Willowpine Fishing - Spring Crappie Basics

It’s Spring time which means the temps are on the way up, the creeks are full of new water, the lakes are in an endless cycle of fill and empty, turkeys are gobbling, guys with funny hats and sticks are searching for morels, and I’m jigging a minnow over a flooded bush in hopes of a trophy crappie.  That’s right folks summer is on its way, but before we get there, let’s all take advantage of what spring time has to offer.

It wasn’t until 2011 that I really decided to start targeting crappies on lakes.  Before then I’d catch crappie while bluegill, bass, or walleye fishing, but I never really targeted them specifically.  I do recall one day I was fishing at a pond in Danville, IN.  I was throwing a Rat-L-Trap for bass, I felt a fish smack my lure, and I thought I was reeling in a big largemouth.  Much to my surprise, when I got the fish to the bank, it was the biggest crappie I’d ever seen.  It went just over 3lbs on my Rapala digital fish scale.  Dad came to pick us kids up, he’d had a bad day at work, and as result told me to toss the fish back into the water instead of taking it to the taxidermist. He and I still regret that decision to this day.  I still have witnesses of that fish on speed dial though……

I think the main reason I didn’t focus on crappies in the past is because members of my family led me to believe that crappies were tasteless mushy fillets similar to a catfish.  However, I learned that couldn’t be further from the truth.  A spring crappie fillet is about as good as walleye or yellow perch. I do agree with my family that come the dog days of summer, those warmed up crappies get mushy. That’s why you have to target them hard while water temps are still low.  I have no scientific proof to this theory, but it’s what I’ve come to notice over many years of fishing, and even more years of eating fish.  The question is, how does one catch the delicious spring crappies?

There are many way to catch crappies this time of year.  To catch them, first you have to know where they’re going to be. In the early spring when water temps get up to 50°F-55°F, the crappies begin migrating to toward their spawning grounds. They’ll spawn in areas of 2’-10’ water, usually around downed trees, bushes, docks, or other structure. However they don’t start spawning or get that shallow until the water reaches around 60°F-65°F. Therefore while the water is still cool you’ll want to search for them in deeper water out past the structured spawning grounds, or in mouths of creeks, these areas are called their “staging grounds”.

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Use your depth finder and cruise around at different depths during this time of year. Usually in
late March and early April, I’m able to find fish in 15’-20’ of water.  I’ll use my sonar to see what depth the fish are suspended at, and I’ll set my bait to that depth.  During this time of year I’ll primarily use a 1/16oz or 1/8oz jighead and a minnow on a bobber. Jig head size depends on wind speed, use the heavier 1/8oz jighead for windier days. Another great tactic is to spider rig troll, which is done with multiple rods, jigs set at that depth where you’re seeing suspended fish, and trolling or drifting very slowly through those deep water areas. For this you’ll definitely need a boat and rod holders.  You can follow the channels, as crappies tend to use these channels as highways to and from different areas.

As the water warms up all you have to do is keep moving into shallower water.   In Mid-Late April I’m usually finding bigger female fish in 8’-14’ of water. You can find males up shallower, as they’re usually starting to get into spawning areas to fan out their nests.   I’ll still be using a jighead and minnow on a bobber.  By this time the bite is usually really good, and you’ll be bringing home good numbers of crappies.

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By late April and into May, the water is usually above that 60°F target temperature, and the crappies are up in the shallow water.  I’ve caught them as shallow as 6’’ and as deep as 8’ this time of year, but always around structure.  A good way to see if they crappies are up in the shallows is by watching the blue herons on the banks. When the fish are up that shallow on their nests, the blue herons are there to greet them. I found one of my favorite honey holes because we watched a blue heron snag a crappie right off the bank. You’ll also see a lot of activity along the banks, such as splashing and darting. These crappies are on and guarding their nests, and will usually bite any type of intruder.  During this time of year I’ll almost always use an 1/8oz or 1/16oz  Willowpine Tackle crappie jig on a clip-on bobber. I like the clip on in this depth because I believe you can see more bites with a clip on bobber, also there is no knot or bead to malfunction costing you time and fish. Minnows will still work fine, but I prefer to use artificial as often as I can. Plus it's harder to keep minnows alive with the outside temps climbing.

From late May and on into early June the spawn ends, and the summer begins. The crappies will abandon their shallow water homes and head back to their deeper staging areas, this time in search of cooler water temps.  The crappies are still very catchable, but by this time my focus changes to other species of fish. After all, as the water temps go up their fillets start getting mushy and tasteless.  To catch crappies after the spawn, locate the thermocline, and switch to your summer fishing tactics.  Better yet, let the crappies be and catch the spawning bluegill that have taken over the shallows spawning areas.

Joey B. with IN Crappies

If you’re not fishing from a boat this spring, it doesn't mean you can’t catch crappies.  You just wont have the added value of sonar, but that’s only one tool in the tool box.  Get to your favorite crappie spot, and try to determine water temperature.  Use what you learned above about the temperature and migration of the crappies, and put it to the test.  If it’s early April then start fishing deep.  Move your slip bobber knot shallower and shallower until you locate the fish.  If it’s May, then skip the deep chase and go straight for the shallows.   Just like from a boat, locate downed trees, docks, stumps, or other types of structure.  I’m sure your fish baskets will be full of crappies this spring!!        -Joey W. Buttram (Willowpine Outdoors)