The crappie appear to be back on the scene at Lake Elsinore. After being reduced to a Pauper last year! William Johnson (A.K.A." The Crappie King") of William's Bait, Tackle, and Boat Rental starts the season off to regain his king status. Johnson and fishing buddy Mike O'Leary pulled in over 80 crappie (releasing all but 22, and all females) as you can see the stringer of slabs in the photo above.

The evening bite has been best, but fish have been showing up at all times of the day. The large mouth bass bite has been picking up as well. Most bass have been caught by crappie fisherman using crappie jigs. Where are all of the Bassin Guys? They are out there and hungry!

Helpful Tips:
Try fishing in the stick-ups around the lake using 4 to 6lb. test line; as the wipers will often hit the crappie jigs. Try using a bobber at 12 to 14" leader near the trees, sticks, and brush piles close to the shore line. The fish are starting to hold back out into 18 to 20ft of water and suspended at 6 to 8 ft. It might not hurt guys to start trolling or slow drifting for the crappie. This pattern is an indication that they are not feeding and thus makes them even more challenging to catch.