Flatland Reservoirs Winter to Spring

How deep crappies suspend depends primarily on water clarity and available light. In low light, on cloudy days, or in cloudy water, crappies tend to hover within 6 feet of the surface over depths of 15 to 25 feet. On bright days in clear water, they can hold 10 to 15 feet down over depths of 25 to 35 feet. Crappies have sensitive eyes, and they seek comfort levels with respect to light penetration. Suspended crappies at this time of year can be highly active, easily caught by trolling crankbaits or spider rigging most of the time. The most active fish suspend at the same level throughout the Suspension Zone.

Brushpile, crib, stake bed, old discarded Christmas trees with cement galoshes—whatever form it takes, a manmade fish attractor provides crucial habitat in these often barren zones of spring activity. “A brushpile is like a McDonald’s,” Fletcher says. “Put it in the right spot and crappies show up in numbers to eat there.” Since the subject here has been open-water suspended crappies, you may reasonably wonder how brushpiles factor in. Well, if crappies hold 5 feet down over 35 feet of water 100 yards from shore, chances are good that a tree or brushpile is somewhere nearby. Knowing where key brushpiles are and marking them on GPS can be crucial, even when crappies are suspending.

“Crappies follow river and creek channels like highways,” Fletcher said. “Brushpiles placed in strategic spots along those highways hold fish. Crappies may not be on or in the brushpile itself, but it’s a baitfish magnet. If they can’t find forage in the open water, crappies crash the brushpiles this time of year and chase baitfish out. When you see crappies suspended anywhere near a brushpile, they’re actively feeding.”

During the Prespawn Period at Lake Norfork, a classic highland impoundment in Arkansas, the Suspension Zone in one of the major creek arms will be several miles long. With so much territory to search, it pays to have a good starting point. One of the best is a “channel crossing,” where the creek channel bends close to one shoreline, then bends again and runs over to the other. “It’s an absolute,” Fletcher said. “Put a brushpile anywhere on a channel crossing and prespawn crappies will hold there. Absolutely always.”

Crappies at this time of year often turn on during the afternoon. Look for a creek arm, cove, or finger that lies north-south. The fish tend to use the east side in the morning and the west side in the afternoon.

In addition to large expanses of excessively deep water, hill-land and highland reservoir banks can be markedly devoid of cover. Shallow bays, backwaters, coves, and inlets are scarce and often limited to the upper reaches of impoundments. These limited shallow areas that provide spawning grounds for crappies often must be shared with bass, bluegills, catfish, and sunfish. Highland reservoirs, in particular, warm late, simultaneously sending several species of fish to compete for limited spawning habitat at the same time.

During winter, crappies use deep cover on main-lake points. Brushpiles, fallen trees, and standing timber become magnets, holding crappies most of the year in some cases. Rocky points tend not to attract many of them unless timber and brush are present. Shorelines are generally steep, and points may not extend far from shore. Crappies winter among the branches of fallen trees or the limbs of brushpiles in depths of 30 to 60 feet, or around rockpiles at the base of these quick-dropping points. The best points for locating wintering crappies are usually near intersections, where creek arms join the main lake. As spring approaches, crappies that will spawn there slowly ascend the slope, using increasingly shallower cover as the water warms.