Fish the tree you can’t see

February 28, 2020 Field Reporter Crappie/Bream, Field Notes, Newsletters
Darren Chambers with the 18-inch, 2.6-pound sac-a-lait he caught using live bait in the Lake Verret area.
Darren Chambers with the 18-inch, 2.6-pound sac-a-lait he caught using live bait in the Lake Verret area.

When fishermen approach a cypress tree, they see the trunk, limbs and maybe the top of the root system. When crappie swim up beside a cypress tree, they see it in a whole different light.

Good crappie fishermen see an entire cypress tree and where fish might hide — like the root ball — even if much of it is normally underwater.
Good crappie fishermen see an entire cypress tree and where fish might hide — like the root ball — even if much of it is normally underwater.

A normal cypress tree has a huge ball of roots under the water that stick out a foot to 18 inches from the trunk. Under that big ball is more tree trunk. When the water level is normal, this area below the roots is a prime spot for crappie to spawn.

To catch those crappie you’ve got to get your lure as close as you can to that area for them. If you just swim a lure past the root ball, you may not even have it where the fish are. That’s why “tree hugging” is an important technique to have for spring crappie.

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