Top Early Crappie Pattern Revealed!!!

If you can find this pattern it is explosive great for crappies and gills. If you have a muddy backwater close to wintering areas that could be the spot. Ice goes out and you now have about a week to get out there, you need a sunny day and wind blowing into the area might help, you need warm water, warm might mean just a couple of degrees. Bite will start around 3 and might go till sunset.
If the backwater or channel is a bit sandy, no go. If it is too cut off from where there wintering areas are nope (crappies are lazy God bless them!) I only reveal this because I’m looking for a new lake with this pattern, I had one but it froze out, the lake is coming back but it will be a few years, the lake gave us fish from 9-15”. Anyway where have you seen this pattern? I will stay mum.
Thanks

Thats one strange way to ask for someone’s crappie spots

Thanks! You gotta bring something to the table right? 2-3 years that lake I mentioned will be ‘lights out’ again; I’ll share that one (gladly pay you tuesday…)

Yeah, I never understood why fish like to congregate into that run off tunnel that leads to a shallow pool next to the main lake. I may have fished it for fun one time too many and now there’s a whopping crowd there. Ah the spring time fish.

For the years we spanked them on the lake that is froze out we never saw a single boat or anyone on the shore. 2 spots on a lake by Bear I might try. Anyway hope this post helps someone. BTW even though the fish might run into a spawning area it has nothing to do with the spawn, think they run in for buggies.

I know many lakes in my area that hold spring fish in the next few weeks.
The higher water levels have also helped with that.

I found some great spawning areas at the end of last years spawning run. I plan on sitting in the staging areas just out from there and move up with the water temps.

It seems to me that Crappies start spawning when the water temp is closer to 60 degrees. Right after ice out the water is considerably colder than that. Early spring I’m looking for a shallow, mucky bottom bay on the north side of a lake. These small dark bays warm up first, and when they do the insect life wakes up and get active. This is the first concentrated food source of the year, and the Crappie will swarm into a spot like this to take advantage. As a fly fisherman I can’t wait to find this situation, You can do really do well with small nymphs fished a few feet deep.

SR

Steve Root wrote:

It seems to me that <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>Crappies start spawning when the water temp is closer to 60 degrees. Right after ice out the water is considerably colder than that. Early spring I’m looking for a shallow, mucky bottom bay on the north side of a lake. These small dark bays warm up first, and when they do the insect life wakes up and get active. This is the first concentrated food source of the year, and the <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>Crappie will swarm into a spot like this to take advantage. As a fly fisherman I can’t wait to find this situation, You can do really do well with small nymphs fished a few feet deep.

SR

X2

North is key but it does not have to be on the N. side of the overall lake-you could have a bay or slough with a inside turn and a section that faces north, but
is on the south end, muddy, close to wintering areas maybe only 3 degrees warmer and you are gold. As far as I know the only fish thinking about the spawn is perch

The same pattern Tim mentioned is fishing a local lake I’ve fished for 40 years just after ice out. This week crappie, sunfish and a few bass are being caught in water near 50 degrees but only in the depth of 4.5’next to the club parking lot and connected by a channel to the main lake.

One of the members used a float and light lure beneath it and caught mostly crappie and some sunnies and bass. In a week the fish will go back out to open water and other areas to spawn.

Got it Spoon-they are not there to spawn or even wait to spawn, one week and they will be back in winter areas. Find a little piece of slightly warmer water over muck, practice your cough for the boss right now-have everything ready, best day might be a tuesday.

Good thing I retired 10 years ago!

Even the Musky guys say fishing during the week is a big advantage, plus if you fish shallow stuff around the spawn you can really get blocked on the weekend, so yup, retire, best fishing advice yet.