Springtime!

Crappie Characteristics

Crappies often suspend but are not true open-water fish. They frequently suspend in what we call “confined open water.” True open water involves large expanses of water where fish relate to light penetration, water stratification, and forage more than they relate to structure. True open-water fish, like salmon and striped bass, are streamlined and powerfully built.

Confined open water operates on a smaller scale. For instance, the open water that forms the center of a small bay (maybe 50 acres) is easy to interpret as confined. But the water between two main-lake points bordering miles of open water could also be considered confined. Wherever a shoreline, weedline, or the bottom is relatively nearby, you’re probably still in confined open water. That’s the world of the crappie in suspension. The crappie’s body construction is an exercise in moderation. Its flat, relatively compact body allows it to make quick, responsive turns and function in and around weeds and brush. Its moderately sleek head-to-tail hydrodynamic design allows successful but limited use of confined open water.

Much like bass, crappies are ambush predators only when at rest and in a negative or neutral feeding mood. When actively feeding, crappies are hunters. The hunt often takes them where minnows are, and they are adept at tracking minnows in relatively open water or in cover like brush, rocks, or weeds. Resting crappies may suspend in open water, in heavy cover, or somewhere between. The fish are opportunists with a penchant for suspension and a body construction that allows them to function well in several fairly disparate arenas.

Crappies are light-sensitive but in early spring are attracted shallow, where the water is warmer and holds much more food. They may compromise their visual comfort to satisfy needs to forage and find warmer water. Understanding that compromise helps locate them. For instance, baitfish and crappies are attracted to canals in early spring because the water is protected, shallow, absorbs the sun’s energy, and warms more quickly than the main lake. Clear canal water permits substantial light penetration, which is good because it warms the water. Expect crappies to shy from direct sunlight in clear water. So, expect a compromise. Expect crappies to shy away from confined open water in the middle of the canal. Instead, look for them suspended near obvious cover. Crappies use the shadows formed by docks, hoists, old cattails, deadheads, posts, and bluff banks to satisfy the needs of their sensitive eyes while maintaining a vantage where they can watch for prey during the brightest hours of the day. Expect crappies to move away from cover during low-light periods into small areas of confined open water. The big “C” (compromise) concentrates crappies and makes location a little more predictable.

Canals

Canals are man-made extensions of a lake inland to create harbors, sanctuaries for boats, and access. Even prior to ice-out in some lakes, the water in some canals warms enough to draw minnows and activate many species of invertebrates. The best channels are well protected from the wind, have some water color, have only one inlet (as opposed to a “flow-through” canal), and several secondary arms. All these characteristics allow the water to warm faster. The best canals are somewhat complex, providing side channels and an extensive overall area that can hold more baitfish and more crappies. Good canals also provide cover so crappies can make the big “C.”

Generally speaking, good spring crappie fishing is not an early morning affair. Yet, especially in clear-water canals where crappies relate to easily recognized cover, lack of fishing pressure allows you to move from one cover option to the next, picking off fish at each one—crappies that won’t be there later in the day.

If the canal is a “dead end,” the warmest water seems to invariably linger near the back end—the farthest point inland. But, if you rush all the way to the back, it’s possible to miss some good fishing on the way in and spook the biggest fish as you pass by. Whenever possible, fish your way into a canal. Or, in the case of very long canals, start 1/2 to 3/4 of the way to the back end. As you progress toward the back of the canal, keep an eye on your water temperature gauge. It’s always possible that the best fishing is not in the warmest water, in which case you want to know what the water temperature is at all times, to try and recreate the best fishing in days to come.