I enjoy the occasional ice fishing trip, but my preference is wide open water. So I didn't mind Mother Nature letting loose her icy grip a couple weeks ago. It's now time to chase crappie and it's a great time to catch plenty of the tasty slabs. I tried it a few days ago with a couple friends.
Conditions were frigid as a cold front had dropped temp's to the mid-20's and a howling northeast wind was kicking up white caps. Undaunted, we headed out in search of schools of crappie. Fishing was good, but catching was poor, at least for the first couple hours as we only had a handful of fish to show for our efforts. However, we kept plugging away and finally ended up with a respectable mess of 33 crappie and one walleye. Slow by normal standards but enough for a few tasty meals.
Crappie now can be found on river channel or natural breaks. Throw in some brush pile fishing and the options are plentiful. It's just a matter of locating hungry fish and good electronics are crucial and understanding them is even more important. Most crappie are caught in 20-35-feet of water. Jigs for this depth are ideal at 1/4-ounce and tipped with a variety of plastics of assorted colors. Pay attention to which ones are producing and duplicate it on other rods. Sensitive braided line is an asset in deeper water, too.
Fish are still bunched up with the water temp's hovering around 40 degrees, but it won't be long and they'll scatter. That's a fish story for another day.
Good fishing!
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