The grass is not always greener on the other side, and the best fishing is not always found somewhere else. In fact, the finest opportunities often are close to home. With that thought in mind, for this article, we looked at the highest-population cities and towns in Tennessee and then we handpicked a close-to-home crappie fishing hotspot for each. So, unless you just like spending more time driving and less time fishing or spending extra money on gas, these are the waters you'll want to consider this month.

MEMPHIS
Mississippi River Backwaters
Dozens of oxbows and sloughs flank the Mighty Mississippi, which forms Tennessee's entire western border, and many of those backwaters offer very good crappie fishing. Unlike the big river, with its strong currents and a generally muddy flow, these waters tend to be tannin stained but fairly clear and sometimes devoid of current. They are almost invariably rich with cover, and during April, the crappie will be up among the willows and close to the shallowest laydowns, stumps and brushpiles.

Individual backwaters are somewhat difficult to define as they change continually and vary dramatically in character and accessibility according to the level of the river, which can fluctuate as much as 50 feet in a year. Oxbows that are easily accessible through a cut off the main channel at certain river levels are totally separated from the main river at lower water levels.

Closest to home and most easily accessible for Memphis anglers is McKellar Lake, which covers 3,000 acres just southwest of town within a big bend in the main river and has direct bank access to its fishing. The downside here is that crappie fishing is strictly for the fun of catching them. Consumption advisories warn against eating any fish from McKellar Lake. Three oxbows in Lauderdale County, Wardlow Pocket, Wardlow Pocket Chute and Crutcher Lake are also accessible from the banks on public lands.

Because the crappie will tend to be tight to dense cover this time of year, a good approach for fishing any of the Mississippi River backwaters is to fish a jig directly below the tip of a long pole, which can be put right against the cover. Bright colors, like chartreuse and pink and dark colors like blue and black work best because of the normally dark color of the water.

NASHVILLE-DAVIDSON
Old Hickory
Music City anglers need not stray far from home to find their share of slabs, because some of Tennessee's hottest crappie fishing is found right at the edge of town in Old Hickory Lake.

"Crappie populations tend to be cyclical, and Old Hickory is at a high point in the cycle right now," said Doug Markham, public information officer for the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency's Region II office. "The crappie fishing has been absolutely fabulous there for the past couple of years."