How Do You Get On Early Ice Crappies?

[Rick]

For Ice fishing do you have any tips on how to find and catch early ice crappies?

 

Here's my tip...Now is the time to go looking for crappie patterns and locations before the ice forms...it pays off on early ice!

[AlwaysFishing23]

I don’t fish for crappies a whole lot. But what I do know is be Mobil. When I plan to target them I don’t plan on being comfy. Bring the heavy ice armor mitts and keep drilling and moving until you find active fish. Sure you could setup and maybe catch some but I feel your success rate will be more if you stay on the move. 

[Rick G]

Good tip , Rick!

This is the time of year it can pay off big time to do a little scouting. Typically,  after fall turnover crappies will migrate toward their wintering locations, or close to them. I like to find deep basins and work the remaining weed edges and any kind of structure that extends out into the basin. Moving rather quickly, looking for schools of active fish on the depth finder is key... once found,  these fall pattern crappies will almost certainly be biting,  and most likely found in larger schools. My favorite way to catch them is vertical jigging a ball head jig 1/16- 3/16 " wind and depth of fish play big roll in determining weight of jig to use"  tipped with a fathead or plastic if the bite is really good.  As a general rule, I always try to get by with smallest jig I can get away with. 

[Rick]

Now that's what I'm talking about @Rick G

 

That's perfect advice. Pay attention to @Rick G and be sure to follow him for great advice this ice fishing season. Just click his name and follow.

 

Do any of you find pattern in bays off of lakes. Especially bats on the north side of lakes?

[monstermoose78]

I fish a north bay and I look for a soft bottom where the insects are. Don’t be tempted to fish the deep water with crowds explore away from them and you will be rewarded. I have found in many lakes around Central Minnesota crappies in the deepest basins are not feeding but are trying to avoid pike.

[Rick]

This is great advice as well @monstermoose78. I will add that another reason crappies suspend over a deep basin is because of the plankton rising and dropping from and back to the mud basin below based on light levels.

[monstermoose78]

I like finding aggressive crappies and those feeding flats normally have more aggressive crappies plus some big gills mixed in. 

[monstermoose78]

These crappies came from a feeding flat.

[bbfenatic]

Early ice I am always targeting big crappies not numbers and I always start shallower in the weeds that are still green and I use bigger profile spoons tipped with a minnow head or even a large plastic monnow profile. I find that the larger crappies will  move in for a short while and be feeding on the remaining minnows until they head back out. I fish in that 6-9" area with great results very early ice.

[Rick]

20 hours ago, monstermoose78 said:

I like finding aggressive crappies and those feeding flats normally have more aggressive crappies plus some big gills mixed in. 

Especially early season while you still have green weedbeds.

8 hours ago, bbfenatic said:

Early ice I am always targeting big crappies not numbers and I always start shallower in the weeds that are still green and I use bigger profile spoons tipped with a minnow head or even a large plastic monnow profile. I find that the larger crappies will  move in for a short while and be feeding on the remaining minnows until they head back out. I fish in that 6-9" area with great results very early ice.

You hit the nail on the head.