Crappie

Average length of the Crappie is around 6 to 14 inches and it's weight averages around 1.5 to 2 pounds but they can reach up to 5 pounds. Its silvery green to yellowish on top with sides marked with black blotches. Common names for the Crappie are: Speckeled perch, specks, papermouth, bachelor perch, calico bass and moonfish. It is commonly found in Lake Of The Woods, Rainy Lake, Lakes Dinorwic and Wabigoon, Rice Lake and Lake Simcoe.

Popular Baits For Crappie

As crappies are versatile eaters, meaning they eat most types of worms, small crayfish and minnows and insects, there is a countless number of baits that worked for a countless number of people.
Some of the most popular baits are: minnows/shiners, tube jigs, Maribou jigs, curly tail grubs, and various spinners.

Where To Look For Crappies

Spring: Crappies spawn during spring to early summer. During this time look for high concentrations of crappies in the shallows. People often do not feel when a crappie takes the bait so lifting and dropping the line gently and continually is a good idea to hook these gentle biters. Each lake is different but the north side usually warms up quicker than the south side of the lake so try the north shallows first. Map out warmer parts of the lake to find early spring crappies.

Summer: As the water warms up in the summer crappies tend to move into deeper water with the same bottom cover as the shallows they frequent. Many fish gather together on the deep side of a drop off in water up to six to twelve feet deep outside shallow bays. Other good places to look for crappies are at the mouths of slow narrow channels, shallows at dawn and dusk where crappies return to feed, and areas less than a 100 yards out from a fast moving bay opening. Searching large formations of rock piles in deep water, as well as weed beds and bursh piles will yield results. Summer crappies also follow schools of smaler fish so you should make note of where the smaller fish like to feed.

Fall: During the fall crappies move back to shallow bays. Look for new brush piles for big crappies. If they are not biting, try forcefully hitting the pile with a stick and then fish the pile again. Experiment to find the right combination of depth, bottom cover and water temperature for clusters of crappies.