| Reelfoot Lake is a natural lake that is in northern | | | | or just at the mouth of the coves. On other lakes in |
| Tennessee and more specifically in Fulton county. It | | | | the late winter or early spring I have had great luck |
| was once the only commercially fished lake for | | | | fishing right were the plant life begins in the cove. Bait |
| crappie. With this said it would might be easy to find a | | | | fish will go where they can find food and plant life is |
| decent crappie in the lake's various coves and other | | | | often a good indicator of that food. |
| holes. This particular lake looks like a reservoir for good | | | | Once spring has set in, late April or early May, you |
| reason. It is suggested in the annals of history that the | | | | should start to move your crappie fishing to the shores |
| Mississippi river flowed backwards after an | | | | where the water temperatures are about 60 degrees. |
| earthquake to fill this shallow valley with water. | | | | Crappie will spawn between 60 and 65 degrees |
| Regardless of how the lake was formed we know | | | | depending on the weather and some other variables. |
| that it is a great source for crappie. | | | | No matter when they spawn it means good bites for |
| The best crappie fishing will be found in late April or | | | | you. Spawning requires lots of energy and there is also |
| early May. With that said let me focus on the other | | | | a self preservation aspect here. If your bait looks like it |
| times of the year first and save the best for last. | | | | might eat the young crappie it has a really good |
| Let us start with late winter and early spring on | | | | chance of being ate. |
| Reelfoot, this is a shallow lake, at most 18 foot deep, | | | | During spawning times use a small jig. There is no |
| and these deep areas are where the crappie are | | | | need to use live bait at this time of year as they will |
| going to spend the winter. To fish these waters during | | | | eat almost anything. I would avoid brightly colored jigs |
| this time of year it is important to know what the | | | | as they seem to be unnatural and I just have never |
| temperature of the water is. For crappie 50 degrees | | | | had good luck with them during spawning. Basic rule |
| seems to be a magic number, warmer temperatures | | | | for the spring crappie is just practice moderation and |
| and they are super active and colder they turn into a | | | | only take a few. |
| couch potatoes. Use large jigs or minnows during | | | | Spring is over and the spawning is done so the |
| these colder times. Most of this lake is a shallow lake | | | | Crappie are getting picky about what they eat. In these |
| so look for the ledges. I know that these really don't | | | | shallow waters what you present may not be as |
| exist on this lake but you can always hope. The whole | | | | important as where you present it. As summer sets in |
| trick is to follow the bait fish but knowing that some of | | | | and the waters begin to warm expect crappie to be |
| the edges or coves might have warmer waters during | | | | hanging out in the colder waters and this means |
| the day the bait fish are looking for a constant | | | | deeper waters. Lakes shaped like this seem to age |
| temperature. | | | | and fill in from the center so the mouths of the coves |
| Before the spring spawning try to catch the crappie in | | | | have slightly deeper areas. |
| the deeper waters so stick to the center of the lake | | | | |