The Jones Bluff section is making a name as top crappie fishery.

By Greg McCain

Originally published in the December 2012 issue of AON

Dan Dannenmueller, who has teamed with fishing partner Bill Braswell, of Kentucky, to become the Crappie Masters Angler of the Year for two consecutive years, holds an Alabama River crappie.

In years past, the bucket list of Alabama crappie fisheries rarely included the Alabama River. Put traditional favorites like Weiss and Eufaula on the itinerary and sprinkle in a few smaller waters. But the Alabama River? Not even that many locals in south-central Alabama knew of the burgeoning crappie population until a few years back.

Now, thanks to a recent parade of national tournaments, everyone associated with the crappie culture knows of the potential of the Alabama River, specifically the section known as Jones Bluff Reservoir that stretches from Selma to Montgomery. Crappie pro Dan Dannenmueller, of Wetumpka, calls it one of the premier crappie destinations in the county, perhaps overshadowed only by the fish factories in Mississippi.

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