About Crappie

Black and white crappie are very similar fish that are often found schooling together. They are found pretty much everywhere in the country, with black crappie being more common in the northern US and Canada than white crappie. Though many people are unable to tell the difference between the two even when catching them together, it is fairly easy for the trained eye. Both types have the same colors, but white crappie have vertical bars on their sides and black crappie have just random blotches.The average size of crappie is between one half and one pound, though they are known to grow much larger. Crappie are prolific breeders that will overpopulate small bodies of water very quickly if the population is not controlled. Bag limits are typically quite generous.

What You Need

Equipment

How to tie a strong knot. Pass the line through the eye of the hook, or swivel. Double back. Make five turns around the line. Pass the end of the line through the first loop, above the eye, and then through the large loop. Draw the knot into shape. Slide the coils down tight against the eye.

If you don’t already have a pole to use then, you can go to Walmart and get a decent pole for only twenty dollars or so. To catch a crappie most people use minnows or tube jigs. Tube jigs are little skirts that go on to jig heads. On a sunny day during spring you should use bright colors like a white, pink, orange, or a red. During the fall and on overcast days use darker colors such as black and white, brown and green, or a black and blue. To fish for crappie you will need a pole, lots of line, lots of good bobbers, jig heads and tube jigs if you are using them, or number two hooks and minnows if you are using them. There are two good ways to hook a minnow. You can either hook it through the middle of the back a little below the back bone; or you can hook it through the head running the hook from the bottom of the mouth through the head and out the top. During the fall it is better to use large or medium size minnows. In the spring it is better to use small or medium minnows.

Places To Fish

Clinton Lake

Location: 7251 Ranger Road, DeWitt, IL 61735 Clinton Lake is a 4,900 acre lake that was built in the 1970’s to provide a water source for the power plant. Clinton Lake is a good fishing spot for all year long fishing because the power plant keeps the water warmer so the fish grow faster and will eat more giving you a better chance to catch your monster fish of your dreams. During the spawn in the spring the fish will be shallow near the spawning beds and in and around brush. Look for good brush piles in about five to six foot of water near the spawning beds and you will find the fish. Most of the spawning beds will be back in the coves. In the summer the fish will move deeper to about ten to twenty feet of water. They will be around submerged timber, on humps on the bottom, and off of points. During fall the fish will be where the bait fish are. They can range anywhere from right up on the bank to twenty feet of water so you will need to find the food. During fall the fishing is spotty because the fish are moving a lot with the changes in weather and the movements of the bait fish. For more information you can go tohttp://www.ifishillinois.org/profiles/lakes/individual_lakes/clinton.html

Lake Bloomington

Location: 15 miles North of Bloomington, (2500N) 4 miles, Illinois 61748 Lake Bloomington is a 635 acre reservoir, with 18.5 miles of shoreline. It is owned by the City of Bloomington and is maintained and operated by the City’s Water Department. The lake was built in 1929 for the primary purpose is to serve as a source of potable water for the City of Bloomington and several nearby communities. The lake has a forty horsepower limit on the lake. Some good places to go are on the north side of the lake near the bubbler, around the docks, around brush piles on south side of lake, and during the summer fish the drop offs in the main part of the lake. During the spawn in the spring the fish will be shallow near the spawning beds and in and around brush. Look for good brush piles in about five to six foot of water near the spawning beds and you will find the fish. Most of the spawning beds will be back in the coves. In the summer the fish will move deeper to about ten to twenty feet of water. They will be around submerged timber, on humps on the bottom, and off of points. During fall the fish will be where the bait fish are. They can range anywhere from right up on the bank to twenty feet of water so you will need to find the food. During fall the fishing is spotty because the fish are moving a lot with the changes in weather and the movements of the bait fish. For more information you can go to Lake Bloomington or go to http://www.cityblm.org/department.asp?dep_id=8908&menuid=8909

Lake Evergreen

Location: 13001 Recreation Area Drive, Hudson, Illinois 61748 Lake Evergreen is a 900 acre lake, with 22.5 miles of shoreline. Of the local central Illinois lakes it is the number one lake for bank fishing. There are very good brush piles near the bank allowing for ease of bank fishing. The lake has a ten horsepower limit on the lake. Some of the best places to fish are around five fingers bay, campground cove, around the pump house, off of the main boat docks, and osprey cove. These places have good brush that holds the fish almost all year long assuming that the water level does not drop too far. During the spawn in the spring the fish will be shallow near the spawning beds and in and around brush. Look for good brush piles in about five to six foot of water near the spawning beds and you will find the fish. Most of the spawning beds will be back in the coves. In the summer the fish will move deeper to about ten to twenty feet of water. They will be around submerged timber, on humps on the bottom, and off of points. During fall the fish will be where the bait fish are. They can range anywhere from right up on the bank to twenty feet of water so you will need to find the food. During fall the fishing is spotty because the fish are moving a lot with the changes in weather and the movements of the bait fish. For more information you can go to Lake Evergreen or for more information http://www.co.mclean.il.us/parks/fishing.htm

Private Ponds

With private ponds the fishing can be hit or miss. Either the fishing will be great because it was managed very well or it was just not fished. Or it could have been overfished. First you have to find a lake or pond and get permission from the owner and after that just have fun. Some of the biggest fish in Illinois can be caught out of private ponds and lakes.

Places To Get Fishing Reports

There are several places to get fishing reports for the state of Illinois, but from past experience Larry’s Fishing Hole has some of the most accurate fishing reports. The website for them is http://larrysfishinghole.com/