1. In winter crappie move deep.

2. They are the top bait for perch and crappie, and one of the best for bass .

3. A terrific deep-water crappie rod for big, brush-filled lakes where you might need slightly heavier tackle.

4. In summer crappie will suspend in deeper water chasing shad.

5. The best bait I have ever used for crappie is a 1.5 inch (pearl color) bass assassin with a 1/16 chartreuse head.

6. After he caught his breath, Zimmer weighed the crappie on a hand-held scale.

7. Crappie fisherman know just how big something like this is.

8. Zimmer was using a 12-foot crappie pole outfitted with 4-pound test and a slip cork.

9. Most crappie caught are in the half- to 1-pound range.

10. Knowing the crappie were preparing to spawn, he was fishing in shallow water (between 2 and 10 feet) around some downed trees.

11. It didn't take long for Zimmer to realize he had landed on a school of crappie.

12. When he hooked it, Zimmer didn't think it was a crappie.

12. Wish you will love and make progress everyday!

13. Either of two edible North American sunfishes, the black crappie ( Pomoxis nigromaculatus ) or the white crappie ( P. annularis ).

14. The 33-year-old angler from Waterloo was fishing a lake in Southern Illinois on March 15 when he hooked a 4 pound, 5 ounce white crappie.

15. "Next thing you know, they'll be people all over the place fishing for crappie, " Zimmer said with a laugh.

16. After a little bit of fighting I started to see it, and I realized it was a crappie.