The brush pile action for crappie on Rayburn Lake has been phenomenal over the last few years. In fact, it has gotten the aging reservoir almost as much attention as its famous largemouth bass fishery.

    Right now crappie action on the brush piles is improving with limits reported by many anglers.

    “The crappie are starting to pile up on our brushtops. Our five-hour trips are averaging 60 to 80 keepers. Minnows are the best bait, but jigs in white, pink or shad colors will catch them as well,” said guide Roger Bacon.

    Bacon recommends anglers rigging up with six-pound-test line like Ande Back Country and to be prepared to be tangled and perhaps broken off by big fish.

    “You’re going to get hung up on the brush piles and will catch other species besides crappie like bass and catfsih,” he said.

     Anglers can expect to catch lots of fish in the 11 to 12-inch class and some trophy-sized fish as well.

    “Rayburn has some really big crappie on it. Most of the fish you catch will be just right for the frying pan but we do catch some real slabs that some anglers want to put on the wall,” Bacon said.

     For anglers that want to make a little farther drive and fish some new waters, Lake Nacogdoches has been producing good numbers of crappie.

    The largest concentrations of crappie are on brush in 16 to 22 feet of water there, but there are still some in the shallow grass.

     Nacogdoches has plenty of hydrilla and anglers are still catching some by fishing small spinners, slow-rolled around these hydrilla beds.

    Anglers should make casts parallel to the hydrilla and move the bait through the area slowly. If the fish do not bite, increasing the retrieve would be a wise move.

     Anglers can also score by fishing live shiners vertically on the edges of the grass. When the crappie are on the outside of the grass, they will dart in and out of holes in the grass. If you can locate these holes on the graph and fish there, it should not take long for a hook-up.

    To contact Roger Bacon, call 409-489-0444.