Florida crappie fishing charter

My name is Capt Jim Klopfer. I run freshwater fishing charters in the Inverness, Florida area. In this article I will discuss a Florida crappie fishing charter. There are several waters that I fish where anglers can expect to do well on crappie.

4 hour charter 1 angler is $300, 2 anglers $350

6 hour charter 1 angler is $400, 2 anglers $450

Crappie, also know as “specks” or “speckled perch” are a very popular freshwater fish throughout the country. Florida waters have good populations. For the most part, the best crappie fishing in Florida is in late fall and winter. This works out well as often bass are tough as the water gets cold.

There is a pretty reliable pattern when it comes to chasing Florida crappie. In fall and early winter, the fish will be schooled up in big numbers in deeper water. Once located, a bunch of fish can be caught in short order. As the season proceeds, these large schools break up and crappie move to the banks. They are more spread out but still loosely school up.

There are several techniques that I use on my Florida crappie fishing charters. Trolling is extremely productive and is an easy method that anglers of all skill levels can use to catch fish. Anglers can also cast lures and flies towards shoreline cover in search of fish.

Florida crappie fishing charters

I primarily use lures on my Florida crappie fishing charters. 1/8 ounce and 1/16 ounce curly tail jigs are productive. Often times I use them on a jig head with a spinner such as the Road Runner lure. I also like small spinnerbaits. The simple black Beetle spin spinnerbait can be deadly in the dark tannin stained Florida lakes and rivers.

I will also use live minnows when targeting crappie. I fish these deep in water up to 15 feet as well as under a float around weed edges. The lures allow us to cover more water in search of fish. Minnows can be effective once the fish are located.

I want to make something clear regarding my crappie fishing charters. I certainly don’t mind if anglers want to keep some fish. Crappie are delicious! However, if your sole purpose is “getting your limit”, I am not the best choice. I like to have fun and where possible have the angler holding the rod and feeling the strike. For that reason, I only fish a few rods at one time. This limits the number of fish that will be caught, but increases the fun factor.

Fly fishing for Florida crappie

Fly anglers can also get in on the crappie fishing. This is best done in late winter and spring when the fish move to the shoreline aquatic vegetation and structure. I use a 4wt rod with a floating line and a small weighted minnow imitation fly. This is easy fishing with short casts being the norm. The Withlacoochee River is my favorite water to fly fish for crappie.

Anglers fly fishing for crappie will almost certainly catch other species as well. This is especially true later in the spring as it warms up. Big bluegill are great fun! Stumpknocker and redbreast will also be taken. A small 1 or 2 pound bass is great sport on a light fly rod.

Waters fished on my Florida crappie fishing charters

There are several waters that I fish when persuing crappie. These are Lake Henderson, Lake Rousseau, Lake Panasoffkee, and the Withlacoochee River. Each has advantages depending on conditions.

Lake Henderson

Lake Henderson lies right in the middle of Inverness, Florida. It is easily accessible with nice boat ramps. It also gets a fair amount of pressure. This is my favorite option for deep trolling in the first part of the season when the larger schools are in deep water. I usually go out of the Eden Park boat ramp.

Lake Panasoffkee

Lake Panasoffkee, or “Lake Pan” as the locals call it is a very good bass lake. It also has good crappie and panfish. I like to fish it later in the season. There are a lot of weeds and anglers need to fish the holes and edges. It is a good lake to fish a minnow under a float. There are several ramps, I like Marsh Bend Outlet Park as it offers the chance to fish the lake and river on one trip.

Withlacoochee River

I really enjoy fishing the river. The scenery is terrific and other than an airboat or two, is is very peaceful and quiet. It is a great option for fly anglers. There are several sections of the river that I fish and there are quite a few access points with decent ramps.

Lake Rousseau

Lake Rousseau is a bit of a drive, 45 minutes from Inverness. However, it can be worth the effort. There is less vegetation and a ton of stumps, which crappie love. In face, there are too many stumps so I do not troll there. Casting jigs, flies, and live minnows is the ticket.