Fishing for Crappie in the Winter thru early Spring can be unnecessarily tough. It could be the toughest part is actually locating the Crappie. The other difficult aspect of Winter thru early Spring Crappie fishing has shown to be the weather. A reliable area to find Winter Crappie are boating docks.
Dealing with the weather on an open lake in late Fall through early Spring can be trying to say the least. One minute the lake may be calm and the next minute it can be white capping. Fronts can blow in with little notice. This is one reason Winter Crappie fishing can be very challenging.
Boat docks offer Crappie fishermen a place to get out of the weather and gives them a chance to bring home some filets. However, not all boat docks are created the same. Some will hold Crappie while others will be void of any Papermouths. The boat docks you want to look for are those over deep water. Spend a little time searching these types of docks out and you'll be miles ahead of the pack.
To find boat docks over deep water, look for Marina's that have slips for large power boats and sail boats. These boats draft much deep and thus require deep water slips. It's not uncommon to find them moored over old creek or river channels. Find slips like this at a Marina and prepare the hot oil because there is a fish fry right around the corner!
Once you've found a Marina near deep water, with docks near or over drop offs, the next step is to find out what the Crappie want to bite. I use small minnows to begin with to find where the Crappie are holding. Some days, they're suspended halfway between the brush and surface. Other days they'll be holding tight to the brush. On the rare warm days, I've even found them in less than two fee of water.
Once the Crappie are found by using Minnows, you can try and switch over to jigs. If the action is hot enough, you can fill your stringer quicker with jigs than with Minnows. I have no scientific study to prove this, but it seems I also catch the larger slabs in Winter on jigs rather than minnows. The Crappie will also hold in the same areas beneath different slips over deep water. If you catch them at 18 feet beneath one slip, you'll likely catch them beneath most slips at 18 feet. This is the beauty of Winter Crappie fishing.
Don't overlook indoor heated fishing docks. Many larger lakes have at least one Marina that has one. These can be a real life saver when the weather turns nasty. Plus, many also have refreshments for fishermen. This is also an excellent way to introduce children to Winter Crappie fishing. But be warned. Kids can find fishing for Crappie in a heated dock while drinking hot chocolate quite addictive!
Just because you don't have a boat or don't want to fight Ole Man Winter is no reason to miss out on Winter Crappie fishing. The action can be just as fast and furious right at the docks! - 16887
Dealing with the weather on an open lake in late Fall through early Spring can be trying to say the least. One minute the lake may be calm and the next minute it can be white capping. Fronts can blow in with little notice. This is one reason Winter Crappie fishing can be very challenging.
Boat docks offer Crappie fishermen a place to get out of the weather and gives them a chance to bring home some filets. However, not all boat docks are created the same. Some will hold Crappie while others will be void of any Papermouths. The boat docks you want to look for are those over deep water. Spend a little time searching these types of docks out and you'll be miles ahead of the pack.
To find boat docks over deep water, look for Marina's that have slips for large power boats and sail boats. These boats draft much deep and thus require deep water slips. It's not uncommon to find them moored over old creek or river channels. Find slips like this at a Marina and prepare the hot oil because there is a fish fry right around the corner!
Once you've found a Marina near deep water, with docks near or over drop offs, the next step is to find out what the Crappie want to bite. I use small minnows to begin with to find where the Crappie are holding. Some days, they're suspended halfway between the brush and surface. Other days they'll be holding tight to the brush. On the rare warm days, I've even found them in less than two fee of water.
Once the Crappie are found by using Minnows, you can try and switch over to jigs. If the action is hot enough, you can fill your stringer quicker with jigs than with Minnows. I have no scientific study to prove this, but it seems I also catch the larger slabs in Winter on jigs rather than minnows. The Crappie will also hold in the same areas beneath different slips over deep water. If you catch them at 18 feet beneath one slip, you'll likely catch them beneath most slips at 18 feet. This is the beauty of Winter Crappie fishing.
Don't overlook indoor heated fishing docks. Many larger lakes have at least one Marina that has one. These can be a real life saver when the weather turns nasty. Plus, many also have refreshments for fishermen. This is also an excellent way to introduce children to Winter Crappie fishing. But be warned. Kids can find fishing for Crappie in a heated dock while drinking hot chocolate quite addictive!
Just because you don't have a boat or don't want to fight Ole Man Winter is no reason to miss out on Winter Crappie fishing. The action can be just as fast and furious right at the docks! - 16887
About the Author:
Finding Crappie in the Winter isn't so easy. But with these tips and others strategies outline on my blog, you'll soon learn that fishing for Crappie in the Winter can be quite enjoyable. Click on over to start learning how to fill the freezer full of slabs before the Spring crowd gets them.
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