3 Picks for a Wall-Hanger Crappie By Roy Rudolph

What is a wall-hanger crappie? In Mississippi it might be a 3 or 3 1/2-pound fish. On other
good crappie lakes it might be just shy of 3 pounds. On some lakes it might be a 1 1/2-pounder.
Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder, as is a wall-hanger crappie.



Everything is relative to the waters you fish and the amount of time you dedicate to crappie
fishing. You can set your own realistic standard for a wall-hanger and go for it on waters near
you. Or, if you want to travel to improve your odds, here are the lakes most experts recommend
for catching the biggest crappie of your life.


#3 MISSISSIPPI CHAIN OF LAKES

Grenada Lake’s four sister lakes are Arklabutla, Sardis, Enid and Ross Barnett. Your potential
for a wall-hanger slab is better than average at any of these.

Arklabutla is the most northern and is known for huge crappie. It likely holds the state and
maybe even the world record. But the lake is known for being very stingy and having moody
fish. Spring pre-spawn is the ideal time to catch the biggest fish, although summer crankbaiting
can produce super-sized slabs, too.



The other three lakes have their own personalities, with Enid known as the home of the world
record white crappie at 5-lb, 3-oz. Sardis is a good lake, with summer crankbaiting being the
most popular tactic. You can go there, pull Rebel Crank R crankbaits or Bomber Fat Free Fry or
Fingerlings and catch crappie from open water areas. Ross Barnett is the most southern and is
known for its good numbers of 2-plus-pound crappie. Try slow trolling jigs at Barnett.

#2 ALABAMA RIVER, AL

The Alabama River gives up a few 3-pound fish, but has recently become famous for big
numbers of 1.5 to 2.25 pound fish. Heavy rains and current can make the river unpredictable, but
hit the right conditions and you’ll have a trip of a lifetime.

In the spring any technique will work in the creeks and backouts because of the wide range
of depths and covers. One of the easier areas to fish is Swift Creek, about 15 minutes from
Prattville, AL. You’ll find shallow water cover, big flats and excellent drop-offs.

Slow trolling or fast trolling are good techniques this time of year. Look for drop-offs and points
if you’re slow trolling. Large flats next to channels are excellent when fast trolling.

#1 GRENADA LAKE, MS

The unanimous No. 1 pick for catching a 3-pound crappie is Mississippi’s Grenada Lake.
Tournament weights and photos in bait shops verify that the lake produces huge crappie year
after year. March is a good time for pre-spawn and the start of the spawn. Summer and fall are
good, too, but the fish won’t have the same weights. An average spring day when fish are biting
you can expect several fish over 2 pounds, maybe kicker or two over 2.5, and occasional fish
over 3 pounds.



The top tactic at Grenada is slow trolling spider rigs. In both the spring and fall, it lets you work
baits slow or fast along channel and ditch ledges. Baits stay in the strike zone and you cut a wide
path.

“I’ve fished all my life and several years as a guide but I’ve only caught one 3-pound crappie,”
says guide Barry Morrow. “It was 3-pounds, 13-ounces, and was 19 ¼-inches long. It was a big
female in the springtime at Grenada. I was spider rigging 12 feet of water in a little ditch and it
hit a jig tipped with a minnow.

“My suggestion is to go into the dingy part of the lake and fish the cover on a drop-off. In early
spring fish have their best weights so your odds are better for a heavy fish. If you want a big fish
you need to go to Grenada.”

Grenada’s runoff waters provide plenty of dingy water situations. Also, as you go up the rivers
you’ll find the underwater channels. The drop may only be a foot or two but a small indention is
all it takes. The channels are difficult to follow, so take your time and make them work for you.

Post-spawn fish will be 5 to 12 feet deep. Spawning crappie will usually be 1 to 5 feet deep.

What to take to Grenada? Slow trolling is best done with a rack and rod holders, poles 12- to 16-
feet long and reels with good drags; heavy 10- or 12-lb line; 1/8- and 1/4-ounce jigheads with
big plastic bodies like the Yum Wooly Beavertail or Wooly Bee. Also be sure to bring scales to
weigh your fish and a camera to capture the moment.

Wall-Hanger Tips

There are plenty of big-fish waters. Kentucky, Logan Martin, D’Arbonne, and others offer a
good chance to catch a great slab crappie. Also, farm ponds have produced many state record
crappie. The following are tips you need to know.

-If a lake doesn’t have big crappie you’re not going to catch one. Go to a lake with big crappie or
adjust your image of a wall-hanger.

-Pre-spawn and spawn are when females are heaviest. They’ll be up to 15-percent heavier than
other times of year.

-Have your line and equipment in perfect shape. It’s heartbreaking to lose a big fish because you
didn’t re-tie a knot or get rid nicked line.

-In general, big baits catch big fish. A 1/8- or 1/4-ounce head and a two-inch plastic body tipped
with a minnow is standard at Grenada.

-Keep your drag loose when slow trolling very shallow water with long poles. When a big slab
hits it must go sideways, forward or toward the boat. It can’t go down. Give it some line before
setting the hook. Set to normal drag when fishing deeper.

-Always use a net when landing a big fish. The hook will bend or tear through the fish’s mouth if
you try to lift it.

-You have to spend a lot of time on the water if you expect to catch a big one. The odds of your
bait hitting the right spot at the right time is limited, so the more you fish the better your odds are
of catching one.

You can contact Oklahoma guide Barry Morrow at 660-723-2667 or www.barrymro.com.