|
Warm spring days have a way of getting folks thinking
about fishing. But with our Walleye opener still a couple of weeks away,
some of us are just too anxious to get out and bend a pole. So for now,
Crappie fishing just feels like the right thing to do. Fishing early spring
Crappies in the North Country is a great way to sharpen your skills and set
the stage for the season to come. Tackling spring Crappies has its ups and
downs, but with a good game plan and a little persistence, you can turn a
spring afternoon into a real treat for your whole family.
Before you start packing all of you gear in the boat,
consider that early spring Crappie fishing might just be one of the few
times each year when folks fishing from shore have an advantage over those
of us out in the boat. In fact, I can think of a half dozen great shore
fishing opportunities within the city limits of Grand Rapids and there are
probably hundreds of places throughout the 1000 Grand Lakes Area where
Crappies can be found from the shoreline. I can even think of one resort
that charges a small fee for a premium shore fishing spot at their boat
channel. The shore angler has two main advantages; first there is the
ability to be relatively silent and second, fish that are hooked and reeled
toward the shore have the effect of drawing other fish in with them. This
helps to keep fish in the area for longer periods of time and allows the
angler to spend his fishing time really efficiently. Often, the fishing will
actually get better as the day goes on.
Within a few days after ice out, Crappies go on a
brief feeding binge and will move in to extreme shallow water areas. The
best areas will have a soft bottom and semi-dark water. Boat harbors,
inlets, tiny bays, creeks between lakes, oxbows and even some boggy
shoreline areas are all good choices. These are all locations where the sun
warms things up quickly and encourages early insect hatches and bait
movement. The spots don’t necessarily need to have additional cover, but
treetops, branches or Beaver runs are all elements that could make a good
spot even better. |
The
water depth can be anywhere from a few inches, to a couple of feet as long
as it is near the main lake and is warmer than the surrounding areas. I’ve
learned to avoid shallow main lake areas with sand, rock and clear water.
The fish will find these areas later, but for now they seek out food and the
best food is in these warmer pockets. The beauty of this approach is that
you can find a lot of these areas by driving around the lakes and stopping
to check at bridges, creeks, and landings or at public fishing docks. Many
times, you will see the fish or other evidence like lots of bait that will
help tip you off to their presence before you even wet a line. As a kid, I
learned everything I knew about fishing by using this simple sight fishing
approach. I can remember coming in from one hard day on the lake and
spotting a youngster heading home with a heavy load of panfish that he’d
caught from shore in a small inlet on our lake. He pointed me to that spot
and saved our trip. That experience taught me never to under estimate the
effectiveness of good old-fashioned fishing.
Fishing these areas by boat can be effective as
long as you are willing to fish in full "stealth mode". But you’ll need to
be really careful not to make any unnecessary movement or noises that will
"spook" the fish and move them back out into the lake. In the past we’ve
seen schools of fish move out ahead of the boat and eventually escape around
us and return to the safety of the main lake. Once they leave, they don’t
come back for a while, so this is to be avoided like the plague.
Occasionally, it’s necessary to use a boat to find the spot, but once
located, you can beach it and fish from the shoreline or a least a
stationary position.
Tackling the Crappies once you find them is a
simpler matter. A handful of small jigs, a few bobbers and a nice long rod
rigged with 4 pound test line is enough to get you started. A scoop of
Crappie minnows and a few wax worms takes care of the bait selection and
you’re ready to go. |
Because you’re fishing in such shallow water, small
jigs and small floats should be used. I like the small Thill slip bobbers
from Lindy, it’s a nice balsa wood float with decent weight for casting,
they’re brightly colored and my line always feeds out smoothly. Jigs that I
like best are a 1/32oz. Minnow head with a 1-1/2 inch plastic tube. These
small tubes are still among the best panfish lures ever produced, they’re
inexpensive, effective and available in a multitude of colors. Other
effective jigs are small hair or marabou style jigs like the flu flu. Rods
for this light tackle need to be lightweight, sensitive and long enough to
cast small baits effectively. I like G.Loomis Rods, so I use their seven
foot SR-842 for this. I consider this to be one of the ultimate fishing rods
anywhere and I use it in many other situations where light line and small
jigs are required. In these darker waters, I like colors like black, brown
and purple. These darker, more subdued colors seem to do a good job of
imitating the small insects that these fish are looking for in the shallows.
A typical approach is to locate one of these shallow
areas that looks "fishy" and begin by fishing the areas nearest the main
lake. Make long casts toward the center of the channel and give the jig a
series of sharp twitches then let it settle for a few seconds. Retrieve a
couple of feet of line and repeat the twitching/settling. This seems to be a
good compromise between attracting the fish and giving them an opportunity
to strike. We gradually move further in to the bay or inlet until we either
contact fish or decide to move to a new location. We will change baits and
colors often enough to be sure that we’ve presented a good mixture.
In an age when fishing seems to be getting more
sophisticated and complex all the time, sometimes it’s nice to get out and
relive the days when we rode our bikes down to the fishin’ hole and just
plain caught what we caught. Sounds like the perfect cure for restless
anglers and those affected by cabin fever syndrome. Why don’t you try it?
Pack a lunch, load the family in the car and go take a look, you just might
be really surprised by what you find out there. |
