Lawler reported anglers can expect to find crappie in all phases of reproduction this month. He prefers to target pre- and post-spawn crappie from staging areas. But Lawler does not troll; instead, he anchors and presents his baits vertically.

"My favorite spots to fish are the dropoffs into the main river channel," Lawler revealed. "The best dropoffs in spring are at the mouth of a creek or slough in depths of 12 to 20 feet. To consistently produce crappie, it must have cover near the drop."

Before setting up on a promising area, Lawler uses sonar to check for shad.

"Anytime you see big schools of shad near cover," he said, "it's going to hold crappie."

Depending on depth and current, Lawler works dropoffs with either a fixed sinker or a modified slip sinker rig. The former has a 1/4-ounce bell sinker at the end of the line with the hook tied a foot above the sinker. Lawler calls the slip-sinker setup the Wilcox County rig, which is a 1/2-ounce egg sinker above a swivel with small split-shot sinkers crimped at both ends to fix the heavier weight on the line. On the other end of the swivel, he ties a 10-inch leader of 6-pound-test and a No. 1 wire hook.

"The Wilcox County Rig," he explained, "helps when dropping a minnow through cover and aids in getting it loose when hung. The split-shot keeps the 1/2-ounce sinker from sliding so it's easier to jiggle the hook free."

Lawler determines where fish are holding by dropping his minnows to the bottom and then working them back to the surface.

To listen to "Big Daddy" Lawler, tune to WIN 98.5 FM on Saturdays from 7 to 8:30 a.m. or visit his Web site at www.mywin98.com and click on "Chattin' Outdoors."

For information on the Wilcox Area Chamber Big Fish Crappie Tournament scheduled for April 18, 2009, call the chamber at (334) 682-4929 or visit its Web site at www.wilcoxareachamber.org.