Crappie Q n A - Your Thoughts?

[drolfson]

Question Asked on another Board:

About the last ten years I've had great fun right after Ice-Out Catching Crappie in ponds. Using a tiny hair jig(various colors but yellow/black seems best)of 1/64 oz or smaller just 6 to 12 inches under a float. Mainly over a 10 to 15 foot bottom. I've been hammering Crappie like that but I've always wondered why they are there. This is even before the migration to the shallow northwest bays begins, days after ice out. I've suspected that the surface water may warm a degree or two and that they follow the bait fish into that tiny warm zone. That could be totally wrong, which is why I was wondering what Daryl or anyone else thinks about that scenario. It works like a charm, really consistent fishing, very early season but I know of no one else who uses that technique. So I was wondering if anyone could confirm my suspicion?

Answer Given: (by fisheries biologist in area if that matters )
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>You're asking for speculation, I can do that. In a pond I'm guessing the 10-15 feet may be close to the deepest, if not the deepest, water in the pond. Certainly the crappies will spend the winter in that area of the pond and that is where you are finding them shortly after ice out. Even after they begin moving shallower in the the early spring they will still drop back to deeper water following a cold spell (and we always get lots of those each spring).

Are you catching them just under the surface over that deep water on nice days? And I would guess that you are fishing those jigs S-L-O-W, like just letting them sit much of the time?

Even just after the ice leaves a water body, on warm days, often you can see some kind of insect hatches occurring. So the crappies or baitfish the crappies are feeding on could be rising to the surface over deep water because there are some aquatic insects of some kind there. Or there could simply be some zooplankton there that rise towards the surface on a warm sunny day, and then the baitfish are feeding on those zooplankton. One thing is for sure, a few degrees of warmer water in early spring can be the focus of the entire aquatic food chain. Your observation about the little layer of warmer water near the surface is probably right on.

I would guess that unless the water is dirty, the crappies are actually sitting deeper in the water column and then rising up to feed on natural prey or your small jigs. If you ever watch crappies in an aquarium you will see that they are master "sneakers." They spot a prey item at a distance and then they just kind of nonchalantly drift over that way ("don't mind me mister minnow, just a friendly ole crappie drifting around here in the water enjoying the day" ). Then they get within striking distance, especially if they have that prey item pinned up against some type of cover or structure or the surface of the water where they cannot get away, and all of a sudden the gills flare and the mouth opens and BYE-BYE prey item.

Don't get me wrong, when crappies are really "on" they can pursue prey and put on a good feeding frenzy, but they are masters of the slow sneak, habituation, plan of attack. That is why slow presentations and keeping your baits at the same productive level are so important in most crappie fishing.

I'll quit rambling now. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Now, what do you think of the question and answer?

Don

[Fly_Line]

Sounds right on the money from what I have previously read and experienced. This actually starts before ice out as the days get longer more light means plankton. I experience this in late season ice fishing (it is starting right now). The crappies will be feeding right under the ice suspended over the deepest water you can find.

[white43]

Several years ago I was fishing with a buddy on a nearby lake shortly after ice out. He was bent on catching crappies and had a pale of minnows. I was fine with sunnies (bluegill). I was doing the overhand retrieve and doing well, and he was fidgety with hardly any action. I was using a very small and weighted wooly bugger tied with peacock herl. To give my hand a rest I did a standard strip and bang! a very nice crappie. Our first of the day. Using that little fly, which looked nothing like a minnow, I creamed them. Since I've used a Hare 'N Copper in the spring and done equally as well with crappie. Before that accidental hookup I would have never guessed it was possible to catch crappie on a fly. Since they've become a "destination" fish. With those flinty mouths they're even more game, and put up a whale of a fight. I've done pretty well with small (size 10) Clousers yellow over white, but nothing even comes close to the Hare 'N Copper. I've been asked this before ? it's a fly I picked up in New Zealand, a nymph I suppose, although I don't know much about trout fishing. I wrap a 10, 12 or 14 with a few wraps of lead wire, tie in a copper wire ribbing, then dub with natural zonker hair or brownish dubbing, then bring the ribbing over the top. You can also palmer in a hackle wing but I don't. JGW

[This message has been edited by white43 (edited 16 February 2005).]

[ohiotuber]

Don,
I agree...keeping the bait at the same level seems to pay off. My favorite fly for them has always been the black ghost streamer....seems to be perfect for 'em.

(Enjoyed those emails, did ya?)
Mike

[Rick Z]

I find them in areas like that on ponds all summer. You need to fish slow to get them. I put some foam on some of my patterns and this helps them suspend.

Crappie are great fun on a fly rod.

Rick

[drolfson]

Sounds like you all are in the same boat as me. I agreed with both people, and even added ou rlittle discussion about micro-jig flies to that thread. I am SO looking forward to the ice coming off in the next couple of weeks so I can go take advantage of this little tidbit!!

I have used small crappie candy the last couple of years on a short leader at the end of a floating line. V E R Y slow retrieve, like a couple of inches a second. I got me a 3wt just for this time of year and the fun gill season ahead.

Tuber, yes, both I and my teammates liked the e-mails!

Don

[This message has been edited by drolfson (edited 16 February 2005).]

Hey Drolfson,
They are just coming up to see if the ice is off yet. Kinda like what the ice fisherman do when it starts getting cold, only in reverse!
Seriously, I think what the fisheries pro.
had to say is probably correct.
As that time is getting closer again, good luck and have fun!