The seasoned angler said a water temperature of 62 to 63 degrees will get things going and crappie moving into shallow areas. If that gets them going, a water temperature in the low 70s is April prime time. Once the surface temperature rises, Mason said the baitfish move shallow and the crappie follow them, and there are plenty of baitfish to feed the fertile crappie population.

A pretty day can be just as good for crappie success, but Mason said the key is to fish before a front. He really likes high-pressure days just before an incoming front with little wind.

Like the crappie, structure is not limited at Kentucky Lake either. The lake is full of stakebeds and crappie find them and relate to them. Mason has also placed several of the Porcupine Fish Attractors in key areas as well. The waters around Paris Landing State Park and Buchanan Resort are some of the best. There are good ramps at both locations.

You can fish crappie holding in brushpiles at times, but he said stakebeds are key for catching the big ones. His biggest reason for liking stakebeds is because he does a lot of casting for crappie, and jigs work their way right through a stakebed.

In April, 2-pound crappie are common, and the occasional 3-pounders show up as well. The average crappie at Kentucky Lake in April will weigh from 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 pounds. He noted that one 3-pound, 14-ounce papermouth was boated last spring.

Mason’s top lure for plying his way around and through stakebeds is a 1/16-ounce Charlie Brewer Slider Grub. Top colors are white with a chartreuse tail, June bug with a chartreuse tail, Tennessee Shad, and chartreuse multi-sparkle.

In the first part of April, Mason said you can find crappie holding in stakebeds in 8- to 12-foot depths. About midmonth, they’ll move as shallow as 4 feet. Mason has been guiding on Kentucky Lake for 35 years and has fished the lake all of his life. You can fish with him by calling (731) 593-5429 or (731) 693-7770.

DALE HOLLOW LAKE
Dale Hollow is one of the lakes across the state that has been stocked successfully with crappie. Scholten said the lake has been stocked annually since 1995, with an average of 285,000 blacknose crappie each year. The agency plans to continue stocking blacknose crappie in Dale Hollow because these fish account for approximately half of the crappie harvested from this reservoir in recent years.

Scholten said Dale Hollow ranks in the middle as far as angler harvest rates, but these fish are by no means lacking in quality. For example, last year, the average size of the crappie harvested from Dale Hollow was larger than crappie harvested from any of the other reservoirs mentioned here, including Kentucky Lake, Barkley, Reelfoot and Douglas lakes.

About five years ago while fishing a smallmouth tournament with the Float-N-Fly on Dale Hollow Lake, my bobber was buried off a hump just like a big smallie would do. What my partner netted was a 3-pound crappie that would have excited any angler. It wasn’t the fish I was looking for, but I took notice. Since that time, we’ve boated several big crappie with the same technique. We weren’t even targeting them -- they just live here.