Fact is, there are many more white crappie caught by rod and reel than there are black crappie. Hammonds said this huge discrepancy can be attributed to differences in species’ behavior. The theory is black crappie move more, which makes them more susceptible to the stationary traps, while white crappie are more stationary and don’t get caught in the traps set about 100 feet from shore on the bottom with a lead extending nearly to the shore. He added the same thing might be true with fishing gear. The behavior of white crappie might make them more susceptible to being caught with rod and reel than black crappie.

Either way, Hammonds said he can tell you that black crappie prefer clearwater reservoirs and white crappie prefer “murky” reservoirs like Douglas. So, he feels very confident that there are more white crappie in Douglas than black, even though the trap net data does not reflect that.

Just how strong or stable is the crappie population at Douglas Lake? Hammonds said crappie are naturally known as a “boom-or-bust” species. In other words, by their own nature, some years they do really well and in some years very poorly. He said add to that the attribute of artificial water levels in a reservoir, and you now have a situation that does not always produce stable crappie populations.

However, some years, crappie do really, really well in Douglas and have a fantastic spawn, after which anglers see better fishing on the lake for years. On the other hand, the lake can also go through a period of two or three years without a strong spawn, after which the fishing is “down” until the cycle repeats itself. Hammonds added that, fortunately, with stocking and the great productivity of Douglas, the crappie population remains stable. He said they can measure that by the number of fish they see under the size limit of their trap nets and by angler catches. Over the last several years, the agency has managed to see enough 7-to 9-inch crappie each year to sustain the population. At this point, Hammonds said, there are no crappie regulation changes expected any time soon for Douglas and the other upper East Tennessee reservoirs.

Longtime Douglas Lake angler Timmy Mitchell said the springtime crappie fishing there is about as good as it gets. For him, the action starts up around the third week of March and his personal favorite time to be on the water is the last week of March, but it all depends on the weather and how fast spring weather arrives.

Mitchell said those anglers who wait on the dogwoods to bloom are getting a late start. He counts more on when the redbuds bloom because that often better signals the arrival of the first crappie moving to shallow water. Mitchell said the biggest crappie come in first. That first arrival during the third week of March will consist mostly of black crappie, followed by the bigger white crappie the last week of March. Mitchell said a few smaller black crappie come in late in April as well.

The veteran papermouth angler said it’s possible to catch as many as 60 to 70 crappie in the 12- to 13-inch class the last week of March — right up against the bank. Mitchell said years ago, you could pull 50 crappie off a single point. Those were the old days, but Douglas has made a drastic comeback over the last four or five years. Today, he said, if a single fisherman boats 50 to 60 crappie in a trip — that’s a good day.

When it comes to big Douglas crappie, Mitchell added you might boat 25 to 30 crappie of the 13-inch or better variety. However, odds are that you can boat a limit of 15 crappie in the 13-inch category and have what Mitchell calls a “real good day” of catching quality crappie. He said that by late April, you’ll see more of the 10- to 11-inch fish being caught.