crappies?? need advice

[eyedawg]

What are some of the features a person looks for when trying to find crappies in the winter. How deep do you typically find them in the winter.Do you mainly jig or bobber fish? Whats the best way to locate a good lake besides the word of mouth. Im not looking for anybody's secret spot just a point in the right direction. I've had some success in the past and can't seem to duplicate it.

[mnrhino09]

I was taught by one of the best Pan fisherman in the area to look for deeper mud bottoms in the winter and then towards evening (and sometimes early morning) the bugs come out of the mud so the Crappies will move in to feed and the bite is best then. Good lakes will produce some throughout the day that are just cruising the weed edges as well. That hole on Lida where the community is provides a prime example of a deeper mud bottom, but for some reason they just are not as active this year but if you put in the time you will pick up some nice crappies.

[Jim Panfish Uran]

Use the DNR's website and hope they have some recent survey data. It's tough to go out on a given lake and expect to find some crappies with out knowing a little about the lake but it's always worth the effort.

I like to locate the deeper holes near midlake structure, and drill holes down the drop to the pivot point, and just hole hop until I find some active fish. There is never any randomness on how I go about it, if you can find standing weeds along the top of that drop your odds are even better.

Some lakes won't produce a bite until dark, and some will produce before the sun hits the treeline. During mid day look in the weeds, pockets in the weeds or tight up against the edge. Towards dark or in the morning is when i catch the fish suspended off the drop, kind of confusing sounding but it makes sense in my head lol

[Jim Panfish Uran]

Oh, and I mainly jig fish, a flasher is invaluable for this. I fish with a float from time to time, it just depends on how cold it is and how active the fish are. If the fish aren't that active and want a slow moving presentation I like to add a float to my line.

[Chad Peterson]

Oh, and I mainly jig fish, a flasher is invaluable for this. I fish with a float from time to time, it just depends on how cold it is and how active the fish are. If the fish aren't that active and want a slow moving presentation I like to add a float to my line.

That is well said. I normally do not use a float but I dead stick it until a see a fish that might bite. Then a slow jig or tap will bring them to bite.

Sniffer

[newfish]

What type of lures and/or bait do you typically use for crappies? Prior to this year it has been about 9 years since I have been out ice fishing. Any advice is very much appreciated.

[iceranger792]

If your fishing with artificial baits your options are limitless. Anything with a squid or spike tail will work well.. Throw a grub on and even better.. I always fish 2 holes once i locate the fish. Put a minnow and float down 1 hole and fish the other hole with grub or spike. Clearer lakes tend to have a much better dusk/night bite than lakes with dirty water. Dirty water with a secchi disk reading of 8'-9' will most likely have a bite that lasts all day long.. I've caught many crappies fishing shallow weedlines. But they can be tougher to locate cause your sonars not scanning as much area as you are when your fishing 30' of water vs 8'.. Say your fishing a relatively shallow lake with one 30' hole. Drill a bunch of holes over that 30' mark and then jump from 1 to the next looking for suspended marks on your sonar. Crappies will suspend anywhere from 2' to 15' off the bottom. And its not uncommon to see a mass of crappies on your sonar when you find the magic spot. Once you do find em drop a minnow down but do it slow. I always stop above the fish and jig lightly to make the most aggressive fish hit my bait 1st. Teasing em works well to i always slowly pull my bait away right when they get to it. Soon as he starts chasin it i slow down, stop, and wait for the bite.. This tactic is deadly i've caught 90% of my fish this way.. Now to find a good starting point go to Lakefinder, type in the lake you plan on fishing and look at the water clarity and yr the net reports were conducted. Next look at how many crappies were caught but pay special attention to the avg weight of the fish and the numbers of 9"-11" and 12"-14". If you find a netting report that has say 96 6"-8" but No 9"-11"'s you'd prolly be better off skipping that lake they'll most likely run small.. But Good Luck Hope this info helps

[newfish]

Thanks iceranger and to all those that posted on this thread, it really helps.

[TruthWalleyes]

Take into consideration the date the data on the DNR website...SOme is as old as a teenager.

When fishing in schools of crappies i tend to be a little impatient. I'll drop that jig down tipped with a maggot or minnow head and put it on top of the first mark on the marcum. I'll start by jigging agressivly. If they don't come up and wack it, i'll slow down the jigging, add pauses. If they aren't interested then, i'll drop the dig down to the next fish. and start again.

Yesterday everytime i jigged, the fish would come up. The higher of a stroke in my jigging motion, the faster they would come up to the bait. Many times i'll jig agressive and when the fish comes zooming up to get the bait, i'll quick pause. Also, fish tend to "strike out" at times. They might be missing the jig, or hitting it with their head as they come try to eat...Many times i don't see these fish coming back in for a second bite.

Good Luck!

[rooster_1]

Heres a trick from Rooster:When Crappies are tight lipped try slooooowly raising your bait up 3 feet from where it sits(it should take you about 30-50 seconds to raise it 3 feet.Then hold it there for about 10 seconds and drop it down at the same pace you brought it up.Usually they will whack it before you get it all the way down,if not jig it very lightly 2 or 3 times lifting your bait about an inch.If no bites repeat process again in about 2 -3 minutes.I also use a certain type of jig that has been around for 30 years at least,I will not mention the maker but make sure its a glow jig.Good luck out there-rooster

[rooster_1]

A fewc more tips:

Use the lightest tackle and line posssible.

Fish 2 days each side of New moon.

Has anyone ever heard of witchlite-you should try it.

Fish just about any lake in OTC-Ive found that the dnr reports are not accurate for Crappies per DNR fisheries chief.Crappies are very weary of the nets the dnr puts out and will swim around them so the counts are not real accurate.

Fish 15-30 feet near muddy bottomed deep areas

The later into feb and march you get,the bigger Crappies will bite well into wee hours of morning-11pm-3am.

[Jim Panfish Uran]

What I've noticed over the last ten years is that some of the lakes that out grew their shorelines have created some awesome spawning grounds for crappies, well panfish in general. I can think of quite a few lakes that have boomed since this has happened.

[rooster_1]

Yes leech that is for sure-I had a cabin for 18 years down on a smaller lake by Ottertail.Since 1991 the water level has rose 48 inches on that lake as there is no outlet.The Crappie population exploded in it about 1997,there are some real hogs in that lake now.The only problem is it ate up alot of my shoreline.I sold the cabin 2 years ago and the conditions are even worse now,but by golly the Crappies sure are doing well.

By the way,how was your deer season this year?

[Jim Panfish Uran]

Deer season went well, I got myself a decent 10 pointer with the rifle!!!

[iceranger792]

What I've noticed over the last ten years is that some of the lakes that out grew their shorelines have created some awesome spawning grounds for crappies, well panfish in general. I can think of quite a few lakes that have boomed since this has happened.

That exact scenerio happened to a reservoir where i grew up. Even though the DNR said in the netting reports the fish are most likely still adjusting to the raised water level. The Slabs i've caught in newly flooded areas that were dry land the yr before might say they're adjusting beautifully!

Personally i think it opens up all new kinds of habitat for baitfish and helps feed the lake as well..