Don't let the cool weather keep you indoors this season. Take to the lake to fish for crappie - an excellent choice this time of year. Crappie fishing is a great way to spend quality time with the entire family and provide a scrumptious meal for everyone at the end of the day. Georgia is fortunate to have numerous areas across the state that offer fabulous crappie fishing opportunities, and according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD), right now is one of the best times to give it a try.

 

"Crappie fishing is a great way to introduce someone to the fun aspect of fishing because there typically is a lot of action," says WRD Assistant Chief of Fisheries Management John Biagi. "In addition, it's an activity that can be enjoyed by the whole family, and there are good crappie fishing opportunities available throughout most of the state."

 

Crappie tends to be found in deeper water, generally 15-30 feet, near the mouths of major tributaries and in the main lake during mid-February. As the water warms towards late February, fish will move to more shallow water and more toward the middle and back of major tributaries. Crappie prefer to congregate around woody cover such as stumps, logs, downed trees, fish attractors (man-made structures placed in lakes) and creek ledges. So, target these types of areas when fishing. Minnows and small jigs are a favored lure/bait, as is light spinning tackle spooled with 6 or 8 pound test line.

 

Some Georgia hot spots for crappie fishing include:

 

 

·Lake Allatoona - Look for the marked man-made fish attractors, especially in the Kellogg creek area. You can get a map that shows the fish attractor locations at www.gofishgeorgia.com.

·Rocky Mountain Public Fishing Area - Fishing off of the riprap dams should be some hot spots. It is predicted to have some good slabs this year.

·Coosa River - Below the lock and dam area, especially Brush Branch.

 

·Lanier - the upper part of the reservoir, especially the Chattahoochee River arm;

·Hartwell - the upper part of the reservoir, especially Eastanollee Creek;

·Nottely - the upper half of the reservoir and around the man-made fish attractors.

 

·Clarks Hill Lake - Excellent fishing predicted for 2007, especially Soap,

Fishing, Grays and Newford creeks, and the Little River arm;

·Lake Oconee - Beaver Dam, Sandy, Rocky, Richland and Sugar creeks and the

Appalachee River arm;

·Lake Russell - Rocky River, Beaver Dam, Coldwater and Allen creeks;

·Lake Varner and Randy Poynter - Varner provides good numbers of crappie while Poynter provides the opportunity for larger crappie (depending on your preference);

·Lakes Blalock and J.W. Smith (Clayton County Recreation Authority) – Best bank fishing is near the boat ramps. Blalock offers good boat fishing near areas of standing timber and J.W. Smith offers good boat fishing around the Panhandle Road Bridge, the overflow structure near the dam and the submerged pond and dam on the south side of the lake.

 

·West Point Lake - Concentrate around fish attractors in lake and areas of deeper water.

·Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center - Fox Lake is most popular for crappie fishing as it has good deep water and flooded timber.

·Big Lazer Public Fishing Area - Best areas include the old river channel, and around the plentiful standing timber. There are also several docks and earthen piers available for the bank angler, which provides good fishing access.

·Lake Sinclair - Beaver Dam Creek provides some good opportunities for early spawning as it receives the warm water discharge from the steam plant. As temperatures warm, anglers should try fishing around the larger islands such as Optimist, Budweiser and Goat. Bank anglers will want to concentrate on the riprap (rocks or other items placed along an embankment to prevent erosion of soil underneath) along Hwy. 441 at Little River, Beaver Dam and Rooty Creek. In addition, the riprap found in the Twin Bridges area (with ample parking) and Potato Creek along Hwy. 212 provide good bank access.

 

·Walter F. George - The mouths of Pataula Creek (on and around the Old Hwy. 39 Bridge), ·Sandy Branch Creek and Sandy Creek.

·Lake Seminole - Try the main river channels around Ford Scott Island.

Other good spots are the Chattahoochee River mouth between river miles 3 and 4 and the mouth of Spring Creek around the old river channels and submersed structures.

 

For more information on crappie fishing in Georgia, visit www.gofishgeorgia.com or call a WRD Fisheries Management Office. Take Me Fishing! * According to a recent national survey, 87 percent of Americans believe fishing and boating have a positive effect on family relationships. So, turn your quality fishing time into quality family time and create a fun, meaningful family tradition.