We’ll break down crappie patterns to look for during the summer months – beginning with June – and will detail how to catch the most fish this time of year.

Each month of the summer offers a unique fishing opportunity for crappie anglers. We’ll break down each month and help you find the perfect pattern for your preferred style of crappie fishing this summer.

JUNE
summer crappie

June is typically an excellent month to catch crappie no matter where you fish. Water temperatures are consistently warm, spring rains have brought new habitat and baitfish are abundant. This keeps crappie aggressive and consistent in any environment.

The bulk of the baitfish spawn is typically over in the South, but you’ll still find late spawners throughout the month, keeping some crappie close to shore. It’s a great time to pitch and shoot docks, especially in creek arms.

Crappie will begin to form their summer schools which can number in the thousands on some lakes. Transitional zones and near shore brush piles are reliable places to find crappie.

Clear water crappie will be plentiful over vegetated flats, brush and timber. In stained water, June is a good time to find big roaming fish.

Predators like bass, catfish and walleye are very active near shore in the low-light and overnight hours at this time of year. Crappie schools that favor shallow water will move away from shore in the afternoon to feed and take cover for the night, then return mid-morning.

As the water temps work into the 80s, shade and depth become extremely important, making docks a hotspot for crappie schools.

Most lakes are at their fullest during June. Dam operators will usually be releasing water, which means there will be current in the main lake. Look for areas away from the current like creek arms and marinas.

The great thing about June is that with both adult and fry baitfish occupying the same areas, as well as a plethora of other seasonal forage, you can find success using a wide range of bait sizes and body styles.

June Crappie Baits
Bobby Garland Mayfly and live mayfly

For those trolling or spider rigging flats, ledges, deep timber or open water we recommend the 2.5” Stroll’R, 2.25” Slab Hunt’R and 1.25” Itty Bit Slab Hunt’R. Other baits with good swimming action are the 2” Hyper Grub and 2” Swimming Minnow. Having sets at different depths to start will help dial in your weight and speed fastest, if you’re not using electronics to locate fish. For more in-depth trolling insights, long-line trolling expert Brad Chappell breaks down the details in this video.

If you single-pole jig fish either vertical, dipping, casting or under a float we recommend the 2.25” Mayfly, 2.25” Swim’R, 2.25” Minnow Mind’R, 2” Slab Slay’R, 2” Baby Shad, 1.75” Live Roam’R and all of the 1.25” Itty Bit Series. The Itty Bit Slab Hunt’R, Itty Bit Slab Slay’R and Itty Bit Swim’R are the go-to for picky eaters and tough conditions.

Keep your bait horizontal or slowly moving in one direction for the best results. A loop knot can assist with that or tying directly to a balanced jighead like the Overbite and Mo’Glo.

Bugs and other terrestrials become an important part of a crappie’s diet during the summer. June brings hatching bugs like mayflies, emerging bugs like cicadas and of course grasshoppers. Tadpoles and fry are loaded up near shoreline cover and structure as well.

Once you find fish, water clarity will play the biggest role in determining what color jig will be most effective.

JIG COLOR
crappie baits collection

Purple is an awesome June color. It is effective in all types of water clarity. We recommend the colors Gumdrop, Pink Lemonade, Plum Fun, Hummingbird, Junebug/Pearl Chartreuse and Tadpole.

Chartreuse shades are also effective in both stained and clear water. We recommend the colors Bluegrass, Electric Chicken, Shimmer Shad, Cajun Cricket, Green Lantern and Outlaw Special. In muddier water, jigs with dark contrast like the color Lights Out tend to be more productive.

It’s important to give crappie a pronounced silhouette to key in on. This is why laminate (top one color, bottom a different color) jigs are so effective for catching crappie.

Clear Water: natural shades work best. We recommend the colors Tadpole, Monkey Milk, Blue Ice, Blue Thunder, Natural Cricket, Mayfly, Crystal and Pecan Cream.
Stained Water: bright colors are most effective. We recommend the colors Live Minnow, Threadfin Shad, Cherry Lime, Sweet Tea W Lemon, BBQ Chicken, Bayou Booger and Chartreuse Red Glitter.
Muddy Water: dark contrasting colors as well as orange perform best. We recommend the colors Blue Chrome, Grenada Gold, Fried Shad, Mud Dauber, Horsefly and Black/Hot Pink.

FISHING STAFF TOP PICKS
Crappie and Itty Bit display

Eric Watts – Central Arkansas: 1.25” Itty Bit Slab Hunt’R in the color Purple Monkey or 2” Slab Slay’R in the colors Gumdrop, Pink Lemonade, Hummingbird and Junebug/Pearl Chartreuse.
Brad Chappell – Central Mississippi: 2.5” Stroll’R in the colors Blue Chrome, Plum Fun and Grenada Gold.
Dustin McDaniel – NE Oklahoma: 1.75” Live Roam’R in the colors Blue Thunder, Bleeding Shad and Pecan Cream.
Doug Sikora – Central Indiana: 1.25” Itty Bit Slab Slay’R in the colors Black/Hot Pink, Bone White/Chartreuse, Electric Chicken and Cajun Cricket.
Terry Blankenship – Central Missouri: 2.25” Slab Hunt’R in the colors Monkey Milk, Purple Monkey and Hummingbird.
Jeff Lowdermilk – Western/Central North Carolina – 2” Baby Shad in the colors Mud Dauber and Monkey Milk.
Jim Dant – Eastern Missouri/Western Tennessee/Southern Illinois: 2” Slab Slay’R in the color Electric Chicken Glo or 2.25” Minnow Mind’R in the color Black Widow.
Payton Usrey – NW Arkansas: 2.25” Slab Hunt’R in the color Cajun Cricket.
Mike Taylor – Central Oklahoma: 2.25” Swim’R in the color Monkey Milk.
Gary Rowe – Eastern Oklahoma: 1.25” Itty Bit Slab Hunt’R in the color Bone White/Chartreuse.
Dan Dannenmueller – Central Alabama: 1.25” Itty Bit Swim’R in the colors Mayfly, Bluegrass and Outlaw Special.