Early Spring Crappie Fishing Tips

 Early Spring Crappie Fishing Tips


It has been a long challenging winter and one of the most anticipated events in the spring is wetting a line on open water. While ice fishing is fun and productive, there is nothing like being out in the boat after taking a few months off. What truly adds to the open water fishing experience is the thrill of catching big crappies.
There are many fishermen who wait in the spring for the crappies to move in to spawn. Don't get me wrong; if you get crappies on their spawning beds, the fishing can be fantastic! But why wait to the spawn when you can have your cake and eat it too. Crappie fishing right after ice out can be equally rewarding.
The water temperature right after ice out will be very frigid. After a few bright warm sunny days the lakes ecosystem will start to come alive. Many crappies in the early spring will be found deep. These deep water spots regularly will be the last spots the ice fisherman were having success. By using light jigs and minnows in these deep-water spots, chances are you will have solid success. But if you are truly looking for fast action think shallow water.

As the water starts warming up, the insects will start hatching and small bait fish will move closer to shore. When that happens the crappies will move in right behind the food to feed. The best thing about early season crappie fishing is that the finest times of the day to be out is during the peak of late afternoon and early evening when the weather is the nicest. Every lake is different, but the best early season lakes are the more shallow and muddy bottom lakes because they tend to warm up quicker.