It's Crappie Time Again
After a long long winter the ice is finally gone or almost gone off most of the lakes in southern Ontario. This means "CRAPPIE TIME". It's not long after the ice is gone that the Crappie are moving into the shallows on a feed run to fatten up before they spawn. This can be some of the best Crappie action of the season as they move into shallow back bays, creeks and inlets and usually in big numbers. Fishing them under a slip float can be the most productive way to catch them when they are in the shallows. A crappie's eyes are situated on the top of their heads so they always feed up. I will keep adjusting my float until I find the right depth that they are aggressively feeding at. This could be 12 inches of line below the float in 3 feet of water, the important thing is to stay above the fish. A couple of my favourite baits for running under my floats are Trigger-X 3" Minnows and the 2.5 Paddle Tail Minnow. Trigger-X has a new bait out for 2014 the 1.5" Mustache Worm that is fast becoming a new favourite of mine for Crappies and all other panfish. And remember this is also a great time to get the kids out on the water when the weather becomes a bit warmer and the action heats up. Fish On!
1 anglers like this post
Chris Cappuccitti
Scott,
I am very jealous that you have already been out on the open water :)
I have high hopes for the new Trigger X Mustache bait. So many different ways to fish the little gem.
Richard Ofner
Have never gone for Crappie but I will be trying this week. Thanks for the tips.
Daniel Miguel
great tips Scott!! Can't wait to catch a bunch of slabs really soon!
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