But where to go?

Along Georgia's waistline -- the belt from Columbus through Macon to Augusta -- there are several good possibilities where an angler can have fun catching a cooler full of nice crappie.

The belt buckle on that waist, Lake Sinclair, may well be the state's most consistent crappie haven, especially in the pre-spawn period of late winter to early spring, said Les Ager, head of the Wildlife Resources Division regional fisheries office in Fort Valley.

"There are so many good crappie lakes to choose from through the middle of the state," Ager noted. "But I'd say Lake Sinclair is the most reliable. It's as good a lake as any in the state as being a place to go and have the chance to catch good crappie, especially in February and March."

Two mid-state anglers, Macon's Larry King and Warner Robins' Woody Davis, said Lake Oconee, just north of Sinclair, is a good rival for pre-spawn crappie fishing. And there are several other great places for catching a mess of crappie.

"West Point is also awfully good and reliable that time of year, even if it is kind of on the edge of that band through the middle of the state," Ager said. "Lake Jackson is also a good lake, but it's more known for fall crappie fishing.

"On the other side of the state, Clarks Hill has some good crappie fishing, although I'm not as familiar with it as the other lakes I mentioned," he added.

Those are all large impoundments. Some smaller bodies of water that provide good pre-spawn crappie action, according to Ager, are High Falls Lake, Lake Tobesofkee and the Dodge County Public Fishing Area.

"They aren't as large and so they don't have as many fish, but they also don't get as much fishing pressure, so there is some good crappie fishing at all three of those," he explained.

Let's take a closer look at some of these lakes and discuss areas where you are likely to find fish and methods to catch them in February and early March.

The top method for catching crappie in the pre-spawn period is trolling for them, using a boat powered by an electric motor. This is because the crappie are often suspended several feet deep in water over or near various types of cover -- points, blow-downs, brushpiles, channel edges or standing timber.

For bait, use either live minnows on No. 1 hooks or 1/16-ounce or smaller leadhead jigs with a plastic grub or tube body. Hal-Flies are a popular jig available in a wide range of colors. Six- to 8-pound line is commonly used this time of year.

Many anglers put out several rods rigged with different colors of jigs set to run at various depths as they slowly troll through an area searching for crappie. Once a school is located, re-rig all the rods at the proper depth and troll back through or anchor and cast into the area.

Another method, though more popular at other times of the year when the crappie are holding tighter to cover, is using jigs or spoons to vertically jig down through the cover to the fish.

Light spinning or spin-casting gear is most often used by crappie fishermen.