My Spring Fling

The April Moon Lures Some Of The Bigger Crappie By John Michaels

When the weather begins to go from snowy to rainy to muddy to warm, my thoughts go from other pursuits to fishing.

Truly my thoughts never leave fishing, but at this time of year I can practice what I dream again.

Many believe crappie fishing starts with the first full moon of May. In some areas that may be true, even in my area for most bodies of water.

The smaller lakes and ponds turn on earlier, though. Several small community lakes and most of the farm ponds I fish begin giving up crappie during the full moon of April.

Not just any crappie either, but the really big ones. I am going to tell you what techniques I use for crappie fishing the early months. Maybe this spring your thoughts will turn to crappie too.

I will first discuss methods I use from shore, then I will go into the methods I use from a boat.

BASIC TACKLE

My basic crappie rig is a spinning rod and reel of medium weight with six to 10 pound test line. I use a mostly fluorocarbon line for its invisibility in the water.

Many people use lighter line for crappie, but I like the extra strength for the porkers I usually get this time of year. I sometimes use my ultralight rig, but have found that the early fish seem to be bigger and can strain the limits of the ultralights.

My terminal tackle is always going to start with a stainless steel swivel, usually the ball bearing type. I often use live bait when fishing for crappie, usually minnows.

For a hook I like to use size six or eight circle hooks on a snell about six- to 10 inches long. I make the snell from line one weight class higher then my line on my reel, so if I am fishing with 10-pound test line the snell is 12 pounds.

The circle hooks, or octopus hooks, seem to hook up really well and present the minnows favorably. They can also be obtained in many different colors. I use red to add to the minnow’s wounded appearance.

I hook the minnow through the top lip or through the dorsal fin area. When hooked in the top lip they struggle less and this is usually the first presentation I try. If no bites result I will switch to the dorsal hook-up.

When I hook a minnow in the dorsal area I try to place the hook just behind the center of the dorsal fin. This allows the fish to use its natural swimming motion but prevents it from making any headway or tangling the hook or line in any nearby brush or wood.

TARGET AREAS

I fish many farm ponds and smaller lakes in my area. Several reclaimed strip-mining areas provide beaver made ponds and similar small lakes.

Once you find a small pond or lake with some depth to it (15 to 25 feet) you can look for dropoffs and gravel beds along deeper water to target.

I have found these areas draw the earlier fish first. Woody cover such as downed trees and sunken Christmas trees can add to the attraction.

My favorite spot for the early birds is in a small farm pond (maybe three to four acres) that was once a gravel pit. In a corner there is a shelf or flat about five to seven feet deep that drops off into 13- to 15 feet of water. Along this flat is gravel and some weeds along the edge of the shallower part. At the right edge of this gravel bench is a tree that has fallen in the water and lies on the bottom.

I found this spot while bass fishing this pond. I ran a ????_ ounce inline spinner in white right along the tree. When the fish hit it I thought I had a nice bass on the line. That fish ran and fought like a champ.

When I finally reeled it in it was a two-plus pound crappie. I looked at that area through new eyes then.

The next spring I returned with a couple dozen minnows and my crappie gear. I fished that pond for two hours and caught 17 crappie more than 13 inches long, with four of those being over 14 inches. I also caught many between the 9 and 13 inch range.

The technique I use the most for these early crappie adventures is to use a slip bobber to find the dropoff and the depth and then to fish just at or beyond the dropoff with the minnow about two feet above the edge of it. In areas where there is no dropoff type bottom features, I will fish the edge of the lake opposite the wind direction.

This will be the shore upon which the wind blows the hardest or most directly. I have heard several different explanations for why these areas are productive but I believe they are because the water on top is warmer and it is being pushed to this area by the wind. This draws baitfish and we all know what they are for, FOOD.

Once I have determined where in the lake or pond I will fish I try to determine the depth. Remember that the land above the lake usually continues to some extent below the water. If it is steep country then sharp dropoffs are not impossible; if it is rolling fields then gradually sloping banks are a probability.

Many local community lakes have maintenance personnel that take care of the park or what-have you. They will also be the ones to be implementing any Christmas tree sinking or fish crib placement. Spend some time talking to them and it could pay off.

Once I have figured the depth, probable bottom structure, and the area to be fished it is a simple matter of covering likely looking water until you find the fish.

Crappies do like to school, so if you are getting bites you will probably continue to get bites. If you are not getting bites, cover some more water until you find where the fish are feeding.

Another technique I use to find the fish is to fish one area at progressively deeper depths until you make contact.

When I have access I like to use a boat. This in most cases doesn’t mean I drop in a 19 foot bass boat. In most cases it is my 12 foot car topper, aluminum rowboat. I have carried this boat across more than one soybean or corn field to get into some different areas of a pond or lake. A trolling motor and battery make covering lots of water MUCH easier.

Some community lakes have canoe or boat rentals available. Many people overlook these community lakes as fisheries, due to the usage. I can bet there are fish in there and many are uneducated fish I’m sure. Other than some youngsters shore fishing, few people take these lakes seriously.

BOAT ACCESS

When using a boat my strategies change some. I will often use a 1/4 ounce sinker under a bobber to check the depth in some areas. I will reset the depth of the bobber until I have a known depth and some idea of the lake’s floor structure. Then I will fish the area accordingly, often setting my live baits’ depth just below the surface and working my way down until I contact fish or the bottom. In this case I move to another area and begin the search all over again.

When fishing from a boat I use the same criteria for finding a suitable spot as when I shore fish. Woody cover is a plus, suitable bottom structure and access to deep water are also important.

Crappie like cooler water and more open terrain than most bass. The cover crappie use is often just shadow and slim branches from a fallen tree. The dappled color of crappie work well with the open water and shadow of deeper clear lakes. Access to food is the main thing to look for with crappie.

In the early spring, like we are talking about, the warmer water of a gravel bottom shore draws baitfish, which in turn draw crappie.

Many fishermen believe that the first full moon of May is suitable for crappie. I believe the first full moon of May is more suitable to the fisherman.

The earlier full moon of April tends to find me better fish even if the weather isn’t as comfortable. By John Michaels