Crappie

Lure color is important when it comes to catching crappie. Sometimes, only one color will catch fish; other times several colors work. But sorry folks, there are no precise rules to follow.

Pros4-1Source's Keith Worrall talks Spring Crappies in the Northwoods.

Springtime brings blooms to the Lilacs in the upper Midwest and Trilliums in the far North, and to the northern Crappie angler that means some of the hottest fishing of the year. The Crappies move in to spawn and are concentrated in areas of the lakes or river backwaters for a couple weeks.

Crappie are fun to catch, but they also pack their share of unique challenges. Here are three ways to improve your crappie-catching game.

Get a Feel

Live minnows and fishing jigs are far and away

Who doesn’t love getting into a mess of crappie and just tearing them up? Usually, you know from the second your line hits the water whether or not you’re in them, and when you’re in them, you can practically sit there all day.

Fast-paced fishing for jumbo crappie, beautiful scenery, a get-away-from-it-all atmos

Spring's a productive time to fish crappie as these panfish stack-up on predictable spots and are often willing biters. Immediately following ice-out you'll find crappie in and around protected, shallow water. These zones are teeming with forage, and crappie will feed heartily for several weeks until the water's warm enough for spawning, which occurs between late spring and early summer.

Perhaps it's because of the long winter and high snow banks, but I'm itching — big time — for some spring crappie. I'm a bit of a fishing tackle junkie when it comes to baits, no matter the species. Here are five of my favorite baits for early-season slabs.

Freezing cold weather may not be the ideal time to be

Every serious crappie fisherman out there has his own thoughts on what works best and why. The majority of traditional ice fishermen you see braving the frozen lakes and ponds stick to live bait with the belief that not much can beat the real thing. However, high-tech materials and phosphorescent paints have been changing the minds of anglers as to what catches the most fish.