The author shows off the kind of slab papermouth that waters throughout the Cotton State yield in April. Photo by Stephen E. Davis.

Why a crappie forecast? Since Cotton State anglers are never far from good crappie fishing, will a forecast lead to full stringers? The answer is a resounding yes.

According to Alabama’s fisheries biologists, crappie populations are cyclical in most waters, so a lake that produced limits last year may not for 2007.

“Crappie do not follow the same population trends as largemouths, bream or even shad,” reported Ken Weathers, District VI fisheries supervisor.

Of course, populations of other species fluctuate, but crappie numbers reach higher highs and lower lows. Fisheries biologists from the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries know the reason for this rise and fall in crappie numbers.

“From our sampling data,” said Nick Nichols, an assistant chief of fisheries, “we have found that future year-classes of crappie are often tied to the hydrology of the system. In other words, when we have high reservoir levels or river flows in January and February in a given year, we usually have better recruitment of young fish that year.

“Now that’s not going to improve the fishing that year, but three or four years down the road it does impact the fishery as those new year-classes move above the length limit.”

District biologists monitor year-classes using trap nets in the fall. From their sampling, they are able to predict fishing within their districts.

“Assuming the weather is good through winter and into spring,” said Nichols, “our districts report that we are probably looking for a very good year on crappie in 2007.”

So let’s see where the better fishing is expected this spring.

WEISS LAKE
“Weiss has really been strong the last couple of years,” said Dan Catchings, District II fisheries supervisor. “Looking at numbers and size, everything points toward another great spring of crappie fishing.”

Located in northeast Alabama, with its headwaters reaching across the border into Georgia, Weiss gains fertility from the Coosa, Chattooga and Little rivers, along with the many creeks entering the reservoir. The lake covers 30,200 acres and has 447 miles of shoreline at full pool. Approximately 2,000 of those acres are in Georgia.

“Weiss is a fairly shallow reservoir with a lot of structure,” Catchings noted. “It has good spawning flats with stumps, brush and old trees — it’s just oriented toward crappie reproduction. Weiss seems to have the habitat that produces a lot of fish per acre of reservoir every year.

“We had a strong year-class in 2003. They surpass the 10-inch minimum size limit by 3 years of age and are the foundation for our fishing in 2007.”

Catchings added that anglers can expect to catch fish measuring 10 to 12 inches, with some larger fish going 13 to 15 inches. The latter sizes make up 5 to 10 percent of the population.

For fishing in early April, Catchings recommended targeting the Coosa River at the upper end of the lake.

“The water warms fairly quickly on the upper river portion near the Riverside Marina,” he explained, “and the fish usually move shallower sooner. Also, shallow flats in Cowan and Spring creeks may warm a little earlier in the month.

“Deeper areas like Little River are going to warm slower,” Catchings continued, “so the fish move shallow later in the month.”

Successful anglers start by fishing the river channel bank in 5 to 8 feet of water and then follow the crappie as they gradually move to shoreline habitat. Look for spawning fish on flats in water 3 feet or less and next to woody cover.

Catchings cautioned anglers new to Weiss to use care when maneuvering on the lake.

“It’s easy to find a stray stump on Weiss,” he noted. “Either go with someone familiar with the lake or study a map and use sonar to learn the lake.”