Finding Springtime Crappie

[bassjunky]

So I moved to this area last October and have not yet got a chance to fish open-water crappies. I told the fishinf is good but Im new to crappie fishing and dont know where to start.

as the water is warming up...where do the crappies move to? This lake has some excellent weedbeds and it also has some nice flats of soft sand bottom....rock structure and such....Where should I start?

The easiest access is to walk the shoreline and fish about 5-15 feet of water..sand bottom and rock edges. I have been out once with no luck.

any suggestions?

[pikemaster789]

just after ice out the fish are in shallow, really shallow tryign to get any heat they can. i get my iceout crappies in 8in-2ft of water, especially in canals. as it warms they slowly move deeper. by summer fish the edge of weedbeds. look for schools of minnows

[sbfpa_Mike]

Sand is GOLD!!!! Your next task is narrowing it down to the good sand. Think in terms of Walleye if you have ever fished them. Maybe you need to find some gravel next to sand or maybe just gravel. Talk to the locals and get a starting spot. You can make your own deductions from there.

Mike

[Buckski]

Fish anything that helps to raise the temps of the water.
Shallow water
dark bottoms of the lake, depends on the lake, could be muck, sand, gravel of small size ect.
Fallen timber.
Weeds
shallow water with mixed bottom types.

Good luck and every lake is different, alos try the breaks near post spawn and pre spawn, we found crappies last day of ice fishing on a flat postioned between the deep and shallow water.
Deep 21 fow shallow less than 5 fow!

[Sluggo]

bassjunky,

I live about an hour and a half north of K-Town.  All of our honey holes are back bays that are very sheltered and warm up quickly.  The darker the bottom the better.  Shallow warm water is key.  If you can find that they should be stacked up in there like cord wood!

Good Luck.
Drew

[bassjunky]

Where are from SLuggo?...

[Sluggo]

Where are from SLuggo?...

The metropolis called Carleton Place...................

Drew