Crappie method question of attack

I am going to a fish for crappie beginning this week.

What would be your plan of attack locating the crappie and their movement.

I figure they were deep, now that it is raining and the equinox have arrived I would assume they would move shallow looking for minnows. I will fish with jigs and minnows both to see what is working.

MY THEORY IS that the sunlight will begin producing the plankton and minnows should begin feeding off plankton. The new growth should most likely begin on the north side of the lake in shallow areas?

My plan is to look for underbrush and shallow warmest waters.

What is your opinion?

What else should I try?

If I fish two days a week how would I guess there movement?

What lake do you plan on fishing? Makes a big difference in tactics. KY Lake I would start out fishing 2 feet deep in the middle of the creek channels 3/4 of the way back. You don't have to fish structure there for Black Crappie. If its T-Ville or similar I would try about 6 ft deep around brush. Using minnows under a slip cork

Sounds like a very good plan.
Remember to look for good bottom types in the shallows that are near the spawning areas and prespawn staging areas. The fish may not be spawning just yet but they should be in the prespawn areas and heading into shallows when it warms up to feed before actually spawning. Also remember that not all the fish spawn at the same time or in the same spots. Some fish spawn earlier (black crappie). The larger fish may spawn first. White crappie may spawn in deeper water if the water is clear.

I'd recommend checking the shallows in the late afternoon after the sun has been up and shinning on these areas for a few hours. Shallow water temps will rise in the afternoons following prolonged sunlight exposure. And at this time of the year if the sky is clear at night the shallows will cool rapidly. Fish may stage near the shallows along the first or second drop off.

You are absolutely right about the food chain starting with the sunlight. Don't forget that the upriver sections of a lake or reservoir warm up first. The steams feeding the upper sections of a lake may also have better color due to more fertilizer run off being dumped into the upper end of the lake. So not only is the water running off the land warmer but it will have more phosphorus which is a limiting nutrient necessary for life.

[quote=motalot;291132]I am going to a fish for crappie beginning this week.

What would be your plan of attack locating the crappie and their movement.

I figure they were deep, now that it is raining and the equinox have arrived I would assume they would move shallow looking for minnows. I will fish with jigs and minnows both to see what is working.

MY THEORY IS that the sunlight will begin producing the plankton and minnows should begin feeding off plankton. The new growth should most likely begin on the north side of the lake in shallow areas?

My plan is to look for underbrush and shallow warmest waters.

What is your opinion?

What else should I try?

If I fish two days a week how would I guess there movement?[/quote]

Absolutely correct. The lake size and type will have an effect on when and where the fish will be. KY lake is a flatland reservoir and will have different spawning areas than a Canyon type lake.

And KY lake is a very large flatland reservoir as compared to a lake such as reel foot lake which is more or less an old oxbow type lake off the Mississippi River.

Crappie will adapt to each lake type. But a crappie is still a crappie and they have the same needs in all lakes.

Early springtime is easy pickings when the fish come to the banks. Easy pickings for bank fisherman and those with boat that pound the banks. But crappie can be caught in deep water also at various times of the year.

This time of the year the water temp is key. And water temp is dependent on the sunlight and bottom type as well. Crappie need to reproduce in the spring and therefore they are looking for water that will help their eggs and fry develop.

I think what the gentleman was trying to say is that since KY lake is much larger it takes a lot longer to warm up. But shallow bays that are protected from north winds and exposed to the Southern Sunlight can warm up pretty fast. KY lake may have fish suspended in the upper layers taking advantage of the relatively warmer surface waters and waiting for the right time to head horizontally over to the shallows. And the fish will follow the creek channels from the main lake back into the bays. Just remember that some reservoirs like KY lake have silted in over the last 50 years. Those old creek channels may not be filled in with sediment.

Field and Stream has a great article by Don Wirth who was talking to a locaal Ky Guide by the name of Garry Mason. You might want to check it out. It talks all about spring crappie and where to fish for them and how to get them to bite in pre-spawn conditions. This is the March edition, page 77. Has great top and side view maps on how to approach this type of fishing.

There are as many methods are there are fishermen.But my plan depends on the water temps and the season. natural lales, which are few in Ky, need different tactics.Pre spawn, deeper water, spawn, shallower water structure, after spawn, suspended fish. I spider rig in pre spawn, fish visible stucture during the spawn, this visible can be above water or below, watch your depth finder,some dedicated crappie fishermen build thier own underwater structure.But heres the best tip,watch the fishermen who are dedicated crappie fishermen.Clear lakes are a different problem,stained lakes are easier to fish,wish there was just a few great tips, that way I wouldn't need 12 ft rods, ultra light rods, and heavier trolling rods.. It takes time to build a workable attack. Methods that work in reelfoot, wont work at dale hollow. What works at dale. will not work in some large minnesota lakes. I guess what I'm trying to say, is find the method that YOU enjoy, and just go out and enjoy fishing, too much thinking makes my head hurt, and my wallet thinner. Use the KISS system, or wind up like me, boxes and boxes of tackle, used for a specific species, and the more you learn, the more you need to buy.Its called fishing for a reason.