It’s fair that most of angling interest in our neck of the woods is centered around saltwater. I mean seriously, we’re almost completely surrounded by the stuff. But there is no shortage of brackish, tidal and freshwater in the area to support one seriously good fishery for swimming critters like bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish. And not far to the west, anglers can find good fisheries for trout and smallmouth bass. It’s great to be a fisher around these parts.
Yes, saltwater arguably is the most important aspect of our opportunities – especially when considering the industry’s economic impact. But I would be horribly remiss if I didn’t spend some time talking about my roots in freshwater fishing. Growing up around and on Back Bay, largemouth bass was the thing. The estuary located at the southernmost end of Virginia Beach was one of the top bass holes on the planet back in the 1970s. We caught bream and crappie, but mostly used those for fish fries – never understanding or taking notice of the joys of those species. Since then, I have grown more than a little close to microlight and ultralight fishing for crappie – in my opinion the most beautiful fish that swims. To each their own, whatever floats your boat – you know the deal. We all have our favs.
The best crappie fishing year-in and year-out is this time of year. Fishing can be difficult because of ever-changing late winter-early spring weather patterns, but don’t give up. When crappie move to shallow water cover for the reproductive process, they make themselves vulnerable. That’s where guys like me move in for the action.
While most people grew up using and continuing to use live minnows under floats, some of us have found the pure and utter joy of catching these hardy and tasty fish on artificials like spinners and jigs.
That “thump” when a fish takes the offering is what does it for me. When the fish is surely hooked, crappie put up a great fight on tackle matched to the effort and species. A fat, 12-inch crappie is a real challenge on 2-pound test line. Fifteen-inch fish released or 2-pounders that are kept are big enough to earn a citation from the state. Keeping plenty to eat isn’t a problem with this species, as they reproduce well and grow relatively fast. Ones that are full of roe also are OK to keep, especially since pan frying preserved egg sacks is a perfect match for a couple of filets.
Crappie can be found in just about every creek, farm pond, water retention lake, reservoirs and tidal waters. One of the best locations is Kerr Reservoir, about three hours to our west. Local angling legend Carl Herring once held the world record of four pounds from there. They love shoreline wood for cover, but often venture out to hang under schools of bait. If this weather will ever move back into a warmer, spring-like pattern, you can rest assured that I’ll be out looking for that thump.
