Techniques for Late Spring Crappie-Fishing

A large number of American fishers have a soft spot for pan-fishing. Especially in the northern waters. Panfish provide so much fun and table-fare. In fact, their popularity in some U.S regions exceeds that of bass fish -both smallmouth and loudmouth. And crappies are the undistributed favourites of the group.

Crappies have a very simple appeal that makes fishing enjoyable for any angler no matter the age, means and skill-levels. Especially during spring, crappies move to the shallow end filling the spawning grounds, thereby providing some great action of the year.

Crappie-fishing is simple and fun during spring

Spring is the spawning period. The crappies have already found vegetation cover for their reproduction behaviour. According to the northern Minnesota Guide, Mr. Brian Brosdahl crappies tend to look for more vegetation cover and protection for their reproduction business. They like to spawn in the deep layers of weeds with clear and quick access to deeper ends of the water body.

Crappie-fishing during spring is, therefore, easy. Just slip into your boat and head into the primitive launches (reeds, cane, bulrushes, rocks, cabbage) and rocks with your slip float rigs. Crappies usually spawn and deposit their eggs when the water temperature is in the 55-65 degrees range. Therefore, anytime the water temperature is consistently in the 50s degree, you and your fishing buddies can expect to keep a mess of crappies for a fish fry by roaming the shallow water with your fishing tools.

According to Mr. Brosdahl, during those 60s-degree water temperatures, the female crappies come to the nests and deposit their eggs, then they leave the males to guard the nests. Since the males are a bit distracted, taking care of the eggs and feeding, they are readily catchable.

The females go into a negative feeding mood for a couple of days, moving to the outside of the weed beds. But then after recovering, they start to congregate and feed. According to Mr. Brosdahl, you are likely to spot them in bunches, like a squadron of fighter jets.

During late spring Crappies get finicky

Postspawn comes after the spawn and the short nest-guarding period. During Postspawn, the males vacate their position in the shallows and start moving to the outside of the weed beds. Postspawn is also characterized by 70-80s water temperatures that take the fun out of fishing, and especially if you have miles and miles of weed beds to cover, crappie-fishing can be tough.

• The Good news is you can catch crappies anywhere in the lake

However, that doesn’t mean crappie season is over just because the crappies are vacating their bedding regions in the shallow end. According to Rodney Neuhaus, who is a three-time Classic winner, crappies scatter in Postspawn, but the good news is you can catch them from anywhere.

That said, there are a few knowledge tips that, if followed, will certainly make an angler successful than his/her buddies. These tips have to do with the Offering and Position.

Remember the the S (Success) = S (Species) + P (Position) + O (Offering), fishing technique? Here, position refers to knowledge of the crappies seasonal movement and Offering deals with the bait and how you present it.

Postspawn Position of Crappies

Just after the spawn and the nest0guarding period, the male crappies start to follow their females to the outside of the weed beds. Expect fewer if none-at all, shallow crappie bites.

• Fish in the greenest stuff close to the deep edge

As said earlier, crappies are scattered during the postspawn period. However, the high 70-80s water temperatures degree still dictates the position of your target. And according to Neuhaus, our Classic champ, you will have more luck looking in the brush piles, contours and stake beds because the fish start to adopt summer-type patterns.

Postspawn fishing can be tough, especially if you have miles and miles of vegetation cover. Therefore look for the greenest stuff adjacent to deep water.  Mr. Brosdahl says crappies like to spread out and hide in coontail and cabbage as the water begins to heat up.

Fish love to chill in the greenest stuff and steep breaks during the summer, waiting there as the sun burns down vegetation till when algae start to show up. So, imagine you are the fish and search in the thickest jungle with the greenest mix of sprouting vegetation. According to Mr. Brosdahl, this formula will always work.

• Use electronics to see fish in the covers

According to Wade Hendren, a Kentucky Lake expert, postspawn crappies tend to stay right on the bottom, hugging tight to the cover. But with some good down imaging and HD sonar technologies, you can take a look into the cover and see fish.

He adds that you are most likely to find bunched up crappies and that they are going to be less aggressive such that catching 20 crappies in a brush pile is going to be a breeze.

Offerings for Postspawn Crappie-fishing

Yes, in as much as technology has blessed anglers with a fantastic of reel and rod options, pole fishing is still the simplest method if you want to amass a mess of crappies from a small area of the lake in a limited period. Pole fishing is the chosen fishing method in almost all match-fishing competitions for that same reason – get more fish from a small area quickly.

• A Jigging pole

Mr. Neuhaus recommends the 12-foot jigging pole from B’n’M. He likes to pair it with a Road Runner Pro 2.0 jighead, a braid from Power Pro and a 15lbs test line. Why pole fishing? Because it involves a few moving parts, the angler is less likely to face line problems. That way, you can keep your wits on the basics of catching the crappies.

The Road Runner Pro 2.0 has a hammered willow blade that works magic when jigging. In conjunction with the glow-coloured jig, the crappies get attracted to the jig. It has been designed to provide hook, swivel, flash and weight in an all in one setup. All you need to do is add the bait.

• Both live and artificial baits are useful

Most crappie-fishers have had huge success with small baits. Mr. Neuhaus uses a minnow as the bait. Alternatives to live baits include soft plastics designed to look like larval insects -mayflies, stoneflies etc. you can use these on your 1/64-1/16-ounce jigs tipped with supple plastic baits. The recommendation is soft, supple plastics because when the fish bites, these artificial baits are hard to beat.

For big crappies, however, increase the bait size. Up to 3-inch soft plastic, baits are suitable because big crappie eats bigger prey. It has a mouth the size of a coffee cup. It feeds on baby walleyes and small perch.

Also, remember to mix up the offering. Fish get attracted to different colours, so mix up the ofering colors until you nail the fish’s preferences. Veteran anglers say a black on black mix works great, but a bright and dark mix tends to spook the fish.

Use Spider Rigging Technique to Cover More Water

Because the crappies are scattered, you want to use tactics that allow you to cover a lot of the water and present multiple baits at the same time. Spider rigging will enable you to push live bait at slow-steady speed to catch even the notoriously finicky crappies.

Usually, a typical setup for spider rigging involves the use of 6 to 8 rigs evenly spread across the bow of your boat. Each rod rigged with a different combination of jig and live bait to entice the crappies. But don’t get scared by the number of poles, you don’t have to fish with eight poles. You can work with 2 or 3 poles.

Spider rigging does not need any mad skills, simply place the poles on the pole holder and baits in the water then guide your vessel to cover the area. It is gaining so much popularity among anglers. Here’s what you need to know when spidering for crappies during late spring:

• Increase depth as the water heats up

Depth matters, of course, the starting range should be 8-10 feet deep, then as the water gets warmer, you can cast your bat 12-14 feet deep.  Mr. Hendren says that as it gets hot during the day, crappies stay at the bottom, hugging tight on the cover. They will be bunched up but less aggressive, and you can easily catch many before moving to the next spot.

• There are several different ways to rig the poles

You can use a conventional minnow rig. The minnow rig has been used for years now to catch millions of fish.  Double-hook minnow rigs are the best. A double minnow rig consists of a three-way swivel, it attaches to your mainline and has got about 6-inches drop with a minnow hook on it. Weights go on the main body of your rig and the bottom; you can add a jig.

If you are slow trolling in shallow water or very heavy cover, then a single jog will do the trick. Just make sure to tie the rig with a loop knot to give it the freedom to float around. You can tip it with a minnow too.

• Use windsocks or dragging chains in heavy winds.

Bait presentation matters if you want to land some trophy fish. When trolling with a couple of fishing poles spread on the deck of your boat, the boat acts as your hand, so you just have to maintain speed and direction.

Do not lose control of the boat when pushing baits through the thick covers lest you end up with broken poles and snapped lines. Only push into the wind during calm weather. And remember there is no perfect speed, when it comes to spide rigging, variable speed is a must.

Use windsocks to control the direction and speed of the boat. These are large vinyl cones with floats and weights on the opposite side such that when they are deployed, they catch water and create drag that slows the boat down. Get the biggest size of windsocks and use two, each on either side of the back of your boat. However, don’t use windsocks in heavy cover or when the wind is heavy; use dragging chains instead.

Bonus Tips for More Crappies

keeping your mind alert when fishing could mean the difference between a filled and an empty boat at the end of the fishing outing. Distractions can occur if the lake is too busy and you get confused, or still if fishing gets slow and you become bored. Either way, you will most likely miss those lighter bites if you don’t watch the line and tips of the fishing pole.

Jigging works well in a water body full of stumps and other covers, so it’s good to use heavy jigs like the 1/8 ounce or 3/16-ounce jigs in combination with a 2-3-inch body. That way, you will be able to maintain control when fishing. But feel free to downsize if the heavy jigs don’t work; a 1/16-ounce jig and 2-inch body could do the trick too.

Fish those shallow waters in early in the morning when the water is yet to get warmer, crappies will be shallower. Then during the day, they move out to the deeper weed beds to take cover from the sun. Therefore, timing is everything!

Attractants are essential too. Never use a jig without some attractant. Include scent on your minnows too. Veteran anglers swear by attractants like Slab Jam, Berkley Crappie Nibbles and Bang Garlic Spray.

The take-home is that just because spring is coming to an end doesn’t mean crappie season is over. During late spring, crappies are scattered, and the upside is that it is now a great time to spider rig your boat and troll the waters. With just the right presentation, you can end with a mess of crappies for excellent table fare. Crappies can be caught throughout the year if you employ proper techniques and follow the fish as it moves from shallow weed beds to deeper the ends.