Crappie Fishing Report February 8, 2018
This Lake Lanier Crappie report is from Dan Saknini, member of the Lanier Crappie Angler’s Club. Currently, the water temperature is 44 degrees, and a couple degrees lower in backs of creeks. The last several weeks, we have not had anything positive to report. To the die-hard fishermen that braved the conditions, fished during this time and boated 10-15 respectable-sized crappie, you should pat yourself on the back and high-five your fishing partner! We looked at previous years’ fishing reports to compare. There is a reason why we nickname our catches this time of year “cold water crappie”. Our average water temps in past years at this time have been 47 to 48 degrees, which is significantly higher than our current water temps of 42 to 44 degrees. Unlike previous years where the fish are suspended at 15 to 30 foot depths, this year the fish were well below thirty foot depths. This pattern was out of our comfort zone. However, I am making a bold statement, and hopefully won’t have to eat my words next week. But I believe crappie fishing is going to return to normal quickly, starting in the next few days. How can we make a statement like that? We look at water temperature and overnight lows. Over the next week, our nightly low termps will be close to and well above 50 degrees. The rain on warmer days will cause the stain to creep from the backs of creeks. As it spreads, it will cause the water to be moderately stained into the middle and toward the mouths of the creeks, and combined with warmer days, should raise the water temps quickly. For the last few weeks, our bait and our crappie have been held hostage in deeper water. The bait is going to move quickly to shallower water, and the crappie will follow. They need to eat to prepare for the spring spawn. If you notice bait and roaming fish nearby, tie a road runner to your line and fan cast toward them. You may need to experiment with the depth. My plan is to fish multiple times next week. My first trip will be to observe, hit as many pockets as I can, and look for a pattern. The fish may be roaming. Or they may be on stand-alone brush piles. They may be on docks, or on brush piles near docks. My second and third trips will become easier and easier. One helpful tip: use darker jigs in stained water. In moderate to light stain in the mouths of creeks, use lighter colors. Just experiment. If your fishing partner is using one color, be sure to use a different one until you figure out what they want. Also, don’t use any line heavier than 4 pound test. I use 2 pound test all year long. In summary, we can feel the bite coming on, so go out and enjoy! Stay safe on the water and wear your life jacket!