After spawning, crappie on Lake Pickwick make their way out of the shallow areas and head for mid-range flats where they recover from the spawn and start feeding heavily on baitfish that are also transitioning to deeper water.
This pattern will last throughout the summer with the fish moving progressively over deeper water.
Bevan Berry, who lives in Tuscumbia, Ala., has a few tips for trolling crankbaits in the clear waters at Pickwick.
“I almost exclusively use three colors,” said the veteran crappie angler who relies on Bandit Lures in the 200 and 300 series to catch slabs. “A black with bubblegum bottom, pink with silver sparkle, and red craw are my go-to colors.”
The right temperature
Berry offers that Pickwick provides literally miles of open water mid-depth flats that are prime for trolling. He admits that Pickwick’s clearer waters do not warm up as quickly as some of Mississippi’s other lakes and he prefers to wait until a mild thermocline sets up before he starts trolling crankbaits.
“I want to see a solid 72-degree surface temperature for at least three days before I’ll trade my spring time jigs for crankbaits,” he said. “Then I know that the white crappie will hold 2 to 4 feet above the level of the bottom structure. Then it’s just a matter of locating the water depth they’re hanging in on that day.
Two more differences that Berry has found to be effective in clear water are using his electric trolling motor to troll cranks and lightening up his choice of line.
“Some guys troll with a small kicker gas motor but I’d rather use my electric trolling motor,” he said. “I can control the boat better using my tiller-steer from the bow of the boat. I also like the fact that it’s much quieter than running the big outboard. I also use nothing larger than 10-pound Vicious monofilament line. I prefer that in the low-vis green color. I’ve trolled side-by-side with guys using Cajun red or bright gold line and I caught fish three to one over the others.”
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