Get ready for crappie
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BY JOE DUGGAN / Lincoln Journal Star
The bobber blips, then runs, then sinks.
Fish on!
A fiesty tussle back and forth, a few splashes followed by a thumb-clamp in the so-called “papermouth” and it’s over.
But not for long.
Hitting the repeat button is the great thing about crappie fishing during the spawn. Get on the water at the right time and you can literally catch a crappie on every cast.
The peak of the spawn is generally the right time.
In some years, the spawn might have been almost over by now. But the on-again, off-again spring of 2008 seems to have put the crappie bite on simmer in Southeast Nebraska.
Now it should be ready to boil.
Jeff Jackson, state fisheries supervisor for Southeast Nebraska, said crews running spring sampling studies have been turning up dark-colored crappie, an indicator the fish are ready to spawn. He also noted that they’ve been finding most crappie in shallower water, rather than the dams — an indicator the peak hasn’t passed by.
“Things are going to tear loose,” said Daryl Bauer, reservoir and lakes program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. “If they’re ready to go, they’ll go.”
Which means you’ve got to be ready to go fishing.
Here’s a crappie refresher complete with basic techniques and biology, courtesy of Bauer and Jackson.
What kind?
Nebraska has both white and black crappie, but color represents the least reliable way to identify the type you’re holding.
Sometimes, you can clearly see vertical bands on white crappie, while the specks on black crappie are distributed more randomly.
The only fail-safe identification method involves counting dorsal spines. If a fish has five or six spines, it’s a white crappie. One with seven or eight is a black crappie.
The spawn
Spring typically concentrates the fish in shallow areas where they’re easy to reach by anglers in boats, float tubes and on shore. Not only can anglers catch feeding crappie during the spawn, they also can catch fish guarding their eggs.
As the spawn approaches, male crappie make shallow depressions for nests. The males also guard the nest after eggs are deposited.
Crappie prefer to locate nests near structure, such as submerged logs, brush piles, Christmas trees, weed beds, bulrushes, beaver lodges or rocks. So look for shallow structure to find spawners.
Also, look for humps or other structure that represents transition areas between deep and shallow water. Often, crappie will stage near such structure as they prepare to spawn.
Biologists believe the amount of daylight combined with water temperature triggers the spawn. Crappie will spawn in water roughly between 60 and 65 degrees.
The right tackle
Go light.
An ultralight spinning rod and reel with 4-pound test monofilament is perfect. And while it may be dismissed as primitive, a cane pole can slay crappie, because bait and lure placement are more important than features and casting.
The joy of bobbers
Call it a “strike indicator” if it makes you feel more sophisticated, but bobbers were made for crappies. Actually, indicating a strike is the secondary purpose; keeping the lure or bait in the strike zone is the primary reason to clip on a bobber.
Bauer advised matching the size of the bobber with the size of the tackle. In other words, use as small a float as possible.
Set the bobber a couple of feet above the bait or lure to start, but raise and lower it if you’re not getting bites. Slip bobbers are best when fishing deep, which might be necessary in clear-water — generally not an issue in Southeast Nebraska.
Minnow magic
Be they fatheads or shiners, minnows generally are regarded the best bait for crappie.
Use fairly small hooks when minnow fishing, such as No. 8 or No. 6. The smaller the minnow, the smaller the hook.
A single, small split-shot sinker a half-foot or so above the hook will help keep the minnow down. Some anglers, however, like to forgo the weight so the minnow swims free.
Jigging for slabs
A variety of jigs work well for crappie: Roadrunners, marabous, Beetlespins, twister tails, Fuzz-E-Grubs and tubes. Try a variety of colors to find the hot one, but white, chartreuse, yellow and black are the usual suspects.
As for size, go as small as you can. Bauer likes 1/32 and 1/16 if the conditions, in particular the wind, will let him get away with it.
Selective harvest
We all know crappie are great to eat, but just because regulations allow you to keep 30 doesn’t mean you should. Keep what you need and release the rest.
If you are going to harvest fish, make sure you know which public lakes require a minimum length limit of 10 inches.
To help develop a higher density of crappie exceeding 12 inches, Brauer recommended releasing the big ones and keeping 10-inchers for cleaning.
As for those who argue against keeping crappie during the spawn, Bauer pointed out that a single female can deposit 38,000 eggs. So while a lake can certainly be overfished, especially of big crappie, keeping some to eat won’t eradicate them.
Where to fish
Many privately owned farm ponds hold crappie, but make sure to get permission before you fish. They have a name for doing otherwise — trespassing.
Jackson said fisheries staff have been sampling good numbers of crappie at Stagecoach and Wagon Train lakes near Hickman. Czechland Lake north of Prague has also been showing strong numbers of crappie.
Branched Oak Lake north of Malcolm may not have the crappie density of the other reservoirs, but you’re likely to catch bigger fish there.
Reach Joe Duggan at 473-7239 or jduggan@journalstar.com
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Thanks for the article. Reminds me of days spent catching crappie almost faster than I could get the jig in the water! lol! "