Anyone catching any early crappies?
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Anyone catching any early crappies?
I'd be fishing the very shallow water with 1/32 oz jig heads and stinger small plastic baits with some scent on them. I'd fish the north end of the bays and creeks channels with Southern Exposure where the sun shines the longest on that area vs the other areas. Areas with shallow dark bottoms may hold the hatching insects that the minnow and small fish are feeding on. This is where the food chain starts in the shallow warm water. This will be where the submerged weed start to grow and green up first as they will have more sunlight for energy to make photosynthesis work and grow more green plant cells. But that's the way I fish for early spring crappie just after ice out. If I can't find them there then I would work my way out to the deeper water drop off and see if they are staging out there. I'd try the surface water's first then work my way down. The surface waters will be warmer than the deeper waters. Hot water rises. Cold water sinks. There is no real thermocline this time of the year... yet. So the fish will have plenty of dissolved oxygen near the bottom. Also some worms and insects will be food for the crappie early in the year. They also will feed the smaller fish that the larger crappie feed on. And the Gizzard shade which are filter feeders will head to where the algae and zoo plankton are blooming with the warming weather and increased sunlight near the surface waters. The bottom type can be a key ingredient to this Show. Some bottom material are better suited for insect life and crustaceans.
Transition area where a hard bottom goes to a softer type bottom could be key if there are located in the right areas.
[QUOTE=voyles;560224]Anyone catching any early crappies?[/QUOTE]
Anyone catching any thing today? It's going to warm up this Sunday and it should help bring the fish up in to shallow waters where they are easier to catch for most people. Sure they can be caught in deeper waters if you know how to do it and can locate the school of fish and get them to actively bite baits.
[QUOTE=Moveon;560262]I'd be fishing the very shallow water with 1/32 oz jig heads and stinger small plastic baits with some scent on them. I'd fish the north end of the bays and creeks channels with Southern Exposure where the sun shines the longest on that area vs the other areas. Areas with shallow dark bottoms may hold the hatching insects that the minnow and small fish are feeding on. This is where the food chain starts in the shallow warm water. This will be where the submerged weed start to grow and green up first as they will have more sunlight for energy to make photosynthesis work and grow more green plant cells. But that's the way I fish for early spring crappie just after ice out. If I can't find them there then I would work my way out to the deeper water drop off and see if they are staging out there. I'd try the surface water's first then work my way down. The surface waters will be warmer than the deeper waters. Hot water rises. Cold water sinks. There is no real thermocline this time of the year... yet. So the fish will have plenty of dissolved oxygen near the bottom. Also some worms and insects will be food for the crappie early in the year. They also will feed the smaller fish that the larger crappie feed on. And the Gizzard shade which are filter feeders will head to where the algae and zoo plankton are blooming with the warming weather and increased sunlight near the surface waters. The bottom type can be a key ingredient to this Show. Some bottom material are better suited for insect life and crustaceans.
Transition area where a hard bottom goes to a softer type bottom could be key if there are located in the right areas.[/QUOTE]