One of my favourite trips each year is for early season crappies. Manitoba has many lakes that hold these feisty panfish and springtime can dynamite if you know what to look for. When the season opens here on May 15th, these fish should be in shallow warm water.
WATER TEMPERATURE THE KEY!
When the water temperature is in the four Celsius range, crappie position on drop-offs near deeper water, especially if there is vegetation. These are areas near where they spent the winter. One of the key correlations for success is understanding that fish move on certain pathway to their shallow water spawning grounds. You can figure out that road map, you will always find the fish no matter the water temperature.
Weather plays a factor in how the fish are positioned. On a cold windy day, they will hover close to the bottom. If it is a calm, sunny day they will become more active and move up higher in the water column. Crappies might not move shallower but just suspend.
FINDING AND CATCHING SUSPENDED FISH
On my Humminbird Helix 10, I will slowly motor along, using my side imaging to mark fish. Once I find a pod, I drop a waypoint by scrolling my cursor over to the exact spot the fish are at. I then move my boat over a short casting distance away and spotlock with my Minnkota Terrova. If there is wind blowing, make sure you are above the fish so you can cast downwind. Once that is accomplished countdown small lures to these fish or use a slipfloat. I like both methods and if there are two anglers in the boat, try both techniques to see which is most effective.
The critical part in this equation, getting your presentation at the right level. It should be slightly above the fish not below. Crappies love to move up to a bait, so correct depth control is a must!
CLOSER TO THE SPAWN
As we move into late May and early June and the water temperatures reach 15 Celsius (60 degrees) the crappies start thinking about spawning. This means a mass migration to shallow areas that offer cover. That could include logs, branches, cattails and rushes. Cover at this time of the year is critical to spawning success. Once shallow, crappies are in no hurry to leave. They can stay in these areas to the end of June, (and longer) depending on weather and water temperature. They can spook easily in this shallow water, so a quiet approach helps seal the deal.
EQUIPMENT TO USE
I love to use a fly rod with a small streamer when the crappies are shallow or just moving shallower. I was first introduced to this technique by British Outdoor Writer Fred Taylor many years ago. He was over doing a story on the great fishing in the province but also wanted to add a Master Angler crappie to his list. After launching the boat at Lake Minnewasta in Morden we headed out to the closest weed bed and anchored the boat. On the second cast he landed a trophy crappie on his fly rod using a small weighted streamer.
CRAPPIES ON THE FLY ROD AS GOOD AS IT GETS
I will never forget that day and after he went back with a friend to the hotel to celebrate, friend Dino Branfield and I stayed on the water catching one big crappie after another using the same technique.
I relived that a couple of years ago when Dino invited me out to Mary Jane Reservoir. He said the crappie were in shallow getting ready to spawn and I needed to get out there. The night before I dug out my four-weight fly rod, spooled it with a sink tip fly line and tied on a small purple nymph. This worked like a charm as I landed several nice fish. The crappie where in about three feet of water and the slow sink rate of the fly was just what they wanted. There was not a whole lot of weed cover in that area, so the fly worked well. When these fish get into heavier cover, I switch presentations.
I will then use my custom made 11-foot dipping rod. Here you can just drop your bait to obvious cover and pluck out the fish. If I decide to cast a small jig I have a medium light 8’4” rod that is perfect for the job. Combine that with light line and get ready for some great action.
CRAPPIE WATER
In Manitoba, more and more waterways are now producing good year classes of black crappie. The Whiteshell has several rivers and lakes that provide some great fishing. The Lee River has recently become a bit of a hot spot. In the southeastern part of the province Lake Minnewasta has been good for a long time and Mary Jane Reservoir has seen a bit of a resurgence.
One of the keys to maintaining this fishery is release of larger fish. You should have a bump board and release any fish over 11 inches. A 15- inch crappie is probably 13 years old in this part of the world. They are usually female and will be key to maintaining a solid fishery for a long time.
For more information on where to find these tasty fish, go to the HuntFishMB website here.