Page 23 - 2021 Wolf Lake Tournament Issue

Magnolia Crappie Club Adventures Magazine
Grenada Lake Fishing - Know Where to Look!!!

By Bernard Williams - Outdoor Writer

Magnolia Crappie Club fishes Grenada Lake at least twice a year; sometimes more. A year or so ago,
we fished it for three different tournaments. We had our fall opening tournament, our spring tour-
nament, our early summer championship. The lake is mystical when it comes to crappie fishing. It’s
famous for its super large, huge, gigantic crappie. I’ve never seen crappie with mouths as big as the
ones at Grenada.
MCC holds the Spring Big Mama Open tournament in March each year. This tournament is known to
nearly all the professional tournament anglers around the country; it draws teams from lots of states,
we’ve had anglers from 9 to 10 states. They come to Grenada to experience the spring spawn. No
lake on earth can boast of the size that Grenada is known for. The anglers keep coming back.
When fishing Grenada in the spring there only one thing you can count on; a cold front is either ap-
proaching or just passing; both situations can wreak havoc on a fishing trip. I like the fall because the
weather is more consistent. Cold fronts have different effects on crappie at various lakes. At Grenada,
a cold front will them sluggish and lethargic. During the post-spawn which is early March, the fish will
be out on the flats, in 3 to 7 feet of water, near the bottom if a cold front is passing. The bait of choice
is a big minnow or a minnow attached to a jig. Our method of choice is slow trolling; you can do some
single pole wade fishing or pitch a bobber and a jig. After a front has passed, you almost have to put
the bait in their face for them to bite. You have to be patient and accept the bites any way they come.
Early morning is generally the best time to fish.
I’ve been trolling along, not had a bite in hours then all of a sudden you have two poles buried un-
derneath the boat with big fish. What you have to figure out on Grenada is, “What the fish are relating
to?” It could be a stump, underwater log, a single piece of wood sticking up or it could be a ditch or
small indentation in the lake bottom (4-wheeler tracks). To pattern the fish on Grenada, you must no-
tice the details. These fish are seeking cover, an ambush point. Big crappie, (16” or better) only need
8” to a 1’ to hide. The critical component is to find something dissimilar about the bottom of the lake.
During the spring on Grenada, the crappie gets spooky, and they’re tough to pin down. It takes pa-
tience and persistence to endure. Not only is catching a big fish difficult but landing a 2.5-pound fish
on a 16-foot pole with 3 or 4 foot of line out can be tricky. My solution is to strip out some line and
raise the pole vertically while pulling the fish towards the landing net solves this issue. It takes team-
work to make this scenario work, but it works flawlessly when both partners know what to do.
Here are a few tips for catching big crappie on Grenada:
1. A Garmin Livescope – Humminbird with a lake map chip
2. Follow the migration highways from deep to shallow: creeks, ditches, tree lines, or stump rows.
3. Eliminate as much noise as possible – Stealthily as possible
4. Turn off all electronics and Livewell pumps
5. Fish with the wind to decrease noise and vibration
6. Use the trolling motor sparingly
7. Aluminium Boats – Place your minnows with an aerator on a padded surface
8. Use an anchoring system – Power Poles – Boat Control is the key.
9. Add a Minn Kota Trolling Motor to the rear of your boat for silent stalking.
10. Oxygenated minnows – Lively minnows can trigger a strike when soft plastics may not.
11. If a front has passed through fish near or on the bottom – otherwise fish shallow
12. 12’ Landing Net or longer
Know where to start your search is a crucial ingredient in the search for Grenada slabs. Here a few
areas to try based on my years of Grenada fishing experience.
13. Fish the upper end of both arms (Yalobusha & Skuna) – They warm much quicker
14. Carver Point, Choctaw Landing, North & South Greysport Road (both sides), Butputters Creek
15. Piney Woods, Red Grass, Gums Crossing, Cowpen Creek, Youngs Landing
16. Turkey Skuna Landing, Turkey Creek, John Henry Slough, Torrance / Bryant Landing
Finally, if that 3# crappie keeps eluding you on Grenada, don’t fret. There’s still plenty in the 2.5 or
better to be content with. Just remember you’ve got to sneaky and outsmart that ole sow. I tell all my
friends a 3# Grenada slab didn’t get that size being stupid or eating soft plastics. Be Blessed. Bernard

23 - Adventures Magazine - Wolf Lake 2021 Issue