Don’t let the cool weather keep you home – take time to get out on the lake and fish for crappie, an excellent choice for this time of year. Crappie fishing is a great way to spend time with the whole family and provide a great meal at the end of the day. Georgia is fortunate to have many areas across the state that offer fabulous crappie fishing opportunities – and right now is one of the best times to give it a try, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).

“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 is an activity that can be enjoyed by the whole family and there are good crappie fishing opportunities available in most parts of the state.”

Crappie tend 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 later February, fish will move to more shallow water and towards 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:

Northeast Georgia

· 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.

East Central Georgia

· Clarks Hill Lake-Excellent fishing predicted for 2005, especially Soap, Fishing, Grays and Newford creeks, and the Little River arm;

· Lake Oconee – Beaverdam, Sandy, Rocky, Richland and Sugar creeks and the Appalachee River arm;

· Lake Russell – Rocky River, Beaverdam, 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 Central Georgia

· 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 also are several docks and earthen piers available for the bank angler, which provides good fishing access.

· Lake Sinclair – Beaverdam 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, Beaverdam and Rooty Creek. In addition, the riprap found in the Twin Bridges area (with lots of parking) and Potato Creek along Hwy. 212 provide good bank access.

Southwest Georgia

· 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 at 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! ™ A recent national survey indicated that 87 percent of Americans believe fishing and boating have a positive effect on family relationships. So take your family fishing and you will always have something in common.

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