Friday, April 26, 2024
Crappie anglers from all over Texas look forward to this time of the year to catch some of the best tasting fish around. Granbury anglers are no different.
EXCELLENT FISHING EXPECTED
The cold weather lasted a little longer this year, but the water temperatures are warming, and the crappies are starting to move into the shallows. Last year, the crappie fishing on Granbury was excellent, and this year will surely prove to be even better.
Crappies typically make their trek from the deeper water to the backs of creeks and sloughs for their annual spawn. Numerous fish will congregate in these shallow areas, but many may still be staged near the creek entrances.
Structure is still key to locating these fish. Boat docks, stick-ups, rip-rap, reed beds and anything in the water that they can relate to is a good choice. Crappies can and will at times move back and forth to the shallows until they actually spawn. Catching these fish as they move in and out of a creek is a strategy used by many anglers.
Some of the crappies are in the slough behind my house. I believe they are just starting to arrive. Those warmer days will have more and more of these fish moving into the shallows.
BAIT AND TACKLE
Probably the best-known method for catching crappie is a long pole with a bobber and a small minnow worked in the shallows or worked through stickups down the bank. This is extremely effective for catching these fish when they are shallow.
Artificial baits are common and are typically small jigs or small roadrunners worked slow through these areas. A favorite of many is a small tube jig under a bobber worked between stickups. Not much action is required to draw a strike but moving and placing the jig up and down in small openings in the shallows where fish may be holding is the normal procedure.
WHERE TO FISH
So where do you catch crappie on Granbury? There are places all over the lake, but some of the places I have caught them include the docks by the DeCordova subdivision, Lambert Branch Creek, Indian Harbor, The Shores, Rough Creek Park and in the river by Tin Top. The TPWD has placed structure in several areas of the lake. GPS coordinates for these crappie holes can be found on their website. Any other locations where you have some shallow and standing reeds or stick-ups will likely be a good choice for catching this tasty species.
Fishing equipment needed to catch crappie is fairly simple. Most folks that fish use long limber poles with a small crappie reel. A 10-foot bamboo pole with a small piece of line, a bobber and a small minnow hook is all that is required. You really don’t need anything special, though I recommend using light line (4- to 8-pound test) which will ensure you get more bites. Another option is to just tie on some light line leader material to any outfit you currently have, and you can catch fish.
When crappies bite, it may be really subtle. I know sometimes a drifting bobber just pausing will indicate a fish is on. The point here is to pay close attention to your float or rod tip. Small sensitive floats can be an advantage to detect those “soft” bites.
When you do locate them, there will usually be many. The daily limit per person is 25 crappies with a 10-inch minimum length. This is a liberal limit for these tasty critters. Granbury crappie fishing has been good. Get out and give it a try.
FISHING REPORT
On other reservoirs, Whitney is boasting limits of striped bass on live bait near the island and near Cedar Creek. Possum Kingdom striped bass and blue catfish are good on the upper ends. Possum Kingdom large-mouthed bass continue to be good near Broadway and the state park.
