Crappie

If you're chasing crappie in the Big Rock, Illinois area, you'll want to focus your efforts on the local lakes and ponds scattered throughout the region. These smaller bodies of water often hold surprisingly good populations of crappie, offering a more intimate and less pressured fishing experience than larger reservoirs. Spring is prime time, as the crappie move into the shallows to spawn. Look for them around submerged timber, brush piles, and weed edges. A small jig tipped with a minnow or a tube bait under a bobber is a classic and effective presentation. Another productive time is the fall, when crappie school up again before winter. A local tip: check water clarity. If the water is murky after a rain, try using brighter colored jigs to help the fish find your bait. Public access can be limited in some areas, so be sure to research access points before you go. Some county forest preserves offer fishing access.