“Look for downed trees with most of the crown well underwater,” he advised. “That allows baitfish to move from the surface down through several feet. This gives crappie an opportunity to hit baitfish throughout the day as the bait moves in and out of the treetop.

“Crappie are strike predators. They hide and wait for baitfish. But the cover they use is not the heavy cover bass anglers fish. It’s thinner and bushy.”

For current fishing conditions, visit McDonald’s Grocery & Sports Store on SR 221 in Camden, or call (334) 682-4523.

LAKE EUFAULA
“Eufaula is known as a bass lake,” said fisheries supervisor Ken Weathers, “and anglers travel from all over the country to bass fish. It also offers great crappie fishing, but it’s a local fishery that’s underutilized.

“When we age crappie from our sampling every year, we typically get fish 8 to 10 years old. That indicates excellent survival and low exploitation when you have crappie that old.”

Weathers, who also enjoys papermouth fishing, reported catching several limits last year, with some fish weighing 1 1/2 pounds. That is in spite of crappie action that he described as not that great. But the situation was not due to low crappie numbers.

“When crappie are in shallow water spawning,” Weathers explained, “they are dependent on the weather.”

Fishing activity and angler success hinge on weather patterns. If a cold front blows through and it rains 2 inches with 40-degree nights, the next day it’s just like you turned the switch off. You can catch a limit the day before the front, and then the day after you’re lucky to catch four fish.

“Some springs, though, fishing is hot and heavy.”

For great fishing, anglers need stable high water and constant temperatures. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tries to maintain constant water levels during the spawn on Eufaula.

When the fishing is hot and heavy, Weathers’ most productive technique for catching slabs is moving down the bank from sunken treetop to sunken treetop, dropping a minnow in the cover.

Most of the time, though, Weathers fishes with his children, so he avoids treetops.

“With kids,” he said, “we float down the creek with the trolling motor and catch fish on the edge of water willow or alligator weed growing out to 1 1/2 to 2 feet deep. Anglers think of crappie holding tight to brush, but they often hold on the edge of grassbeds when they are spawning. With kids, it’s easier fishing vegetation, because they can pull their line free when they get hung.”

Well-known crappie angler and guide Ronnie Morris of Eufaula has another method for catching fish in April. With two telescopic crappie poles rigged for trolling and set in rod holders, he moves down along the shore while casting to the water’s edge with an ultra-light spinning rod. The rod and poles are tipped with 1/32- or 1/16-ounce leadhead jigs with a curly-tail grub.

“Using this technique,” Morris explained, “you can cover the entire area, and you can pinpoint cover with the spinning rod. Wood cover on the bank is an excellent place to find numbers of crappie. The key is not to get so close that you spook the fish. Stay far enough away, and you’ll catch several off that one piece of cover.”

Morris caught his biggest crappie in spring, and it weighed 3 pounds, 2 ounces.

Both Morris and Weathers recommended fishing Cowikee Creek. Weathers also said White Oak Creek offers good fishing.

To book a day of guided crappie fishing with Ronnie Morris, call (334) 687-9619. For current fishing information, call L&J Tackle Shop at (334) 687-3313 or visit them on U.S. Highway 431 a half-mile south of Lakepoint Resort State Park.