CRAPPIES

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As the warmth of approaching spring embraces the Northwoods our lakes and rivers grudgingly shed their winter armor. The warming of the waters and the gradually increasing length of daylight triggers reproductive rituals in the spring-spawning fish that reside in these bodies of water. This annual rite of renewal in our fisheries is eagerly anticipated by anglers everywhere but the fever pitch of anticipation is particularly obvious here in northern Wisconsin where throngs of anglers will come on opening weekend with hopes of putting a few walleyes in the pan.

While there is no question that the walleye is king in the early part of the open water season, many savvy anglers know that good numbers of crappies can also be had during this time period. The key to successful early season crappie fishing is knowing where and how to find the fish and being willing to adapt your presentations to the current conditions. It has been my experience that in the colder springs crappies may still be in winter patterns when the open water season begins. In such years I'll be looking in deeper water over mud flats with my electronics.. What I'll be looking for is large schools of suspended fish in 15 feet of water or deeper. Often schools of crappies will appear on my locator screen in the shape of a "Christmas tree"....a black cloud that is pointy at the top and widens at the bottom These suspended fish will usually respond to slip bobber rigs with small minnows on a plain hook or a 1/32 oz. jig tipped with Berkley's Crappie Nibbles or Micro Power Baits. You'll have to adjust the depth of your presentation until you find active fish. If you are using artificial baits be sure to bring a selection of colors along. On certain days and on certain waters the right color may be the difference between hot action and little or no action.

When warmer weather is present the crappies will usually be found in shallower water in the warmest bays on the lake. Warmest bays are usually warmer than other bays on a lake because they receive more sunlight (bays on the north shores) and have muck bottoms (they absorb more of the sun's energy). The preferred spawning water temperature for crappies is between 61 and 68 degrees. As water temperatures approach the preferred levels crappies will be found near moderately weedy or brushy shallow bays. Once again the slip bobber rig is a very effective means of catching crappies in the shallows. It is not uncommon to set slip bobber rigs to a depth of only one to two feet! It has also been my experience that fishing the shallows late in the afternoons on sunny days can provide some very intense action. Water in the shallow bays will be at its warmest on sunny afternoons and the warming shallow water draws crappies from their pre-spawn staging areas in the adjacent deeper water. This activity pattern usually exists from mid-May into June. The Eagle River and Three Lakes portions of the Chain have numerous crappie hotspots with some spectacular fish in the mix. Crappies in the 14 to 16 inch range are not uncommon.

Having acknowledged the fact that there are many large crappies present on the Chain of Lakes I must stress that the largest of these fish should be returned to the water to pass on the genetics that produced them to other generations. It wasn't too long ago that the fish gurus preached that stunted panfish populations were caused by over-population. It was thought that many fish competed for a limited food supply and as a result none of the competing fish were able to eat enough of the forage base to achieve a large physical size. Current thinking on the subject sees the necessity of large fish genes being present in the breeding population in order to produce large fish. Hence, the need to return the largest fish to the water.

As the season progresses crappies will move to their summer haunts. They may be found around fish cribs in deeper water, shallow stumpy areas and sparsely weeded areas with open pockets among the weeds. On clear water lakes the crappies may be spooky and will scatter at the approach of a boat. This presents a special challenge to the angler. Bait presentations must be made from a distance in order to avoid scaring the fish. Again, slip bobbers are very effective. Adjust the bobber stop until you get some action. If the structure that is holding the crappies happens to be a crib or a brush pile, set the bobber stop so that the bait drifts just over the brush without snagging.

Another method used to get at spooky crappies is casting a small jig with a small tube attached or a beetle-spin with a grub body on it. Cast these baits past the structure and allow them to free-fall to the structure while keeping the line tight. Set the hook in a sweeping motion when a strike is detected. Finally, one of my favorite methods to get at easily spooked panfish in weedy shallows is the casting bubble. These hollow clear plastic devices allow me to set the depth to which the bait will drop. They also allow me to let a small amount of water into the bubble to give it some added weight to increase the distance of my cast. I use a "Redball" jig with a tiny silver plastic minnow attached below the casting bubble. With a limber 7-foot rod the bubble and jig combo can be tossed a country mile. When the bubble hits the surface the trailing "Redball" slowly flutters down to the pre-set depth. Most of the time, if I have picked the right weed bed, I'll have a fish on almost as soon as the bait hits the water.

If you are in the Eagle River area and have already taken your limit of walleyes you just might want to try your hand at catching a bucket of crappies. On light tackle they are fun to catch and they make wonderful table fare. Good luck and be safe on the water.

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