"It's not the jigging motion that people normally think of," he said. "I let the fish decide how they want the presentation, but I usually don't move the bait very fast. Often, we just hold the rod as still as possible. It's almost impossible to hold it completely still with the boat movement, but the wind and the waves can add just enough action to get the fish excited."

What works at Lake D'Arbonne could work in many other lakes and rivers across Louisiana. Anywhere that cypress trees grow in water 2 to 5 feet deep could produce good spring crappie action. Dead logs, brushpiles, stumps, dock pilings and other objects can also produce results. Anglers can also use this technique in places like Caney Lake, where the state has created artificial reefs made of plastic pallets to attract crappie.

SPRING HOTSPOTS
Northern Louisiana
Near Shreveport, anglers might visit Caddo Lake or Lake Bistineau, both of which resemble flooded swamps. Straddling the Louisiana-Texas state line, Caddo Lake stretches over 26,810 acres. It averages about 6 feet deep, but some holes in the lake drop to about 20 feet deep and main channels can run 8 to 12 feet deep. Covering 17,200 acres, Lake Bistineau averages 8 feet deep, but holes in the old Bayou Dorcheat channel drop to more than 18 feet deep.

"Lake Bistineau is a good lake for spring crappie," said James Seales, an LDWF district fisheries biologist in Minden. "Crappie move into the shallow areas as the water starts to warm. The best months are March and April. In the spring, a good crappie fisherman can catch a limit on Lake Bistineau with some fish going up to 2 pounds."

Also in the northwest corner of Louisiana, Cross Lake and Grand Bayou Reservoir offer crappie opportunities. In these waters, anglers stand a decent chance at catching both black and white crappie weighing nearly 2 pounds. Grand Bayou produced the state record white crappie, a 3.38-pound fish caught by B.R. Shepherd in April 2002.

Central Louisiana
One of the best places in Louisiana for landing slab crappie remains the 8,000-acre Saline-Larto complex, near Pineville. About 2,492 acres in area, Lake Larto averages 12 to 16 feet deep, but a few holes drop to nearly 30 feet deep; Saline Lake covers about 1,971 surface-acres. Saline Bayou connects the two lakes. Anglers find many acres of cypress-lined channels and flooded timber between the two main lakes.

"The Saline-Larto area is a good area for crappie," said David Hickman, an LDWF fisheries biologist in Ferriday. "It's probably one of the best areas in the state for big crappie. It regularly produces many 2.5-pound fish with some well over 3 pounds. Fish have a tremendous amount of food (here) and are not overpopulated."

Weirs hold water at managed levels, but floods from the nearby Red or Black rivers or the Catahoula Lake Diversion Canal can cause water to back up in low areas of the Saline-Larto complex. High water can restock the lake with fish from the rivers, but the best fishing generally occurs during times of falling water.