Just like there's more than one way to skin a cat, there are plenty of ways to catch crappie and, if you fish in Tennessee, there are 365 days to take advantage. The spring and fall fishing are the high points in most crappie anglers' years, but summer and winter opportunities abound for those willing to adjust their fishing styles to seasonal conditions.

Crappie fishing in the Volunteer State has its seasonal highs and lows, but the good news is on any given day, you can catch them all year long here.

MANAGEMENT MEETS ANGLER SUCCESS
So, where are the top Tennessee crappie destinations in 2005?

Based on Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency creel studies and other parameters, Reservoir Coordinator Tim Churchill said that he ranks the fishing on Kentucky, Reelfoot, Douglas, Barkley and Priest lakes as among the best in the state in recent history.

There is also more than one way to rank a crappie lake. Numbers aside, top destinations can also be ranked according to popularity. Some waters have the kind of reputation that draws anglers each year and that's usually because the fishing is very good. Churchill said for popularity, Kentucky, Reelfoot, Priest and Douglas lakes consistently have the highest number of targeted fishing hours for crappie across the state.

Photo by Ron Sinfelt

In addition to places to go, when to go is important. Based on creel reports, the best times of year to chase crappie are April and May in the spring and October in the fall. But that doesn't mean anglers don't squeeze a little summer trolling in or some winter success as well.

One question that many anglers are also interested in is whether bigger fish are typically taken during one time of the year. Are there more numbers in the fall, more quality in the spring or a balance?

Churchill said it all depends on whether the lake has substantial fishing pressure. He explained lakes like Percy Priest have many angler hours per acre in very specific areas like the forks of the Stones River. Fishing begins in the winter months, and it's easy to see decreases in mean size of fish harvested as the fish above the 10-inch size limit are cropped off.

"When the anglers give the population a rest during the summer, more fish recruit to the 10-inch limit and are present in the creel during the fall months," Churchill said. "Overall, I would say that numbers and quality seem pretty good on most lakes year 'round, signifying a balance."

Reelfoot and Kentucky lakes are traditional crappie lakes in West Tennessee; along with Douglas in East Tennessee, they are well-known hotspots.

Honorable mention lakes include Chickamauga, Percy Priest and Watts Bar. Churchill said all of the lakes in the second group can be excellent for both numbers and size, but these waters are a bit more cyclical (less consistent) than the traditional lakes. He added Barkley was a great lake that is fairly consistent with low fishing pressure. Dale Hollow and Center Hill lakes are great black crappie fisheries, but can also be cyclic.

We've covered hotspots, but need to take a glimpse at some of the dark horses. As far as sleeper crappie lakes, Churchill points out the fishing at Barkley, Dale Hollow and Tims Ford lakes. He said he's heard good things recently about good years of crappie fishing at Tims Ford and Dale Hollow. Again, he feels Barkley tends to get overlooked, and said some of its bays have some fine slab specimens.