The Underfished Slabs of Early Ice
By Dave GenzDespite living in walleye country USA, I confess, crappies qualify as my first ice angling priority. Some guys wait until later in the season, but by following a simple formula, you'll catch a mess of early ice slabs.
For early season crappies, consider what happens post-turnover — the warmer water sinks. Finding that warmer water adjacent to healthy green weed beds (and the baitfish congregating in the vicinity) should be your early ice priority. Crappies will stay near healthy weeds, and especially in the Upper Midwest states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, I see a phenomenon where crappies drop into deeper, nearby holes. These wintering holes are not far from the summer weed bed habitat. Here's the basic location formula: a mid-range flat, 8 to 14 feet deep, that gradually deepens for some distance, say to 18 feet, then drops off. Add a muddy bottom and you've hit pay dirt. Why the muddy bottom? First, let's identify it on your electronics. Most depthfinders show a solid red line for a hard bottom. That's not what we want. We're looking for a stratified or bumpy-looking bottom, which is soft (i.e., muddy), because it holds more insects, and minnows (baitfish) feed on these.
Black crappies especially have fine gill rakers so they can sift zooplankton out of the water column in such locations. On evenings when zooplankton are rising, black crappies are moving steadily through such areas.
Blood worms (midge larva) will be mixed in there, too, and they're more common at night. Clear lakes often show a rise of blood worms at night that's so heavy you'll see static on your Vexilar. That's a good sign. Those muddy-bottom lakes cranking out midge larva can support more fish per acre, so they're good places to search for bountiful crappies.
When researching lakes, keep an eye on vegetation. On even the poorest maps you'll see shallow grade areas with cabbage, coontail, or even milfoil, then you need spawning weeds like hardstems rushes, maiden cane, or canary grass. A good blend of vegetation, as well as a lake with irregular structure, provides fantastic habitat for crappies.
That's not to say bowls Ð like Red Lake Ð can't produce lots of crappies. They can if there's good vegetation for spawning and wintering holes. Mother nature doesn't put all her eggs into one basket, so even on classic, fertile Midwest lakes where they drop into deep holes; we'll find fish on the edge of weeds or flats between holes.
On cold, oligotrophic Canadian Shield-type lake, crappies will associate with rocky outcropping instead of weeds. On Arrowhead lakes, they'll cling to granite overhangs or jagged rocks. At the base, mud is the heavy breeding ground for insects, so that's where it all begins. Crappies also will seek out nearby pods of baitfish.
If you can fish a waterway with a lake map and a chip, give it a shot. Most GPS will show you depressions in the lake, though it seems like I always find the secret ones that the mapmakers miss (and those are always the best!)
I love it when I can find the base of the break where soft bottom meets hard bottom. During early ice, say around Thanksgiving, starting here is your best option. On high-pressure days, fish will hunker down on structure breaking into depressions. On low-pressure days, they may rise up.
When they're down in those depressions, we could be talking 24 to 32 feet down, or more. As any seasoned angler knows, crappies can be suspenders, too, and don't always hunker near the bottom.
That's why it's always important to have electronics. You see the mark on the screen, then drop your lure and connect the dots Ð and watch for that rod tip to twitch. I mark fish through the ice by carrying some water and dumping a little on clear ice for a strong reading. Sometimes you can mark a school of fish Ð could be a couple dozen fish, or maybe a couple hundred!
When I catch crappies, I'll look inside their stomach to see what they're eating. Like most other fish, or even wildlife like deer, they'll change their diet Ð which in turn can affect their location.
Early ice in these locations, crappies can be very aggressive and (as with perch this time of year) you can get away with larger baits. They'll even hit a live tethered minnow via a dead stick.But when they're aggressive, I'll often fish with one rod and a Fat Boy or a Frostee jigging spoon. I've caught some of these aggressive fish with no bait. A spoon has a double motion - it draws them in, but don't get me wrong — meat is a major attraction, too. This is a lot of fun Ð there's just something about crappies in open water! Sometimes you'll find bluegills mixed in with them, too.
There's a code of ethics here that deserves mention. When working deep-water crappies, there's no such thing as sorting. When you catch your 10 (or whatever your limit) nothing goes back. Pull crappies up from 24 feet-plus and they won't survive release (call it the bends, if you please.) Another case against sorting is it's not good for the fishery to pound one year-class. Stratify your harvest.
If ice arrives late, use that open water to research areas and find green weeds with springs nearby. You don't need to go more than 12 feet of water to find crappies clinging to the weeds.
When hard water sets, it doesn't hurt to drill holes in weed beds, and maps should help you find them.
In clear water situations, fish morning or evenings because they'll be slower during the day. Murky water scenarios tend to produce in the afternoon. Precipitation may be uncomfortable for fishermen, but I always catch my best crappies in snow or rain. Hey, with no waves, it's easy to stay on the fish!
Also, watch the lunar tables. During a full moon, you can get into big crappies. Under a bright moon, leave time in the evening; bring a good light and a warm Fish Trap, because this is prime fishing time. Under a dark moon phase, the better bite is during the day. I call it "moon madness." I'm often looking for no moon because I like daytime fishing.
One final tip: glow paint lures are the real deal, and I firmly believe glow helps in all situations, even in daytime and in clear water. (You also can allow the sunlight to charge them during the day.) Experiment with colors. Everyone likes red or blue glow, but what's most important is to have different colors to try.
Bran Brosdahl is a Power Stick for Ice Team. Find more from "Bro" at www.iceteam.com
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