"Crappie will rarely go down to get a bait," Houston said. "But crappie will go up for a bait. If you're fishing below them, you can be over huge schools of fish and never get a bite."

While many anglers successfully catch crappie using small jigs and live minnows, Houston relies on his old favorite, the Roadrunner, in fluorescent red, black and Christmas tree (fluorescent red, green, and yellow) color patterns.

"I use them year 'round for crappie," Houston said. "Early in the year, when the water is cold, I like to use marabou as opposed to plastic."

How big of a lure should you use? That depends, according to Houston.

"I have a tendency to use a lot more 1/16-ounce or even 1/32-ounce Roadrunners when it is cold," Houston said. "One good rule of thumb is that the more difficult the fishing is, the smaller the Roadrunner you'll need to use. I don't really like to fish the 1/32-ounce, but when the water is really cold, it really works. As the water warms up though, I'll move to a bigger size."

Once the transition time from winter to spring is over and crappie move shallow for their annual spawning rituals, how does a Cajun Country angler go about catching a mess of sac-à-laits for the table?

My fisheries biologist friend Bruce Hysmith indicates that finding a springtime crappie hole is relatively similar wherever it is that a sac-à-lait angler is targeting slabs.

"Crappie fishermen should be keying on shallow shorelines, especially with brush and grass," Hysmith said. "They are nest builders and will move in, fan out a nest, and then the male and female will move in. A lay-down log around a location like that is usually a good spot."

Potential springtime crappie magnets on lakes, reservoirs and backwater sloughs typically center around three things according to Hysmith: shallow water, moving water and some sort of cover like standing timber, brushpiles or rocky riprap.

While many fishermen have had success angling for crappie in still water, how does one go about fishing for slabs when there is a current flowing?

"If the creek has running water and it's known to have crappie hanging around, the tendency is for the crappie to stay near the bank," Hysmith said.

In other words, during the spring, whether a crappie angler is fishing still water or flowing water, look for waters crowded with plenty of natural attractions.

"Actually, any kind of cover is good," Hysmith said. "In fact, you'd like to fish an area that has just a little bit of cover instead of a whole lot of cover. A little cover means that crappie will be concentrated in one area; a whole lot of cover means that you'll have to look everywhere."

As Houston alluded, one key in catching crappie -- once you've located a school of them -- is to carefully consider exactly where the slabs are looking.

"A crappie's eyes are more on top of their head, so that gives them a better view above than below," said the North American Fishing Club's Steve Pennaz. "When you catch a fish at, say, the 10-foot depth over 20 feet of water, you'll want to drop it right back down to that level."

With that in mind, what bait should you drop down to a school of sac-à-laits?