But I was having no problem keeping warm.

My rod tip bobbed again, this time giving the telltale sign of a fish on the end of my line. I grabbed my ultralight rig and cranked in a pair of pan-sized crappie. Nearby, other anglers poked fun at me, envious of my success. Their good-natured joking was short-lived, as their own rods began to react, and soon, several more slabs were added to our wire baskets.

The winter evening was cold, but the atmosphere, reminiscent of friends meeting in a coffee shop, was warm and festive. We talked about politics and Oklahoma football, and shared a unique camaraderie as we beat cabin fever there at Lake Eufaula -- fishing inside a heated dock!

Do the winter doldrums have you wishing you were fishing in warmer temperatures? Well, you can either sit and complain or grab your rod and tackle box and head to your favorite waters for some hot action with wintertime crappie. And before you go, study the information we've provided in this article in order to direct yourself to the state's best spots for cold-weather slabs. (Oh -- and don't forget your jacket!)

COLD-WEATHER CRAPPIE HABITS
In April, crappie moving into shallow water to spawn turn voracious, feeding in the frenzied manner that makes spring so rewarding for anglers. But during our cold weather, crappie become unpredictable. They can be caught, provided you manage to find them -- but finding them can be tough. Significant weather changes will slow down crappie fishing in the same way that they affect other fish.

Generally, crappie retreat to deep water that's warmer and more favorable to them. Winter specks congregate in schools and suspend near structure in some of the deepest water available. These schools can be found by using a fish locator, on the screen of which they resemble schools of shad.

Since crappie prefer deep water, boat anglers will catch more crappie than will bank-fishermen. Though crappie can be caught at all depths during the winter months, they prefer to congregate near ledges and brushy dropoffs. Some winter crappie like to frequent river channels, while others can be caught around brushpiles and artificial crappie attractors.

WINTER CRAPPIE ADVICE
Wally Marshall is considered by many to be the foremost authority on crappie fishing. Although the soft-spoken Marshall will humbly suggest in the face of such praise that some anglers are better at catching slabs than he is, his record tells a different story: He's won several national crappie tournaments, and is billed as America's best-known crappie angler.

I spoke with Marshall at a recent outdoor show and was amazed at his vast knowledge of specks and their habits. In an hour of talking to Wally, I learned numerous tips and techniques that I hope to employ this winter.

Marshall (or "Mr. Crappie," as he's been nicknamed) has spent an extensive amount of time fishing for crappie at several Oklahoma lakes, and one thing he's learned from those hours and hours passed on Sooner waters is that anglers who don't target Okie crappie in the winter months are missing some great action.

Marshall rates Fort Gibson Lake in northeast Oklahoma as one of the most neglected winter crappie lakes around. And Wally should know -- he won a national crappie tournament at Gibson.

"Winter crappie spend a good deal of time moving around while following schools of shad," he said. "When water temperatures drop below 45 degrees, shad will begin to die and become easy prey for huge schools of crappie waiting to gorge themselves."