One exciting way to catch crappie on all our lakes: night-fishing. Tie up under a bridge or beside a treetop in deep water, hang a lantern over the side or drop a light into the water, and wait for the shad to come to the light. Crappie will follow them, and you can load your boat. Lit up by dozens of boats, many bridges look like small cities this time of year.

You can catch crappie all around Georgia, but some lakes are better than others. Clarks Hill seems always to be good, as do most of the bigger lakes. But don't forget the smaller public waters like public fishing areas and state parks. Some of those lakes are large enough to host worthwhile slab action.

The following six lakes should all be good for crappie this spring. Choose one near you, hook up the boat if you have one, grab some poles and enjoy this ritual of spring.

LLATOONA LAKE
Although not known as a crappie hotspot, this venue harbors a solid population of papermouths, and many anglers take advantage of it; the early-spring fishing here is very serviceable. Also, the infamous pleasure-boat traffic is quite light at Allatoona, so you can fish it in relative peace.

The crappie fishing at Allatoona has been consistent for several years, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division. The crappie you catch should average about 1/2 pound and be just over 8 inches long. Some fish weighing a pound or better should be in your catch, too.

Unless the water's unusually high, very little shoreline cover (like bushes) is available to fish, so look for shallow crappie around blowdowns and brushpiles put out by fishermen. Fishable docks will be found in the creeks.

When the crappie start spawning in the early spring, troll the creeks, dropping a jig or minnow beside any kind of wood cover.

Look for papermouths back in Kellogg, Illinois and Stamp creeks, all of which the WRD has declared to be promising for crappie action. You're likely to catch some of the biggest slabs of the year while the females, full of eggs, are back in the spawning areas in the early spring.

As the water warms, follow the crappie back out by trolling toward the mouths of the creeks. By early summer they'll be schooled up on fish-attractor brushpiles put out by the WRD or other cover put out by anglers on drops and humps on the main lake. Fishing at night will help you avoid most of the boat traffic as the weather warms and give you the best chance of catching some crappie.

LAKE HARDING
Swimming Lake Harding -- better known as Bartletts Ferry Lake -- is a big complement of big crappie. According to the WRD, at least half the crappie in the lake are in the 10- to 14-inch range and weigh about 1/2 to 3/4 pound. There are many larger fish that you can catch as well.