Crappie by Frank K, Slabsrus

With the anchor to my 14 ½ foot tandem kayak set , I float just 3 feet upstream from a bridge on one of our local reservoirs. I extend my 16 foot telescoping pole and tie on 18 feet of 4 pound monofilament line. An orange 1/8th ounce round head jig baited with 2 white Berkley Power Wigglers is attached to the end of my line, suspended under a lightweight stick bobber 12 ½ feet above.
It is early spring and the dam, just 50 feet away, is open and water is running hard to allow ice and snow melt off to leave the lake. The current under the bridge is strong but I know from past experience that the section of bridge I am going to fish has the least amount of current and provides the most current breaks becuase of the 11 old wooden bridge pilings that still stand just under the surface of the water. At this time of year I know the water is about 14feet deep and the crappies will be sitting close to the bottom and out of the current behind the old bridge pilings.
I point my 16 foot pole over the bow of my kayak and slowly sweep it to my left and under the bridge. I start working my jig in the area of the closest bridge piling and it is not long before I am sweeping my pole back to the right, out from under the bridge and pointing it toward the sky to raise a nice crappie to the surface. Releasing the first keeper of the day, I cautiously work my jig down current through the rest of the pilings, pulling several nice slabs out from under the bridge before deciding it is time to try another early spring spot.
A half mile paddle across the lake has me anchored on the south side of a 100 foot long section of rip rap. The rip rap is in a small bay connected directly to the main lake and is one of the first areas of the lake to warm in the spring. Water depth right next to the rip rap is 2 feet but just 50 feet away is an 8 foot drop at the edge of the main lake and on a bend of the river channel, an ideal situation for early season crappies to be in the shallows near the riprap, feeding on minnows or to be staged on the drop waiting to move in. The water here is much clearer than by the bridge due to less current and is much shallower so I switch to my 6 ½ foot ultralight rod and reel combo and a 1/64th ounce chartreuse jig baited with a pearl, soft plastic, micro shad, which gives me the opportunity to present my bait from a distance so the skittish crappie do not see me.
Several casts along the riprap come unanswered so I start to work the 8 foot drop and immediately connect with the staged crappies. My bait is suspended just 2 feet under a clear bobber allowing for a subtle presentation to fish that are high in the water column enjoying the warm rays of the spring sun. 15 or 20 casts puts another dozen nice slabs in my kayak and has me paddling back to the landing, more than happy with the results of both my tackle and location choices for the day.
Tackle for crappie fishing begins with the rod and reel or pole. I have found one general rule of thumb when it comes to gearing up for crappie, light or ultra light is the way to go. Whether you choose to use a rod and reel combo or a pole, anything heavier than light action is usually unnecessary. Light action bamboo or telescoping poles in 12ft - 20ft lengths often work as well as any rod and reel and are a lot of fun. For most situations a 5 ½ ft - 7 ft light action or ultra light rod with an ultra light reel is just fine. Most crappie anglers use lures or baits in the 1/8th oz or less range, with the exception of trolling, which often requires weights up to 1/2 oz or more, so even a medium action rod is often to heavy for adequate casting and bite sensitivity. The same is true for line.
Most lines in the 2# - 6# class work well, depending on the lure or bait being used. I always use monofilament line and almost always use a limp line with plenty of stretch to avoid ripping the paper thin membrane around the mouths of crappies. On rare occasion when fishing heavily weeded or stump filled waters, or those waters that hold exceptionally large crappies, I will load my reels with 6# mono to prevent breaking off lures or large fish. For the most part I use 2# or 4# mono, depending on the depth and clarity of the water and the weight of lure being used.
There are literally thousands of lures available for the crappie angler. Anything from jigs and spoons to crank baits, and spinners. Soft plastics in countless shapes and sizes, grubs, minnows, sliders, tubes, worms, etc. Colors vary drastically between the basics, white, black, blues, greens, to bright, bold hues of chartreuse, pink, blaze orange, and sparkled variations of all the colors. One thing I know for sure is that crappie usually prefer a constrast of colors when it comes to lures. My favorite combos are pink and purple, pink and white, chartreuse and black, chartreuse and brown/tan, or orange and brown/tan. No matter what lure you choose, keep in mind that you are basically trying to replicate some sort of natural food or bait.
Live bait for crappie usually means minnows, but crickets, earthworms, mealworms, waxworms, wigglers and leeches have all worked for me. If you are going to try live bait it never hurts to have more than one type along with you, whether you are sitting on the shore or fishing out of a boat.
Styles of boats for crappie fishing can vary as much as the baits and lures being used. I most often fish from a 14 ½ foot tandem kayak. It gets me quietly into a lot of places that larger, more traditional, fishing boats can not sneak into. When the weather is not to windy my kayak also allows me to fish bigger waters and main lake areas of large reservoirs. Canoes and rowboats work just fine in most situations, but just like the kayak, you must take count of the weather when using such a craft to fish open water. Pontoons are often used, especially when the crappies are spawning in 3 - 6 feet of water where a pontoon with up to a dozen people can sit far enough away to not spook the spawning fish and allow an entire group of anglers to participate in the fast action. The pontoon, however, would not be my choice if I were after crappies in very clear water that is less than 3 feet deep, it would usually be to visible to the crappies. And of course we can not forget the typical fishing boat.
In open or deep waters just about any fishing boat will work, and offer some advantages over previously discussed crafts. Most boats designed specifically for fishing are very stable, even in rough water. They also provide options for the use of fish finders, electric trolling motors, live wells, and casting decks, not to mention large motors for quick trips to new spots or off the lake in the event of oncoming fowl weather. Just keep in mind that the method in which you choose to approach your fishing spot will mean absolutely nothing if you do not know how to find the crappies.
Locating crappies can be achieved in several ways, the most obvious of which would be the use of electronics. When used properly, todays fishfinders and graphs can eliminate a lot of time spent on unproductive waters. Whether used to actually pinpoint fish or just to locate likely fish holding water, electronics can be a time saver but are generally not cheap. For a lot of anglers like myself, electronics are just not an option so we must look for less expensive, yet equally productive, methods to locate crappies.
One of my favorite fish locating techniques is the use of lake maps. A good lake map will show variations in water depths as well as lake bottom composition, man made fish shelters, and fish size and population information. I use maps to locate areas that look to be good crappie waters, then I try to pinpoint the fish by talking to local anglers, bait shop employees, and DNR personel. Combining any or all of these fish locating methods will definitely help in putting more crappies on your hook, but you must first have a basic understanding of where the fish are during the different seasons and how to present your bait according to the specific season and fish location.