Report: North River Crappie

I went fishing on the North River last Friday, March 18. I arrived at the ramp plenty early, motored out to my spot, and had my lines out by 8:00 a.m. The water temperature was up to 63 degrees at the surface.



I got lucky, caught a lot of fish, and was packing it up by noon. I kept 17 crappie for the table. The biggest was a little over 12”.



My strategy was to start where I left them a couple of weeks ago, and then move to shallower water, until I found them. I located some in a cove that was about 6 feet deep. I had my baits set 2’ to 3’ deep. The fish were located on the points at the mouth of the cove, throughout the cove, and all the way in the very back of the cove. I used jig/minnow combos for bait.



During the four hours I fished, I also caught a few big fliers, a Grendel, a cat, and a couple of gars. The gars were conspicuously rolling all over the surface, as is in some ritual. I tried hard not to catch them, but they were there in numbers, all around.



I only saw one other boat on the water that day…what a great way to spend time.



Good luck, everyone!
Id