Crappie are one of my favorite game fish for a few reasons: there are lots of them, they are easy to locate, they are easy to catch, they put up a great fight, and they’re one of the tastiest fish you can put on a dinner table. These are the same reasons crappie are such a great gamefish for fishing newbies, kids, or any bass fisherman looking for a change of pace.

As a full-time fishing guide, it's important for me to know when there is a seasonal bite that offers lots of action, and springtime is by far the hottest crappie season of the year. Here are some fishing tips you can use to put some crappie in your boat.

 Colorful

If you've ever seen a spot in person, you might note that spots have much richer colors than largemouth. Their coloration is so distinct that, during a fight, experienced spotters can tell the difference between a spot and a largemouth in a split-second flash of a fighting fish at the surface.  One popular fishing TV show host (we won’t give you his name) referring their brilliant color said that spots are the “…sexy cousin to the dull and slow largemouth”.  I don’t know many anglers that would call a largemouth “dull and slow”, but we’ll let you be the judge!

Most of us in the South grew up with our dad or grandpa fishing for Bluegill/Bream.  First full moon in May with a 5-6ft ultra-light rod with 4lb test, a float, and cricket or worm on the end.  Great fun!!!  I still to this day enjoy fishing this way with my daughter and occasionally, I'll get a client with kids that just want to catch fish regardless of size.  I highly recommend it for children, great way to get them hooked on fishing (I know it did me).  But what our dads and grandpa's didn't tell us is how great the bass fishing around these beds can be. 

Well it's finally Spring 2011 so lets talk a little Spring Spotted Bass Fishing. 

Everyone loves spring fishing at every lake, lthe big female bass are moving shallow and staging on predictable transition points/banks near their spawning area's, and everyone's favorite all the male fish running around the banks guarding fry, etc....  Shakey Head worms, Texas rigs, jerkbaits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, topwater,...  you name it they all seem to work at some point during spring. 

Spotted Bass Species ID

The spotted bass is a black bass species which, to the untrained eye, may appear very similar to a largemouth because spots and largemouth are both green. Here are some defining characteristics that can help you distinguish a spot from a largemouth:

Range of Spotted Bass

Accurate documentation on the current range of spotted bass has been somewhat muddled by the recent declaration of the new sub-species of Alabama Spotted Bass (micropterus henshalli). Spots over 3 or 4 pounds are suspected to be the Alabama variety, as the Kentucky Spot is not believed to reach these sizes, although accurate documentation is not clear. Combining the ranges of both we have an approximate distribution as follows:

Have you tried striper fishing at night? If not consider this...When is the last time you had 50yds of drag stripped off your reel?  When is the last time you fought a fish for more than 10 minutes?  When is the last time you said, "I need to get a bigger net!!!" If it's been a while you should consider getting to the lake a little earlier this weekend and try Striper Fishing at NIGHT !!! 

State Records for Spotted Bass: In order of weight

 Last update: November 28th, 2011

California - 10.27 lbs (world record) June 25^th, 2001  -  Pine Flat Lake, caught by Byran Shishido, story

Alabama – 8.938 lbs March 18^th 1978 – Lewis Smith Reservoir, caught by Phillip C. Terry

Georgia – 8.125 lbs February 23^rd, 2005 – Lake Burton, caught by Wayne Holland, previous record was 8.031 from Lake Lanier in 1985, story

Top Lakes for Spots

Spotted bass can be found in most southern states and range from coast to coast, although they are most prolific in the southeast. Some of the top lakes for spotted bass include the following:

Lake Lanier, Georgia – At over 38,000 acres, Lanier is probably one of the most well-known spot lakes in the country. Lanier was the site of the 2010 FLW Championship, and Kevin Hawk of California won the event catching big Coosa Spots. This lake is one of the busiest impoundments in the country at over 4 million visitors a year, which makes the spots there well-educated and sometimes tough to catch. Being so large, there is no shortage of habitat for Lanier spots, and if you have the chance, it is well worth a visit. 

Life Cycle of Spotted Bass

Spotted bass are originally a river bass, and prefer deep, clear, cool water. In the spring when water temperatures rise above 60 degrees, males will begin to migrate from staging areas into spawning areas. Unlike largemouth, which prefer large shallow flats for spawning, spotted bass prefer protected rocky or sandy banks on secondary points off the main lake. As where largemouth typically spawn in less than 6 ft of water, spots will make beds between 8 and 20 feet of water. As water temperatures continue to rise, males will fiercely guard their beds, and are easily caught with jig-head worms.