A hot bunch of crappies can be exactly what the doctored ordered, especially if you happen to be suffering from A.W.S. ( angling withdrawal syndrome). While the activity levels of most of the other target species can be a little suspect, crappies keep on going, and going , and going. Getting your hands on the crappie cure isn’t all that tough, but it does take a basic understanding of how they relate and react to the given conditions.
The first item to get out of the way is selecting a body of water that can provide a better than even chance for producing some big hard water slabs. While crappie water can certainly vary, the choice usually boils down to either numbers or quality. Darker fertile water is more apt to produce numbers, while the clearer variety is more likely to give up fewer but much larger fish. It’s a rare occasion when a system can produce numbers of crappies as well as plenty of big slabs.
An exception to the “dark” rule might be a larger body of water like Rainy Lake on the Minnesota/Canada border. It’s dark but still gives up some gigantic slabs, but you won’t find them everywhere and it will take a lot of work and a little inside information to locate them. Other opportunities for finding numbers of big crappies that are really only short term are lakes that experience a partial winter kill which can leave the survivors with an abundant food supply. Without competition for the limited food source crappies can grow to mammoth proportions, but it will only last so long and one better take advantage of the situation when it presents itself.
The most difficult item on the slab list is actually finding a few crappies, and it begins by taking a look at a map and identifying areas that might concentrate fish. Late ice hot spots include fast breaks and drop offs that break into deeper water, especially if it’s in close proximity to a shallow flat or bay. The base of the break or drop off is a good place to start and you can head shallower or deeper from there.
To find out if there might be any crappies using an area it’s probably going to take a little time, and the use of a good depth finder. With a depth finder like the Marcum LX-5 and a little water you can shoot through good ice and find the depth and actually see fish that are riding up off the bottom. However, more often than not you’ll probably have to work an area over with a suitable presentation before you can give up on it. Mid to late winter crappies can often be found holding belly to the bottom and you might have to coax them up a little before they show themselves. A great option to using a fish finder is the Marcum LXi which is a handheld depth finder designed for shooting through thick layers of ice and can also reveal fish riding up and off the bottom. It’s about the size of a flashlight and has a digital readout on top of the unit that’s easy to read. With a little water and the LXi you can quickly locate potential fish holding structure and save yourself some time.
Now is when the real fun begins and tiny ice jigs and flies tipped with a small minnow or maggot are in order and require some light action gear. Light line in the two to four pound test range is what we’re talking about and can mean more fish at the end of the day, but it does require a soft action rod like the St. Croix Legend Ice LIR24L to help keep from breaking big fish off. The light line will let tiny baits like a Northland Tackle #8 or #10 Spider Ant get down to the proper depth much more quickly and makes for the utmost in finesse. A two pound crappie does have a big mouth and will take a larger bait but you’ll probably do better by keeping everything on the lighter side.
Another factor to keep in mind once you’ve found a few fish is that crappies are inclined to move (at least a little) and especially if some of their kin start to come up missing. That doesn’t mean they’ll move far as it might be only ten feet that way or twenty feet over there. The key is knowing that it does happen and probably will, and you better be ready to make some mini moves to stay with them.
In your quest for the mother of all schools of crappies don’t be afraid to stay late. Crappies are notorious for turning on just before dark, and if you head home too early you might miss out on all the fun. If you decide to stay late it might be a good idea to have some glow baits on hand. The glow can attract fish, and could make a real difference. It only took getting trounced by Team Crestliner members John Janousek and Tracy Pogue of Bemidji, Minnesota one time before I realized the importance of a glow bait. John and Tracy were using Northland Tackle Super-Glo Doodle Bugs and were charging the baits with a Glo-Buster light ever ten or fifteen minutes and were cleaning up. They also attached a Fire-Light Glow-Stick about eighteen inches above the bait and you could actually see the fish come in on the depth finder, look at the Glow-Stick, and drop down and inhale the jig and minnow. The next night I came prepared and was armed with all of the above and had a ball, and learned a valuable lesson. See you on the ice.
Ron AnlaufBy: Ron Anlauf
