Summertime crappie fishing can be some of the best action of the season, however, most people chase crappies in the springtime. Al and Dan Lindner show you how to catch them in the heat of the summer.
Chasing Summertime Crappie: A Unique Approach to Crappie Fishing
The thrill of crappie fishing doesn’t have to be limited to spring or winter. While many anglers target these panfish during peak spawning seasons or when they school tightly in colder months, summer offers a largely untapped opportunity—if you know where and how to look. In this session, we explore a unique, highly effective approach to catching crappies mid-summer, deep within expansive weed beds.
Why Summertime Crappie Fishing Is Overlooked
It’s a picture-perfect July afternoon. The sun is high, only a few boats dot the lake, and surprisingly, none of them are targeting crappies. Most anglers miss out on this season, thinking the bite is tougher. But this is exactly when the crappies are actively using the weed beds—and they’re often left alone.
Crappies see intense fishing pressure during the spring when they move shallow to spawn and in winter when they congregate in deep basins. However, the mid-summer period remains relatively pressure-free, providing an ideal window for serious anglers.
Decoding the Weed Bed Maze: Where to Start
Fishing weed beds on large lakes can be intimidating. These areas are vast and dense, and knowing where to start is half the battle. Here’s a strategic breakdown to simplify the search:
1 Focus on Shallower Basins Target lake sections that max out between 20 to 30 feet deep. These shallower areas are more productive than deep basins during summer months.
2 Stick to Shoreline Breaks Over Offshore Structures Shoreline breaks often produce more consistent action, particularly when they’re associated with specific weed types.
3 Cabbage Is King Crappies show a clear preference for sparse cabbage patches over thicker, more tangled coontail or milfoil. Cabbage tends to grow in shallower water (8–12 feet), making these zones especially productive.
Five Golden Rules for Summer Weed Line Success
1 Time It Right Target prime feeding windows—typically the two hours before dark or overcast, breezy conditions. These increase the odds of encountering active schools.
2 Cover Water Quickly Start with faster-moving presentations like small spinners, swim baits, or crankbaits to locate aggressive fish. Once you get bites, slow down and dissect the area thoroughly.
3 Watch for Clues Stay alert for signs of life—flushing baitfish, diving loons, fish dimples. These are indicators of predator activity below.
4 Note Every Bite Pay attention to where and when you get hits. Often, mixed schools of rock bass, bluegill, and pike will share the area with crappies.
5 Find the Sweet Spots Certain weed bed stretches become reliable year after year. Doing a bit of homework and mapping out these high-percentage areas can yield consistent results.
Dialing in the Presentation: What They’re Feeding On
The feeding behavior of crappies in summer is closely tied to the presence of baitfish—especially young-of-the-year perch. These small fish move in pods over the weed beds, attracting large numbers of crappies. In some areas, it’s estimated that hundreds of fish might be holding in just a 50-yard stretch of weed line.
Tactics and Tackle Tips from the Boat
The anglers in this outing use a combination of methods and tools:
• Jigs and Plastics: A curly tail grub in orange and chartreuse or a fat tube on a flat-sided Muni jig can be highly effective.
• Spot Lock and Fan Casting: Once a fish is caught, they drop anchor using spot lock, fan cast with a slow approach, and then make another pass using a faster bait.
• Mix and Match Gear: Having two rods rigged with different setups allows for immediate switching based on fish behavior.
Subtle Details That Make a Difference
• Line Sensitivity: Light line can be crucial. One angler uses a 10 lb Sufix Nano braid with a 4 lb fluorocarbon leader, while the other opts for 5 lb monofilament. Crappies are notoriously line-shy in clear water.
• Drop Speed and Jig Weight: Because crappies feed upward, the speed at which your bait falls through the water column can make or break your success. Too heavy, and you might miss them entirely.
A Crappie Worth Filleting: Cleaning and Preparation Tips
Crappies are popular not only because they’re fun to catch but also because they taste fantastic. For filleting panfish, many prefer a traditional thin-bladed knife over an electric one. The method involves careful cuts around the ribcage and epipleural bones to yield a clean, boneless fillet.
A well-prepared crappie fillet is the reward after a successful day on the water.
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Finessing the Presentation: The Key to Mid-Summer Success
In the depths of summer, when the bite gets tentative and finicky, precision becomes everything. Al and Dan adjusted their tactics to perfectly match the conditions—working jigs just over the tops of submerged cabbage beds in about 10 feet of water.
The drop speed was paramount; lighter jigs allowed the bait to almost float, barely ticking the tops of the weed clumps. In these conditions, subtlety is king. As Al emphasized, “Light is always better than heavy.”
The bite wasn’t aggressive—far from it. This wasn’t one of those crappie frenzies where you’re boating fish on every cast. Instead, it was all about reading the water, working through slow bites, and occasionally getting rewarded with a solid strike from a slab crappie buried in the greenery.
Gear for the Job
When casting to weed line crappies like this, having the right gear can make all the difference. Al’s setup? A 6’3” St. Croix medium-light rod, a 1,000-size Daiwa reel, and 5-pound Sufix fluorocarbon line. It’s a combo that provides the sensitivity needed for those light bites, yet has the backbone to lift a big crappie from the weeds when it counts.
A Day on the Water: Big Slabs and Humble Moments
Despite challenging weather—bluebird skies and gin-clear water—there were fish to be caught. Al connected with some solid crappies, including one that earned a call for the net: “This is almost a netter, Dan. This might be one of them really big ones.”
As the afternoon wore on, persistence paid off. Even under far-from-ideal conditions, they managed to piece together a solid pattern and put fish in the boat. As Al noted, “There’s no such thing as one crappie… there’s a school of fish there.” Picking apart those schools was the name of the game.
The Rocky Road: When You’re the Bone, Not the Dog
Not everyone can be on the hot hand. Dan, in contrast, found himself catching an endless supply of rock bass—earning him the honorary title of “Rock Bass Champion,” or “Rocky Balboa,” as Al joked. Despite trying to mirror Al’s approach—matching lures, cadence, even watching his every move—Dan just couldn’t get into the crappies that day.
But that’s fishing. “Some days you’re the dog, some days you’re the bone,” Dan quipped. Still, moments like snagging a big bass or simply laughing through the rocky encounters reminded them both why they love this sport.
From light tackle lessons to spiritual reflections, it was another memorable day on the water.
