The Easter weekend often brings families together, and few family activities can rival the
fun and affordability of crappie fishing. But as all anglers know, springtime fishing can be a
rollercoaster ride of ups and downs with the extreme temperature swings and storms that are
often a part of the weather patterns during this season.

So, what should you be doing to catch crappie around Easter time near your home? We asked
that question of several Bobby Garland pro staffers, knowing their information is current and
their techniques can be matched to similar water conditions across the country. Here’s what they
had to say:

Alabama River, Alabama
Mike Parrott - Charlotte, NC
The Alabama River is formed by the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers about 15
miles north of Montgomery. From there it meanders westerly for about 100 miles before turning
southwesterly for 200 more miles to join the Tombigbee River.

Crappies draw throngs of anglers to Southern reservoirs every spring. All these fishermen hope to fill their coolers with slabs, but only a handful of them do so on a daily basis.
One of these savvy crappie aces is fishing guide Todd Huckabee. He spends over 300 days a year on Oklahoma’s Lake Eufaula, a crappie Mecca.
Throughout the year, Huckabee keeps his fingers on the pulse of Lake Eufaula’s crappie movements. He knows exactly where to find them during their pre- through post-spawn phases. Whatever the weather or the lake level, he puts his clients in touch with the big ones.
If Huckabee were fishing a new lake, or if he could only fish on weekends, he would start by checking shallow spawning areas. Crappies spawn first in the upriver sections of reservoirs because the water warms there faster, Huckabee claims. By now, late April and early May, these fish have already spawned.

Protected Coves
“If any spawning is still happening, it will be in little protected coves off the main lake,” Huckabee says. “I go to the backs of those pockets and target logjams or any other spawning cover I can find there.”
The wind dictates which rig Huckabee uses. If it’s calm, he opts for a 1/8-ounce Thill Crappie Cork with a 1/8-ounce Lindy X-Change Jig dressed with a Lindy Fuzzy Grub body, or Dancin’ crappie tube. If it’s windy, Huckabee steps up to a ¼-ounce Thill Crappie Cork and a ¼-ounce X-Change Jig for better casting accuracy.