I got out fishing first time this season, though not in the boat. Just a little shore side fishing in an inlet off of the CT river in Vermont from where I used to catch crappie during the spawn. But last few years I must have missed them, and haven't caught any there. Or the water was just too filled with algae, which I hadn't seen in prior years.

Anyway, no crappies came to my jig and bobber, though the water was cold and clear, but I also had a second rod bottom rigged with a nightcrawler in a forked stick, thinking maybe I'd find a bullhead while flailing for crappies.

In fact I was surprised by two big early season bluegills on the bottom rig, one 9" and the other 9-1/4", so I had the fun of a first season catch. Both felt quite cold, and I didn't have a thermometer with me. I released them.

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That was it for the morning. But I was also thinking ahead to the summer crappie fishing. I know of a pond where, when fishing for bass with Senkos and big hooks in lily pads, I caught two surprise 13" crappies. Each a year apart. My question is, I'm not sure how to go after them in a smarter way. Maybe I can get some suggestions. I'd love to be able to use my usual 4 pound test crappie rig with 1/16-1/32 oz jigs and tails, but I know they will just hang up instantly on the lily pads, which practically cover the surface, and then I'll lose the lures.

For bass I'm actually using 20 pound braid so I can basically either rip the stems or winch the boat over to the snag to release it. Of course the senko rigged weedless doesn't hang up often, since I fish it weightless. But occasionally it will drop down into the slit in a lily pad leaf and hang that way.

So any suggestions on getting smaller lures more suitable to crappies into this kind of cabbage without losing them every cast? I know they're in there since they are bold enough to hit 5" senkos.

Thanks!