Among the most popular freshwater fish for Mississippi anglers to catch, crappie breed prolifically and taste great.
Sometimes, the coldest days can produce the hottest action.
Mississippi anglers can catch crappie all year long, but late winter and early spring offers one of the best times to catch the biggest crappie. Before releasing her eggs, pre-spawn female crappie reach their maximum weight for the year.
Crappie usually spawn when water temperatures reach 58 to 65 degrees. In South Mississippi, some crappie might begin spawning in late January or February, depending upon the weather. In the northern part of the Magnolia State, crappie start in late February or early March. The spawning peak runs from mid-March through early April.
Mississippi anglers can catch crappie all year long, but late winter and early spring offers one of the best times to catch the biggest crappie.
The arduous spawning process takes considerable energy. Before spawning, crappie bulk up to build up their energy reserves. While spawning, crappie eat very little, so pre-spawn crappie gorge themselves on anything they can swallow. They particularly like minnows, shiners, shad, and other small baitfish.
Not all crappie spawn at the same time because waters warm at different rates, even in the same lakes. Rivers, such as the Big Black, Pascagoula, Pearl, Tallahatchie, Tombigbee, or Yazoo, tend to carry cooler water and take longer to warm than placid lakes with stable water levels.
In a vast and complex system, crappie might spawn in one cove today and not spawn until weeks later elsewhere. Crappie in a shallow sunny reservoir cove might spawn earlier than their cousins holding on deeper ledges in main channels. A shallow backwater or sunny flat makes a great place to look for early spawners.
Giant females swollen with roe stage in slightly deeper water before heading shallow to meet the males. Look for them at the mouths of small tributaries flowing into larger rivers. In early spring, transition zones that provide access to both deep and shallow water hold good fish.
To catch crappie, anglers must find them. Many people use high-tech electronics to search for fish in deeper water. Others use the old-fashioned methods. Rig several rods in holders off the boat stern and pull multiple baits slowly behind the boat until fish start biting.
After finding a good spot, many anglers try “spider rigging.” Arrange several rods in holders on the boat bow. Drop small jigs tipped with plastic minnow imitations or live minnows vertically to the chosen depth and move the boat forward slowly with electric power.
Try to place temptations just above where crappie want to hover. They commonly look up to spot prey against the bright surface. By spider rigging, anglers can fish multiple baits and depths simultaneously to see what colors, shapes, sizes, and baits fish want best that day.
Crappie occupy just about every freshwater system in Mississippi from small creeks and farm ponds to large reservoirs. Some better lakes for catching big crappie in Mississippi include Eagle, Enid, Grenada, Pickwick, Ross Barnett, Sardis, Washington, and any old oxbow lakes along the Mississippi River, especially ones that still connect to the river.
