Crappies are a perfect early ice target as they can usually be caught once they’re found. In fact they’re a great target all winter long and don’t seem to go through the ups and downs that other species go through. They just keep on feeding, and feeding, and feeding, and why they receive so much attention. Even so it will take a basic understanding of crappie movements and their feeding habits to make the most out of what lies ahead.
Finding fish is of course the most important item on the “slab list”and starts by taking a look at a map and trying to identify high percentage hot spots. You can do it on paper or you can do it on a G.P.S plotter combination like my Humminbird Matrix which has the ability to plug in and display high definition maps. The Navionics Hot Maps have been re-surveyed and are incredibly accurate and can be your best source for dead on plug and play info. You can also use the plotter to go directly to the potential hot spots that you’ve uncovered and is the quickest and most efficient way to get there. In either case; look for major points that drop into deeper water, especially if they’re positioned outside of a shallower bay. Shallow bays play the role of nursery to all kinds of minnows and baitfish that spend most of the summer and early fall living and growing in the relative safety that shallow water and cover can provide. However by the time the first layers of ice develop a mass exodus occurs and which will lead a lot of that food out of the bay and directly into the path of predators waiting for their supper to come to them. Crappies will set up and wait it out and move in for the kill when the time is right. Absent the shallow connecting bay try looking for quick breaking drop offs near shallow flats, especially if you know they were covered with weeds.
To find out if there’s any crappies in the neighborhood scan the entire area with an electronic depth finder and look for a group of fish holding off the bottom. Crappies spend most of their lives suspended and are easily marked on a good depth finder. They also tend to hold tightly together and move in unison as a school or pack and can be difficult to differentiate between them and suspended schools of baitfish. On a great depth finder like the Marcum LX-5 you can actually zoom in on a school and see if you’re looking at a group of individual marks or nothing more than a ball of bait. If you’re in a likely looking area; make sure your search is a thorough one before you give up and head for greener pastures. Don’t expect to find fish stacked to the ceiling either as you’re more likely to find a little school hear and maybe another over there. They may be anywhere along a break, and could even be holding out away from any break or structure suspended over deep water. The only way to find them is to keep moving and looking and not stopping until you start to mark fish.
Once you’ve marked a few fish its time to drill some holes and wet a line.
When you start cutting try to open a few directly over the fish, as well as few in either direction including deeper and shallower. With a super fast power auger like Eskimo’s Z51 it doesn’t take that long to get the job done and you might as well do it up front. Crappies seem to have a hard time standing still for any length of time and you can usually expect them to move. They may not move that far but they will move, especially if some of their brothers and sisters come up missing. By drilling a few extra holes you can stay with them as they make minor shifts in location.
Finding first ice crappies is the toughest part while catching them is usually easy. You still have to get it right though and there are a few things to consider when putting together a bullet proof presentation. For one thing crappies have the ability to forage on a variety of food sources and finding exactly what they want on any given day is the challenge. The key is being prepared to offer them a couple of dining options like small minnows, waxies, or euro larvae. Minnows are the standard and it usually pays to have a few with. Smaller crappie minnows are the ticket and can be rigged below a small float with a plain hook or more preferably a tiny ice jig like the #8 Northland Tackle Forage Minnow Fry. The Forage Minnow has a razor sharp hook and flat sided body with reflective sides that help to get it noticed and also comes in Super-Glo patterns for darker water and lowlight situations. Another option is using a small jigging spoon like a 1/16oz Forage Minnow Spoon tipped with a piece of minnow or a waxie, minus the float. Getting a bait down the hole is a lot more quickly done when you don’t have to wait for the line to work its way through a slip bobber. The spoon wins the speed race and is the fastest way to put a bunch of fish on the ice but once you get it front of them take it easy. Hard snaps and aggressive jigging techniques can spook otherwise co-operative fish and soft and subtle strokes are more likely to get their attention and keep them interested. Keep in mind that crappies are fodder for larger predators like northern pike and are programmed to avoid too much slash and flash. A medium light action spinning rod and reel like Northland’s new Trick-Stick Gold Series model TSPC-28ML loaded with four pound test line is a perfect small spoon combination. The rod is long enough and soft enough to handle the paper thin mouth of a big slab and still provides excellent feel which will help you detect the lightest of bites. See you on the ice.
Ron AnlaufBy: Ron Anlauf
