These tasty panfish take refuge amid brush cluttered back waters and other shoreline cover to carry out their annual procreation ritual.

Story and Photography by Matt Williams

They say April showers bring May flowers. But you can bet East Texas crappie fishermen aren’t praying for any big rain events these days. It could turn their lakes upside down and spoil their shallow water fun.

  If this April is like most, there should still be good numbers of crappie nudging around in skinny water on most Texas lakes with decent crappie populations. Some will be actively spawning while others will be looking for a good spot to do their thing. Like diamonds in the rough, the tasty panfish like to take refuge amid brush cluttered back waters and other shoreline cover like grass, bushes and docks to carry out the annual procreation ritual.

The fishing is usually best when shoreline willows, buck brush and other forms of available cover are cloaked in one to three feet of stained or clear water. Some of the best stuff will be found towards the backs of creeks, often in close proximity to where a flat or secondary meet meets with a channel swing or ditch of some sort.

The idea is to move quietly along and probe around individual pieces of cover until you find the fish. Crappie are a social fish. They prefer so many when spawning. Catch one and others are likely to be in vicinity.

The popular panfish can be caught using a variety of baits and tactics. Some guys like to cover water by casting a jig or Roadrunner on light spinning gear, occasionally relying on a small cork staged a foot or two above the bait to keep it elevated above the target cover when idle. Others prefer to dabble shiners on a long pole with a cork to help detect when fish gobbles up the bait.

It can be really fun fishing unless Mother Nature throws you an untimely curveball like a significant rain event.