"Both of these reservoirs have good populations of crappie with reasonable size. They're big enough, and low enough, to maintain those populations despite fairly heavy fishing pressure or natural reproduction problems caused by a poor spawn every few years," he said.

Most anglers do best fishing live minnows here, no matter if they choose to fish from a boat or from shore.

He also points anglers toward Fontana Lake. Located about 35 miles west of Bryson, this 11,600-acre impoundment is a perennial hotspot for crappie anglers seeking both numbers and size.

As strange as it may sound, one advantage to fishing Fontana is its lack of suitable crappie habitat. Because the crappie don't have very many preferred places to live, finding them is mostly a matter of finding suitable habitat. Of course, finding their homes is not the same thing as getting them to bite. That's another matter.

Most anglers concentrate their efforts around the artificial attractors that have been placed in the lake. Other likely places include bridge pilings and long, sloping points with wood -- usually stumps. In fact, anywhere you can find wood, you'll likely find crappie.

The forage base -- shad -- is unusually stable in Fontana. Winter die-offs are rare. Because of that, live minnows or shad-imitating lures usually work best. Fontana crappie can be very color sensitive. At times, a seemingly insignificant change in lure color can make a big difference.

No list of Mountain Region crappie venues would be complete without a mention of Lake Chatuge. Located on the state border with Georgia, this one has offered anglers solid crappie fishing for decades.

Chatuge is a big-fish lake. Recent sampling showed an astounding average crappie size of 1 pound in its waters. It's also easier to fish than most mountain reservoirs. The banks are not so steep and there are usually plenty of laydowns, drift and other wood along the banks to hold crappie and serve as visual targets for anglers. Four government agencies construct and maintain artificial attractors in this lake that add to the habitat.

Slab-size fish are usually harvested with live minnows, small jigs or tiny crankbaits. In the spring and fall, try a small, brightly colored spinnerbait.

An often-overlooked crappie fishing opportunity, according to Martin, is the many municipal and county water supply reservoirs in this region.

"Some of them are restricted, but others are open to the public. They're great for crappie, but many anglers don't realize that," he said. "Many can be fished from the bank."

One municipality that Martin specifically recommends is Winston-Salem. "The municipal lakes and supplies are real good. The crappie fishing is great. The numbers are often very high and the size is acceptable. It's an excellent place to fish for a few hours with kids. Make sure you ask first though."

Several of the venues in the Mountain Region have specific rules and regulations applicable to them. Check before you fish.

THE COASTAL PLAINS REGION
Crappie fishing in the Coastal Plains Region of North Carolina is predominantly river fishing, pure and simple. That makes for bad news and good news.

The bad is that the hurricane damage that the region suffered from the late 1990s through 2003 is still affecting the fishing. The surge and resulting washouts and oxygen depletions have had a devastating effect on the fisheries.

The good news is that Mother Nature is a tough old woman. She repaired the damage much quicker than many fisheries biologists ever predicted.