Artificial Black Christmas Tree

Granger Lake crappie fishing about knowing where to look

GRANGER — The sun was just beginning to start its daily ritual of baking the area around here, and the light breeze was already a pleasant respite — even at 8 a.m. when crappie guide Tommy Tidwell eased away from the ramp at Wilson Fox East Park.

Moments later, we pulled to what looked like nothing more than the middle of the lake. Tidwell dropped an orange buoy marker near one of the many artificial reefs below the water, and we began the process of lifting crappie into the boat.

Granger Lake is a Corps of Engineers flood-control and water conservation lake between the Central Texas towns of Granger and Taylor that opened in 1980.

The fishing here is about the same as most fresh-water impoundments in the area, with largemouth bass and catfish in healthy numbers. But the lake also sports a very large population of white bass and crappie — which was the target species for this trip.

For many years, anglers have been building fish attractors in the main body of the lake designed to hold crappie to specific areas. Initially, these were generally Christmas trees tied together and anchored with concrete blocks.

“Those Christmas trees seemed like a good idea at the time, but that’s some of the worst things people can put into the lake,” Tidwell said. “We lose more tackle by getting hung up on those and have trouble pulling the fish out, too.”

More recently, fishermen have taken to creating artificial tree habitat using plastic bottles, PVC pipe and even old garden hoses. Tidwell said some of the finest possible attractors are made of bamboo.

“One of the best things about bamboo is that it doesn’t deteriorate as fast, and your structure lasts a lot longer,” he said.

The trick, of course, is knowing where those structures have been placed.

When Tidwell heads out, he lines up his fishing holes by triangulating landmarks on the various shorelines, checking his depth finder along the way and driving right to a spot that is almost certain to hold fish.

For the uninitiated, crappie fishing can be frustrating. The “bite” is usually very subtle and not at all like the aggressive strike of a black bass or tug of a catfish.

It’s more like the feel of a wet dishrag at the end of the line or the light tap-tap-tap similar to a perch or sunfish.

The day we fished, the winds were beginning to pick up by 9 a.m., and staying on a particular hole was quite challenging. In spite of that, we still managed to pull in several fish from nearly every place we stopped, never staying in one location more than 20-30 minutes at a time.

what colour artificial Christmas tree do u like best? green,black ...

There are a number of places…try Walmart, Kmart, etc. discount department stores like that. But, you might just want to see if there is a Good Will in your area, or a St. Vincent DePaul Society store….you’d be amazed at what you can find for, quite literally, next to nothing. My best luck has been with Walmart. Happy Christmas!

Answer by Mountaingirl!