Spring Crappie Fishing: Flies, Tactics & Hot Spots

Spring is a magical time of the year, the water starts to get warmer and the fish start to eat. One of my favorite fish to catch in the spring is the black and white beauty called the Crappie. Now Crappie are generally easy to catch and will eat anything that resembles a small insect or minnow. They also put up a great fight for their size. Crappie like to hang out around any sort of structure such as underwater trees or under a dock. I always use some sort of big streamer when fishing for Crappie, bigger the fly bigger the fish. My fly of choice is the Conehead Kiwi Muddler in a size 6. Its a minnow representation that just looks amazing in the water and its flash will turn almost any Crappie. 














Any streamer will work such as a wooly bugger or a deceiver. I find in the spring that the Crappie aren't too aggressive yet so slow short strips seam to be the most affective. And if a big streamer isn't working try some sort of nymph like a Prince Nymph or Copper John. 











































This nice slab was hanging out right off the tip of a dock. Try fishing in the shadows when the sun is high in the sky. The Crappie don't move out until the sun is at less of an intense angle. 














































I found a bunch of sunken logs that seemed to hold an endless amount of Crappie. Cast after cast for about thirty minutes I pulled in these nice fish. I hope the Crappie's treat you all well this year thanks for reading and the best of fishing.