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John N. Felsher's Crappie Fishing Adventures
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Slab crappie fill Lake Monroe, one
of the top lakes in central Florida
of the top lakes in central Florida
TOP: Steve Putnam, a professional angler from Shelby, N.C., shows
off a crappie he caught while fishing in Lake Monroe near Sanford,
Fla. BOTTOM: Phil and Eva Rambo, a husband and wife
professional crappie fishing team from Bloomington, Ind., fish a
spider rig for crappie on Lake Monroe
off a crappie he caught while fishing in Lake Monroe near Sanford,
Fla. BOTTOM: Phil and Eva Rambo, a husband and wife
professional crappie fishing team from Bloomington, Ind., fish a
spider rig for crappie on Lake Monroe
Covering about 9,406 acres, Lake Monroe in Seminole and Volusia
counties offers anglers plenty places to catch big crappies.
Fed by the St. Johns River, Lake Monroe averages about 6 to 8 feet
deep, but some holes in the river channel drop to more than 14 feet deep.
Although mostly known as a numbers lake, it can also produce slab crappie
as dark as the waters sloshing against the Sanford seawall. It already
produced some crappie exceeding 3 pounds. Some anglers think it could
harbor the next Florida state record.
“Lake Monroe is an extraordinary crappie lake,” said George Parker, a
professional crappie angler from West Palm Beach, Fla. “It has a lot of fish
and a ton of big fish in it. It has plenty fish in the 2- to 2.5-pound range.
My biggest ever on this lake was a 2.60-pounder, but I guarantee this lake
has some 3-pound fish.”
Many people fish the edge of the river channel and the drops or
ledges. Although much of the bottom remains flat and featureless, a few
humps and holes offer fish places where they can ambush prey, mostly
abundant shad coming from the St. Johns River. Several grass beds
create the dominant cover. As water warms in the spring, crappie head
shallow to spawn and often hide near grass patches.
If anglers can find grass near a hump or hole, they can usually catch
fish. Many anglers troll Roadrunners or minnow-tipped jigs along the
channel edges. Trolling allows people to cover considerable water in a
short time. Once anglers find fish or determine patterns, they can
frequently fill a livewell in a short time.
“Finding one fish is the tough part,” said Don Collins, a professional
crappie angler from Largo, Fla. “I look for rises or channels, anything
different on the lake bottom contour. A river channel coming into a lake is
just like a highway to fish. They follow it. Once we mark good fish, we go
over the same area several times. If there are two big fish in one area, that
means there could be more slabs in that same area. A person who knows
this lake can catch a lot of fish.”
Using rod holders spaced about two to three feet apart, Collins baits
eight poles with different lures. He puts four rods in the bow and four
hanging off the back, usually where his wife and tournament partner Toni
fishes. They set the longest rods out to the sides near the bow in the
reconfigured bass boat and put the shortest rods off the stern by Toni.
While pros specially rig their boats for tournament crappie fishing,
weekend anglers can also pull Roadrunners or other baits with good
success. After finding honey holes with electronics, anglers in jonboats can
simply hold their fishing rods in their hands as they troll along the river
channel. In a canoe or kayak, an angler can secure one or two rods and
paddle over a good spot. Several companies make rod holders that easily
clamp to the sides of boats.
Although anglers can use gasoline-powered or electric motors, the
Collins team prefers to use volts to push their boat at about .7 to 1.4 miles
per hour. The speed of the trolling motor determines the depth at which a
lure might run. In about 8 feet of water, a Roadrunner might track about
two to four feet deep. Often, the spinner flutters just over the tops of
submerged weed beds. Fish come out of the weeds to snatch the lure.
Sometimes, crappie pros troll tube or feather jigs. Sometimes, anglers
tip a jig with a live minnow hooked through the bottom lip or sweeten a hook
with a piece of “crappie candy,” a morsel of Berkley Power Bait. Often,
professionals try several color combinations until they figure out the pattern.
“We use a lot of different colors until we determine what the fish want,”
Collins said. “If we start catching more fish on one color, we change most
of the baits to that color. That allows us to continue to catch fish while still
looking for other colors that the fish might like better. Fish don’t necessarily
stop biting. When conditions change or the sun gets higher, crappie might
not be able to see some colors as well.”
Some better places to troll for crappie on Lake Monroe include the
river channel edges or where the river enters and leaves the lake and the
north and south end. Anglers can follow channel markers to find deeper
water. Crappie anglers might also fish near the seawall along the Sanford
riverfront or over holes near the power plants on the lake. A weedy hump
in the lake center also offers a good spot for tempting crappie. Try a few
places to see what happens.
counties offers anglers plenty places to catch big crappies.
Fed by the St. Johns River, Lake Monroe averages about 6 to 8 feet
deep, but some holes in the river channel drop to more than 14 feet deep.
Although mostly known as a numbers lake, it can also produce slab crappie
as dark as the waters sloshing against the Sanford seawall. It already
produced some crappie exceeding 3 pounds. Some anglers think it could
harbor the next Florida state record.
“Lake Monroe is an extraordinary crappie lake,” said George Parker, a
professional crappie angler from West Palm Beach, Fla. “It has a lot of fish
and a ton of big fish in it. It has plenty fish in the 2- to 2.5-pound range.
My biggest ever on this lake was a 2.60-pounder, but I guarantee this lake
has some 3-pound fish.”
Many people fish the edge of the river channel and the drops or
ledges. Although much of the bottom remains flat and featureless, a few
humps and holes offer fish places where they can ambush prey, mostly
abundant shad coming from the St. Johns River. Several grass beds
create the dominant cover. As water warms in the spring, crappie head
shallow to spawn and often hide near grass patches.
If anglers can find grass near a hump or hole, they can usually catch
fish. Many anglers troll Roadrunners or minnow-tipped jigs along the
channel edges. Trolling allows people to cover considerable water in a
short time. Once anglers find fish or determine patterns, they can
frequently fill a livewell in a short time.
“Finding one fish is the tough part,” said Don Collins, a professional
crappie angler from Largo, Fla. “I look for rises or channels, anything
different on the lake bottom contour. A river channel coming into a lake is
just like a highway to fish. They follow it. Once we mark good fish, we go
over the same area several times. If there are two big fish in one area, that
means there could be more slabs in that same area. A person who knows
this lake can catch a lot of fish.”
Using rod holders spaced about two to three feet apart, Collins baits
eight poles with different lures. He puts four rods in the bow and four
hanging off the back, usually where his wife and tournament partner Toni
fishes. They set the longest rods out to the sides near the bow in the
reconfigured bass boat and put the shortest rods off the stern by Toni.
While pros specially rig their boats for tournament crappie fishing,
weekend anglers can also pull Roadrunners or other baits with good
success. After finding honey holes with electronics, anglers in jonboats can
simply hold their fishing rods in their hands as they troll along the river
channel. In a canoe or kayak, an angler can secure one or two rods and
paddle over a good spot. Several companies make rod holders that easily
clamp to the sides of boats.
Although anglers can use gasoline-powered or electric motors, the
Collins team prefers to use volts to push their boat at about .7 to 1.4 miles
per hour. The speed of the trolling motor determines the depth at which a
lure might run. In about 8 feet of water, a Roadrunner might track about
two to four feet deep. Often, the spinner flutters just over the tops of
submerged weed beds. Fish come out of the weeds to snatch the lure.
Sometimes, crappie pros troll tube or feather jigs. Sometimes, anglers
tip a jig with a live minnow hooked through the bottom lip or sweeten a hook
with a piece of “crappie candy,” a morsel of Berkley Power Bait. Often,
professionals try several color combinations until they figure out the pattern.
“We use a lot of different colors until we determine what the fish want,”
Collins said. “If we start catching more fish on one color, we change most
of the baits to that color. That allows us to continue to catch fish while still
looking for other colors that the fish might like better. Fish don’t necessarily
stop biting. When conditions change or the sun gets higher, crappie might
not be able to see some colors as well.”
Some better places to troll for crappie on Lake Monroe include the
river channel edges or where the river enters and leaves the lake and the
north and south end. Anglers can follow channel markers to find deeper
water. Crappie anglers might also fish near the seawall along the Sanford
riverfront or over holes near the power plants on the lake. A weedy hump
in the lake center also offers a good spot for tempting crappie. Try a few
places to see what happens.
