Commonly adjacent to bridges along causeways, riprap banks frequently hold excellent numbers of fall crappie with the fish within easy casting range or even within a rod’s length of the edge. Shad and minnows often orient to riprap banks, so the crappie find plentiful food and outstanding cover in one place. Riprap banks can be awkward to walk on and demand added caution, but often they provide extended areas of high-quality crappie habitat that can be reached on foot.
While riprap banks tend to look uniform at a glance, certain areas almost always hold the most fish. At times, finding key areas requires working the bank methodically. Often, clues exist. Small distinctions, like a change in the bank slope (which normally continues beneath the surface), a runoff pipe, a point or indention in an otherwise straight bank, a windbreak, a water color change or the channel cutting near a spot can make a big difference. Again, looking at satellite imagery can help you identify likely key areas and may reveal things you cannot see from the bank. With causeways, the end closest to the bridge tends to be best.
Two approaches often work very well for fishing from riprap. The first is to cast a bait with an active swimming tail, such as a Bobby Garland Stroll’R or Hyper Grub, and reel steadily, making some casts parallel to the riprap, some straight out and some at in-between angles and varying speeds to hit different depths. This is a great searching strategy and works best when the crappie are relating to baitfish and aren’t necessarily tight to the rocks. It’s extra good on unseasonably warm days and when the water is fairly clear.
When the fish are tighter to the rocks, a better approach is to use a bait with a more subtle tail action, like a Baby Shad or Slab Slay’R and to either dip the bait straight down from the tip of the rod and slowly walk the bank to cover water or to pitch the bait a short distance and let it swing to straight down from the rod tip. For either, a long rod provides the most reach and control, and the ideal is to minimize added action and work the bait very near to the rocks.
Docks & Piers
