Editor’s Note: Most tournament bass fishermen know that to catch the biggest bass in any lake, you need to fish a place where no one else fishes. Tournament crappie fishermen have learned much the same lesson. At this time of the year, Brad Whitehead of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, a member of B'n'M's Pro Team, catches big crappie where no one else searches for them – Lake Guntersville in December. You can try his tactics on your home lake for winter crappie.

I’ve found crappie in one of the strangest places ever this past weekend, the first in December, and I caught them with a technique I’ve never used before during winter. I belong to a crappie-fishing club, and every now and then we’ll plan a weekend fishing trip just for fun. One of my fishing friends lives on Lake Guntersville where there’s lots of grass. This lake is one of the best big-bass lakes in the nation.