"If you sink 20 to 30 trees a year," he offered, "they will provide a good harvest over the next two to three years. The second and third years produce best. Manmade cover is very important to catch crappie consistently."

One of the best places to sink cover is where you are already catching fish, especially if it's where pre- and post-spawn crappie stage in front of bedding areas.

When April arrives on the lower Coosa, crappie are midway through the spawn, so Ingram targets pos-spawn fish that are moving back into deeper water.

"Look for fish in water 8 to 10 feet deep about 15 feet from the bank," Ingram instructed. "Creek mouths and edges of creek channels are best, because they are coming out of the sloughs."

In April, this crappie master finds fish around the School Park area near Blackwell Bridge, around the old U.S. Highway 231 bridge on the east bank and near Joe's Fish Camp, which is off Titus Road. Surprisingly, he said, both the Bolden Canal and the upper riverine section of the lake provide great fishing, too.

To catch fish, Ingram long-line trolls tandem jigs on 6-pound-test monofilament. His top jig weighs 1/16 ounce; the bottom jig weighs 1/24 or 1/32 ounce. This difference in size allows the lighter jig to follow the top one.

Lure depth is dictated by the length and diameter of his line, the weight of his jigs and the speed of his boat. Since line size and length are constant, Ingram's only decisions are jig weight and speed. He uses the lightest jigs possible to reach the depth he wants to fish, and then he maintains the correct speed, which is learned through trial and error.

"My trolling motor never stops," Ingram emphasized. "As long as it's running, my lines stay off the bottom. If the jigs need to move over cover, I speed up. I also increase my speed if I need to make a turn."

For current fishing conditions on Jordan Lake, visit Big Fish Bait & Tackle at 314 Company Street in Wetumpka, or call (334) 567-7509.

MILLERS FERRY LAKE
Known for big crappie, Millers Ferry offers the best papermouth fishing in southwest Alabama. And it looks as if this great crappie factory will keep its reputation for 2009.

Biologists predict, based on data projections from their last sample, anglers may encounter a strong 5-year-old age-class that measure 14 to 15 inches, which is a slab fit for any tournament scale or frying pan.

James "Big Daddy" Lawler, a well-known radio personality who lives on Millers Ferry and fishes for crappie year 'round confirms the state of the crappie fishery.

"Unless it floods," Lawler forecasted, "April is going to be a banner month for crappie on Millers Ferry. The fish we are catching have shoulders on them and are real healthy."

Last April at the first annual Wilcox Area Chamber Big Fish Crappie Tournament, Tracy Jackson of Thomasville won $1,000 by weighing in the big fish. Her slab tipped the scales at 2.30 pounds.