The crappie on both Lakes Russell and Thurmond “have just woke up the last day or two,” said veteran fishing guide Wendell Wilson of Elberton, Ga.

“Fishing is great on both lakes. We’re catching big crappie on Russell and we’re catching over 100 a day on Clarks Hill (Thurmond) but not any size much down there.”

Wilson said the water temperature has moved up into the 52- to 55-degree range and the crappie have just moved up into shallow water to being the spawn and in Russell the big females and males are all “on the same tree.”

Best results have come while fishing live minnows and jigs about 1 ˝ feet deep around shallow wood cover on sloping banks -- “not deep banks.”

“Minnows and jigs are both working so it’s just how you choose to fish,’ he said. “We usually use minnows when we are going after big crappie on Russell and jigs when we’re going for numbers on Clarks Hill.

Lake Russell is experiencing somewhat of a phenomenon, he said, with the white perch still out in deep water while the crappie have already moved up shallow..

“The seagulls are still here and the bait that was out in 30 to 40 feet of water two months ago is still there -- and the white perch are still there, out in deep water like they were back in January,” he said.

“I’ve never seen those two things happen at the same time, with the perch deep and the crappie up shallow. It’s not real significant as far as catching fish, but they are still out there and I think I can still catch white perch out there, although I have not done it in about a week.”

But, he noted, since the crappie moved up shallow, nobody is fishing for white perch right now.

“As for bass I have not seen that many lately, but if I were going bass fishing on Russell I’d throw a spinnerbait up in the dingy creeks. The bass are moving up shallow and that is bound to work.”

Wilson guides for crappie on Russell and for stripers and hybrids on Thurmond and Hartwell. To book a fishing trip, call him at (706) 283-3336.