Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

Crappie cycle: Their populations go up and down like a yo-yo. There are periods when their numbers and sizes run high and times when they just don't get us excited. Not only in Tennessee, but all of the Southeastern crappie have their good years and bad years.

Bobby Wilson, Assistant Chief of Fisheries with TWRA explains.

"It all depends on the amount of rain in the watershed," he said. "If we have high flow during the spring, we will have good reproduction. If we have low flow or if the water level falls, comes up, and falls again -- when water levels are erratic -- that's not good at all."

To get an idea of what the future populations of fish are going to be in our lakes, TWRA biologists tow a net to collect fish larvae (about the size of an eyelash) in the spring and use trap-nets in the fall to get an example of reproduction and recruitment. With these data they can predict with some certainty what fish populations should be like for the next year or three.

One caveat: This article's data is based on projections from early 2006 before the autumn trap-netting studies have been tallied. The following predictions are, well, predictions.

Now that we know why crappie populations cycle and how predictions are made, let's look at some of the best guesses for good crappie holes in Tennessee for 2007 by region.

WEST TENNESSEE: REGION I
Bobby Wilson said that Reelfoot, Kentucky and Barkley lakes are perennially good lakes for crappie. Especially Reelfoot, because it has plenty of nutrients and the water quality is good. All three lakes rarely get below a good rating -- they're usually either good or excellent. Rarely are they ever rated as average.

The best month to catch crappie on Reelfoot is during the spawn in April, but February and March are good months, too. April has more stable weather conditions. October and November make up the second crappie season.

Crappie have a great habitat of wood and aquatic plants in the "earthquake lake." The plants and cypress trees provide more habitats for the food chain than most lakes. Upper Blue, Lower Blue and Swan basins are probably the best areas in the spring. The deepest hole in this lake is only 18 feet deep.

"Reelfoot is totally different fishing than it is on Kentucky Lake," said West Tennessee biologist Tim Broadbent. "Anglers just float on Reelfoot, they drift with minnows and jigs at different depths until they find fish. They fish there for a while then start drifting again. The place is full of stumps and cover everywhere."

A commercially prepared double-hook rig with a 3/8-ounce lead weight on the bottom, a couple of spinners for flash and little red beads is popular on Reelfoot. One hook is tied above the other about 18 to 20 inches. Minnows are the top bait choice, but some anglers are strictly jig-fishermen. It only matters to the angler, not the crappie.

Because of the great many stumps, knowledgeable anglers recommended that you use 14- to 30-pound-test line on your cane or graphite pole. Reshaping your hook after you pull it free is faster, easier and less expensive than tying on another rig. Reelfoot's water is almost always stained, so the heavy line is not a deterrent to the fish biting.

Kentucky and Barkley lakes are connected by a 1.75 mile-long canal constructed when Barkley Dam was built in the mid-1960s. This connection lets these lakes mirror each other. When recruitment is up in one, it is up in the other.

Broadbent said, "Lake Barkley is the hidden gem of West Tennessee. It's 20 years younger than Kentucky Lake; it has a lot more cover, but I'm not sure it can stand the fishing pressure that Kentucky Lake gets because it is so much smaller."