Marshall, who was raised in Garland, Texas, is a 19-time qualifier to the Crappie USA Classic, and is a lure and tackle designer for Bass Pro Shops. He fishes crappie jigs year-round, but sometimes prefers minnows, especially when the water is cold, and crappie are deeper than 15 feet. Rains early in the fishing season, which make lake levels rise, put crappie on the move. Marshall suggests fishing in the lower ends of large embayments, or main lake coves, near deep water. As lake water warms into the 50s, crappie begin staging for the spawn, and start relating to structure logs, stumps and brushpiles closer to the bottom.
Males are the first crappie to come to shallower water.
Marshall suggests fishing near laydowns, logs and other wood cover on rock substrate. Black crappie spawn first, prefer clearer water sites and can spawn in 8 to 20 feet of water. White crappie come up shallow to spawn and prefer stained water. When water temperatures reach 60 degrees, crappie move to the shallows in mass. Marshall has been an advocate of ultralight tackle for many years.