Managed to catch a limit on KY Lake today (if I counted everything I caught.) Actually caught 23, but 11 of them barely measured ten inches or were shorter. Put back all the short fish, released the three biggest and kept 9 good ones for supper
tomorrow night. Most of the fish came from 17-18 ft of water, 16ft deep....but I caught the two biggest (both white crappie females) in about 8 ft of water fishing 6 ft deep first thing this morning. There is a little bit of misconception on this board that ONLY the black crappie will go shallow this early. Some white crappie will, too.... especially big ones, and especially if the water is stained or muddy. White crappie, like most fish, will follow the bait fish and there were a lot of shad in the skinny water early this morning. All the fish I caught today were taken on a very bright chartreuse jig fished with an orange 1/8 oz head. Back in the days before Black crappie became so prominent on KY Lake, we used to always count on finding a few sunny days, late Feb or early Mar, when some white crappie could be found feeding around banks. With the water rising as quickly as it is, the shallow fish are pretty scattered and haven't had a chance to bunch up very well, but they can...and sometimes do...especially in muddy water which warms quicker than clear water.