The Rite of Spring…Fishing for Crappies

 

Fishing for spring crappies says spring has sprung!

Early season panfish bites are a rite of spring, happening throughout the country as reliably as budding lilacs, morels pushing, and gobbling turkeys. Crappies and bluegills both work their way from mid-winter depths to staging areas, then eventually into shallow cover and structure to spawn. Even perch have a part in the conversation, especially in moving-water scenarios where main river tigers slip into side channels and food-rich backwaters. Each species has its own biological rituals that determine timing, but if you’re a panfish angler, you’re fortunate in that each of them tends to happen in order, overlapping very little in most systems. It all makes for a great way to kick off the spring bite while knocking the rust off of winter. That said, if there were one species that gets the bulk of attention in spring, it would undoubtedly be crappies. From north to south, and inside the coasts, spring crappies hold a special place in the hearts of anglers everywhere. Here’s how to get on them this spring.  Joel Nelson provides some additional spring crappie fishing information and fishing tips.

 

 

Water temperature is a key contributing factor to everything spring. Cold nights below freezing, cool-water runoff from melting snow, and heavy cloud cover can all contribute to the death of a seemingly unkillable bite. As black-bottom bays and rock-laden shorelines store what solar energy they can, crappies first flood to the shallows as water temps approach 45 degrees. In many midwestern lakes, this seems to be a “magic number” in helping to predict not only locations but the mood of the crappies you’re after. Anything south of that value, and shallow water crappies become rare and hard to find. Even after locating them, you just don’t see the large congregations of fish that are willing to eat as you do in the 45-50 degree range and above. That said, spring is a rollercoaster of conditions, full of false starts, short intense feeding periods during warm weather, and then eventually spawn and post-spawn behavior. Your best bet is multiple trips that allow you to track changes in water temperatures, so you won’t miss the very best action.

Regarding location, when warm water is scarcer in the early season, those shorelines that are even a few degrees warmer can be full of fish. This is true even when they lack good cover, provided you’re fishing the warmest water in the lake and it’s still early. Back bays on the north side of a lake are a good start and don’t hesitate to fish shallower than 5 feet, especially in systems with poor clarity. Even as water temps rise into the 50s, fish remain shallow, feeding on baitfish drawn to the warm water and other forms of emerging life jump-started by warm afternoons and even more aggressive sun angles.

 

 

What to use and how to present it can be an important factor when fishing for spring crappies. Again, let water temps dictate your style of fishing and lure selection. Especially early, the temptation is to fish fast and cover water to find larger schools. Just coming out of winter, locations can be a mystery, and bobber-fishing shallows are simply too slow for most anglers. That said, especially during the early season, crappies will rarely chase to eat moving baits presented on the edges. Fish with floats, and use meat. Crappies are carnivorous little beings, and you’ll be surprised how savagely they’ll strike a minnow offered on a Northland Gypsi Jig in 1/32 and 1/16oz. sizes. The tinsel flash and jig profile of this bait really shines with a head-hooked minnow below afloat; truly a spring classic combination.

Rod length is a key consideration when slipping shorelines for spring crappies, as you need something that can hurl a tumbling bobber with bait both at distance, but also without throwing the meat from the hook. It’s important not to overweight a proper panfish setup with a clunky, oversized reel that kills the balance and feel of the entire setup. With an 8 foot rod, you can get away with a bit more, making even 2500 series reels incredible line-holders for these rods.

The cover is king for pre-spawn crappies, and while any wood or timber is good for finding them, the brush is better. An isolated log or stump may hold a few fish, but large concentrations of fish will be found where they can bury themselves within and along with brush piles. Unfortunately, most anglers miss the bonanza by fishing only around the edges, rather than within the heavy cover. Occasional fish are to be had this way but to do well in these situations, you’ll need to be prepared to fearlessly fish inside of the heavy stuff, not just around the edges. For that reason, especially in darker, more turbid water, consider braids in 6 or 8 lb. for dipping into and extracting specs from heavy cover with force. Fluorocarbon (8 lb.) is a better choice in clearer water and can offer the same functionality. Timber can be hard to find in northern natural lakes with broad and shallow shorelines, so crappies focus on bulrush and pencil reeds for cover. Whether wood or vegetation, getting in the middle of it seems to pay dividends.

It’s unfortunate that minnows are best fished when your freezing fingers would otherwise want you to use artificials only, but it seems like warm weather and gloveless hands are about the best predictor on when to start looking to retrieved plastic presentations. For this reason, bring bait until moving presentations readily outperform more stationary live-bait options.

 

 

Plastics bites come later as they typically require warmer conditions, though southern reservoir brush beating can be productive with plastics when vertical. Side-imaging and sonar both help here for finding these piles and more importantly, staying on the ones that have fish. High-frequency sonar imaging allows anglers to see and understand the complex subtleties of any brush pile, while also seeing individual fish in clear detail. As water temperatures warm to 60 degrees and beyond, fish get more active. No longer are stationary presentations and live bait a necessity. At this point, you’re looking to cover water, as portions of the spawn will likely be finishing up or already over, meaning that less-concentrated and scattered fish can be better targeted with swimming presentations. Baits like the Northland Tackle UV Mimic Minnow® cover that water and seek out active fish. A boot-tail design offers some thump to both attract these fish from distance, keeping it a perennial favorite in plastics design when water temps elevate. Vibration and enticement can be offered with some flash as well, with baits like the Northland’s Thumper Crappie King getting the nod in the darkest and most turbid water situations. This bait features a jig head that actually looks like a minnow while sporting a hammered belly blade that helps fish find it in dark-water environments.

For pitch-and-retrieve-style panfishing, reel choice deserves some careful thought. Here, think about going down to 1000 series reels. That said, the 2500s offer a little less line twist and more casting distance, so those inclined to have a top-end setup might consider going larger but staying lighter. As the staple in lightweight spinning, you can shed the weight and achieve perfect balance without sacrificing the size attributes a 2500 series reel offers. Make your decision up the price-chain according to performance and design, but also drag-system as much depends on what other fish species you may be fighting. Everything eats a jig and plastic, and landing big fish on a light line is entirely possible with the right reel, so resist the temptation to skimp.

Whether plunking or pitching, spring and crappie fishing is really a peanut butter-and-jelly-type combination. It’s hard to imagine one without the other and vice versa, but going into the spring season prepared for the presentations at hand will make for a better experience with more fish.