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| Bank-Bound Crappie On The Coosa Chain |
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| By Chuck Burns |
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Originally published in the March 2010 issue of AON
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A cooler full of tasty crappie awaits bank fishermen who take advantage of warm spells that pull crappie shallow this month.
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Alabama’s upper Coosa River impoundments, Weiss and Neely Henry, are top-notch reservoirs for catching crappie in March. These two lakes consistently provide anglers with abundant numbers of good-sized, good-eating crappie each spring.
Toward the end of February, crappie start transitioning from their deep-water, winter patterns into more shallow prespawn spring patterns. Many crappie fishermen launch boats outfitted with all the latest fish-finding technology and slowly troll their multiple lines with a rainbow of jig colors in search of crappie. At the same time, many crappie fishermen are hiking down an old dirt trail, climbing down a rocky bank or walking to the end of a pier anticipating a prespawn bite.
Granted, crappie fishermen in a boat sometimes have an upper hand over the bank fishermen. Guided by fish-finding equipment, they can quickly move from an unproductive fishing spot. However, when fishing over certain underwater structures during the right weather conditions, the savvy bank fisherman can quickly fill a fish basket with a creel limit of slab crappie.
My grandparents loved to fish. Both my grandfather and grandmother fished Weiss Lake since its inception during the early 1960s. To hear my grandmother talk, you would think she was the first person to hoist a Weiss Lake crappie from the water and into a frying pan. She often spoke fondly about one spring morning when my grandfather and his fishing buddy waved bye to her on the pier as they hopped into a boat and motored out of sight to what was supposed to be a premier crappie hole. While the two men were gone, Grandmaw, as I called her, sat on the end of the pier and caught a cooler full of very large, impressive slabs. When my granddad returned to the pier and walked over the wooden planks to meet my grandmother, his jaw dropped as he marveled over her catch. After taking a long and arduous boat ride to catch a creel limit of monster crappie, he was surprised to find that the premier crappie hole for the day was right there under his feet.
All along the upper portions of the Coosa River great little crappie holes can be found close to the bank or just as in my grandfather’s case, from a pier right under his feet. I venture to walk-in spots each March and drop a minnow or twirl a curly tailed jig. These places, if targeted at the right times, produce better than many fishing holes accessible only by boat. The one aspect I enjoy most about fishing from the bank or a pier is that it is an excellent way for me to get my 4-year-old daughter into the action. She and I have enjoyed many a March day reeling crappie to the bank, walking them back to the truck, and then taking great pleasure in fresh fillets for supper.
Finding walk-in fishing spots is not hard. However, it is crucial to be sure you have the landowner’s permission to fish a location if you are not using public-access areas or piers. Public-access crappie spots to try this March are the Highway 77 causeway that stretches between Ohatchee and Southside over Neely Henry Lake, Harts Ferry Recreational Area just below Neely Henry dam at the confluence Ohatchee Creek and the Coosa River, Yellow Creek Fish Camp on Weiss Lake, the tailraces below Weiss and Neely Henry dams and any number of spots along the public right of ways (ROW) that allow for safe parking and access to the Coosa River
(Note: If the public ROW has “No Parking” or “No Fishing Signs” posted, obey the signs and look elsewhere.)
When I think of bank fishing for crappie along the upper Coosa River, one of the first pictures that comes to mind is the Highway 77 causeway. Starting as early as January, fishing families and individuals pull their vehicles to the side of the road, unload tackle from their car trunks or truck beds, and set up for a day of fishing along the rip-rap bank that supports the causeway. Both sides of the causeway are lined with fishermen starting at first light and lasting until dark. One tried-and-true fishing technique to employ at the causeway is fishing with live minnows. Stephens Express Mart, a bait store conveniently located in Southside and next to the causeway, supplies shiners for the Highway 77 crappie fisherman.
Yellow Creek Falls Fish Camp located on Weiss Lake and within eye shot of Yellow Creek Falls is another public fishing area to try out this March. The fish camp store, located on Highway 273 north of Leesburg, supplies fisherman with minnows, and along the lake bank there is plenty of rocky shoreline and brush available for fishing. Mid March has proven to be an excellent time for crappie fishing near Yellow Creek Falls. Just like along the rip-rap banks of the Highway 77 causeway, live minnows, as a general rule, work best for bank fishing at Yellow Creek Falls Fish Camp. However, don’t be hesitant to jig a twirl-tailed grub along the bank while you wait on a crappie to snatch your minnow.
Another good spot to try is at Hart’s Ferry Recreational Area about a mile downriver from Neely Henry dam and located along Highway 77 in Ohatchee. This recreational area has abundant crappie cover such as rip-rap banks, brushy cover and concrete pylons. Also, two of the fishing piers are situated close to where Ohatchee Creek dumps into the Coosa’s main channel. Aside from fishing piers, Hart’s Ferry Recreational Area offers picnic areas, a playground for the kids and a bait-and-tackle store.
When fishing below the Weiss and Neely Henry dams, a weighted cork bobber and a twirl-tail jig is always a good choice. Popular jig body colors are chartreuse and white. A 1/16-oz. jig head is often the best choice for still-water crappie fishing, but because tailraces below the dams are swift, a heavier jig head is needed to keep your lure swimming at the right depth. Fishing below hydroelectric dams for crappie can be productive, but because the water level and rate of discharge change below dams depending on the number of turbines running, it takes a little trial and error to figure out what size jig and fishing depth works best.
Crappie usually become noticeably more active in late February on Weiss and Neely Henry. Although February is a winter month, Alabama weather is such that the warmer days of spring start pushing winter weather aside toward the end of the month. During late February and throughout March, water temperatures start to warm and crappie enter into prespawn patterns. Generally, these patterns develop when the water temperature pushes past 50 degrees and moves toward 60 degrees. The actual spawn usually starts when the water temperature reaches between 60 and 65 degrees.
The best time to target crappie holes that are close to the bank in late February and early March is after two or three warm days. An extended span of warm weather will stimulate crappie to move into shallow water, but be prepared for them to move out to deep water again if a cold snap blows through. Once warm weather becomes more consistent around the middle to latter half of March, bank fishermen can expect crappie to develop more dependable shallow-water patterns.
When fishing from a bank or pier, underwater or partially submerged cover is the key to crappie catching success. Brushpiles, rip-rap, stumps and sunken Christmas trees are all great crappie attractors. Crappie are drawn to such structures not just because they provide concealment, but because underwater structure also attracts baitfish. Over time, algae grows on stumps, brushpiles and Christmas trees. Small baitfish are drawn to the algae because it is a food source, and crappie are drawn to the structure types because, well, the baitfish are their food source.
I have permission to fish from a Neely Henry pier in Southside. The property owner allows me to sink Christmas trees under and around the pier each January. After the New Year, I drive around local neighborhoods collecting Christmas trees that have been thrown to the curb. I weight the trees with concrete blocks and place them under the pier or within casting distance from the pier.
“When crappie come up to shallow water, they are looking for cover,” said Larry Mabrey, a long-time Coosa River crappie fisherman.
Larry suggests using brushpiles made of cane or bamboo to attract crappie. Larry said he prefers cane to Christmas trees. “It is hard, and jig hooks can’t snag into it as easily.”
Larry drills holes in a plastic 5-gallon bucket and sticks the cane through the bucket at several different angles. Once he has all the cane in place, he fills the bucket with concrete. When the concrete sets up, it will hold the cane in place and will provide enough weight to secure the bucket and cane to the bottom of the river.
There is no permit or certification process required for placing fish-attracting brush on Weiss or Neely Henry lakes, but if you find a place where you want to sink Christmas trees or other brush, take into consideration the safety of boaters before creating a secret crappie honeyhole. I’ve found the best place to drop brush is under piers and boat houses away from swimming areas and where boaters and skiers are certain not to run. But, always do so with permission from the pier and or boathouse owners. Please visit <www.alabamapower.com/lakes/fishdata.asp> for additional information concerning artificial fish habitat.
Proven tackle for taking crappie from cover located along banks and around piers is 4- to 6-lb. test line, a weighted bobber (weighted bobbers are best because they allow for a longer and more controlled cast), and twirl-tail grub attached to a 1/16-oz. jig head. Grub body colors popular among fishermen on Weiss and Neely Henry are white or chartreuse. Using a light-action rod and reel, attach the bobber about a foot or so above the crappie jig and pull the jig as closely along the side of the brushpile as possible. If you have dropped Christmas trees under the water or know where there is brush hidden beneath the water, pull your jig over the structure while letting it fall as close as possible to the brush without going too deep and getting snagged. Whether you have spotted some brush sticking above the water’s surface or know where some is hidden beneath the water’s surface, always cast past the brush so as not to spook the fish, and retrieve the jig just fast enough to make the grub’s tail spin. When fishing close cover on narrow creek banks or under piers, remove the bobber and lightly cast the jig, and then finesse it through the brush or over logs and stumps.
Long-time pier and bank fisherman, Guy Bryan, uses what he calls the “scouting technique” on both Weiss and Neely Henry lakes to locate and catch March crappie from the bank or a pier. Guy said he sets out three lines, at different locations, with live minnows (shiners) and fishes anywhere between 2 to 4 feet deep. He sets the depth of his bait by altering where he attaches his bobber to the line. Guy starts off by casting his lines toward a number of partially submerged trees and other visible structures in an effort to determine what cover is producing the most bites.
“Once I find the hotspot, I focus on that area,” Guy said.
While keeping a couple of live minnows dangling in the hotspot, Guy said he uses a light-tackle spinning rod and reel and casts white or chartreuse Mister Twister grubs around the same area where his minnow lines are. Doing this allows Guy to maximize the amount of crappie caught while the bite is hot. If the cover is close, Guy will cast a Mister Twister without a bobber and bounce the bait around and through the brush. Guy said the calm water conditions at about 8 a.m. is one of the best times to catch shallow-water March crappie along the upper Coosa reservoirs. Guy also said fishing in shaded areas under piers and docks produces excellent results. The shade gives the crappie the sense of being hidden under cover. On hot March afternoons, Guy uses the same “scouting” technique and says he typically finds crappie in deeper water with a sloping bottom.
When targeting crappie at night, Guy said, “Fishing from a lighted pier has produced the best results. Fishing around boathouse lights that are close to the water is key, and minnow fishing is the most productive strategy.”
Guy said to be sure to cast beyond the light, and gradually pull your bait through the lighted water to entice a nighttime bite.
Now that March is here, the crappie bite is hot. And, many fishermen will agree that Weiss and Neely Henry lakes are two of the best impoundments in the state for catching a stringer of big slabs. What I appreciate most about the two lakes is that fishermen and their families can catch a creel limit of crappie without cranking a boat.
If you try the tactics mentioned here and explore the locations discussed, you are sure to find a great little honeyhole within casting distance from the bank that will produce bites all through March.
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