Editor’s Note: Tony Adams (Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tony.adams.5477; Email: [email protected], Phone: 334-695-3003) is a top-notch crappie guide on Alabama’s Lake Eufaula. Lake Eufaula forms the boundary line between the states of Georgia and Alabama, with Lake Eufaula known as Walter F. George Reservoir in Georgia. The springtime tactics for crappie at Lake Eufaula will work at other places in the U.S.

“I have many-different types of structure that I fish each day,” Tony Adams explains. “I’ll sink some 5-gallon buckets with crepe myrtle branches in them that I’ve filled-up the buckets with concrete. Then those crepe myrtle branches stick out 5-12 feet above the bucket. I’ll also sink Christmas trees after Christmas. I sink cedar trees, river cane bamboo and a little structure I make made from PVC pipe. I’ll ride the lake with my Humminbird HELIX 12 depth finder (https://www.humminbird.com/learn/fish-finder-series/helix) on, looking for natural structure and turn on my side imaging to search for man-made structure on points, flats and creek channels. Then I’ll turn the boat around and go over the structure with my down imaging to see what the structure looks like before marking it as a waypoint and searching for crappie that will be holding on the structure.

“Usually on the days that I’m scouting for fish, I don’t fish. But when I return later, I’ll fish the structure to learn what types of fish it has on it. If I find what I think is good structure, but it has no fish on it, I realize crappie may be concentrating on that structure at a different time of the year.”

Generally Adams restricts his scouting trips to 4 hours. During that time, he’ll often pinpoints 20-25 new structures that he’s never found before. His favorite structures to fish for crappie include underwater trees that have broken off the bank and brush piles that contain structure that doesn’t all lay on the bottom.

What’s the Symbiotic Relationship Between Bass and Crappie

“Unless you sink an underwater structure with a sign on it that says, ‘Crappie Only,’ you’ll often find several species of fish holding on the same structure,” Tony Adams says. “Bass fishermen put-out structures to catch bass on, especially tournament bass fishermen. I’ve got a friend who fishes tournaments and guides bass fishermen. He has a pontoon boat. He’s taken off the boat’s railings to have a flat deck like a barge has. He and I have teamed-up and started putting out structure together. Some of the same spots that bass fishermen fish, crappie fishermen fish too. The structure that he and I put out together, I don’t bass fish on any of it, and he doesn’t crappie fish there. If my client or I accidentally catch a bass when we’re crappie fishing, we’ll release the bass to the same structure from where he came. If my friend accidentally catches crappie on one of those spots, he releases the crappie back to the same structure.”

Another advantage that Adams’ bass-fishing angling friend provides for him is that if he sees numbers of crappie holding on one of the structures they’ve sunk, he’ll call Tony and say, “Look at #138 waypoint next time you’re crappie fishing. I saw a whole bunch of crappie holding there when I was bass fishing today.” If Adams spots bass holding on one of those sites, where they’ve sunk brush together, Adams will call him and tell him the location of where he’s seen the bass. On the structure that Adams has found, built and sunk, he’ll often catch bass, saltwater stripers, catfish, bluegills, shellcrackers, white bass and even gar that move into the structure to feed on the other fish already holding there.

Adam’s friend is a scout who’s looking for crappie each time he goes bass fishing. This bass-fishing guide friend has Tony scouting for bass, holding on structure, when he’s taking his clients out fishing. According to Adams, “Most crappie fishermen don’t work with bass anglers like my friend and I do. But we know that we both can find and catch more fish by working together and building underwater structure together than we do when we only work for ourselves.”

A lovely and convenient place to stay at Lake Eufaula right on the water is (https://www.alapark.com/parks/lakepoint-state-park – Office: 334-687-8011)

To learn more about crappie fishing in the fall and winter, check out John E. Phillips’ book, “Crappie: How to Catch Them Fall & Winter,” available in Kindle, print and Audible at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GDP0W2C/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i3.
You may have to copy and paste this link into your browser. (When you click on the book, notice on the left where Amazon says you can read and hear 10% of the book for free). On the right side of the page and below the offer for a free Audible trial, you can click on Buy the Audible book.