"If you're looking to load the live­well, literally, then you need to take out and head back to where the Eno and Flat River come together to form the Neuse," said Duke. "It's a hard stretch by boat and much easier to get to by road. You can go upriver and put in at the Eno River Landing off State Road 1632 and start working your way downriver and catch hundreds of crappie that will be hugging the bottom."

Duke said that the area is not widely popular but is well known by the locals, and many will go there to fill a cooler with good eating-sized crappie in the 3/4- to 1-pound range.

"There is no limit on size or numbers of crappie in this area," he said. "A few days of fishing along the Eno and you can absolutely fill a cooler with good coldwater crappie fillets."

BUGGS ISLAND
Buggs Island Lake (aka Kerr Lake) is a 48,900-acre reservoir that straddles the Virginia/North Carolina border. The states have a reciprocal license agreement, so either a Virginia or North Carolina license is valid throughout the entire lake. The lake is an impoundment of the Roanoke River, which is also known as the Staunton River in Virginia.

The Dan River and several smaller creeks also feed the lake. Just upstream from the current John H. Kerr Dam lies Buggs Island, named for Samuel Bugg, an early settler. During dam construction from 1946-1952, the dam was called the "Buggs Island Project." Officially, the lake is named John H. Kerr Reservoir for the U.S. Senator from North Carolina, a prominent supporter of the project. It was constructed in 1952 to produce electricity and for flood control. It is currently owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Because it is used for flood control and hydroelectric power, lake levels fluctuate and can have a dramatic effect on the fishing. A good lake map is essential, as it is easy to get disoriented on this sprawling lake.

"Buggs Island is a great place to catch big crappie in January," Duke said. "The best spots are above the Hwy. 58 bridge at Clarkesville. You may find this hard to believe, but some of the best places to catch crappie on Buggs in January are also in some really shallow water."

Ed and Trudy will head to the backs of Buffalo, Bluestone and Orange creeks looking for dingy water. Whether due to unseasonable spawning urges or a desire to seek out warmer water, Duke said that crappie love to hold in the dingy water this time of year.

"One of my favorite places is to go behind the bridge under Hwy. 58 and go all the way to the back. There's a 20-acre flat back there and we'll start in the back of that flat and troll jigs all the way out to the mouth. The funny thing is, we catch crappie 4 to 5 feet deep in the back of the flat and we're still catching them 4 to 5 feet deep when we get out to the mouth, which is over 20 feet deep," Duke said.