter a massive shad kill occurs and while it’s not unusual it’s somewhat disturbing to fishermen if they see big numbers of bait fish dying and washing up on shorelines.

Not a pretty sight. Quite puzzling actually.

Meanwhile, schools of baitfish often seek the refuge of deeper water during the winter months as it offers them a comfort zones free of quick temp changes.

Crappie follow the shad wherever they go, which is why a lot of winter crappie stringers are taken from main lake ledges. The deep side of the ledges where structure can be located attracts the baitfish and the crappie are usually hot on their trail.

There are exceptions as not all the crappie and baitfish go deep to dodge the cold conditions but most of them do and that’s why winter crappie anglers target deep water.

Unfortunately, the main lake areas where winter crappie often school are vulnerable to high winds. A cold front usually has north to northwest winds that whip up whitecaps, not to mention bone chilling breezes.

Winter fishing can sometimes separate the men from the boys. However, picking your days and dodging those windy day forecasts can deliver some pretty productive fishing conditions.

Best be prepared and wrap up good. Remember you can always take a few layers off if it warms up!