Larger crappie begin to move into shallow waters to spawn in April, but they can be hooked weeks earlier. When spring-like temperatures begin to warm shallow coves, crappie will bite when the right fly is presented the right way.
Find Crappie Along the Shoreline
Shoreline with downed wood and fallen trees provides perfect crappie habitat. However, the big fish won’t be hugging the shore. They will be waiting a few feet out, where the bottom drops off to deeper levels. The type of shoreline that attracts crappies is often wooded, making fly fishing difficult. Anglers can roll cast if the overhanging tree growth is not too dense, but those with boats have unlimited access. Old creek beds also offer underwater edges that are good bets for crappie fishing.
Try a Mickey Finn or Other Streamer
Imitator patterns that mimic minnows and daces are the perfect fly for this situation. Yellow and red Mickey Finns are particularly attractive, and will bring results when the usual winner, a Wooley Bugger, is ignored. Anglers should approach the shore quietly, then cast the streamer in close to the bank or protruding structure. The fly should be allowed to sink, then retrieved with two or three strips of line, then allowed to sink again. The fish will take the fly when it is sinking. Crappie don’t strike suddenly like bass or bluegill, but take the fly gently. They give plenty of fight while being brought in though, providing lots of fun, especially on a light fly rod.
Fly tiers can create their own Mickey Finns, or variations thereof. This is an easy fly to tie, requiring colored buck hair, tinsel, and black thread for the head. A dace imitator is tied similarly, with a piece of red yarn underneath the tinsel wrap, protruding at the rear to make a tail. Anglers can try all kinds of variations on this fly, but the main attraction for crappie seems to be the fly’s resemblance to the small feeder fish that make up the bulk of the crappie’s spring diet.
Black Crappie or White Crappie?
There are two varieties of crappie, the white and the black. Both are excellent game fish and delicious to eat. The white crappie is olive or brownish-green in color, with light, silvery sides. There are 5 to 10 dark bands along the back and sides of the fish. These fish have a spiny dorsal fin with 5 to 6 spines, and there is a combination of dark spots and bands on the tail. Mature white crappie are 6 to 12 inches long, but they can reach lengths of up to 18 inches. The black crappie has a thicker body and is dark slate or olive green in color with a reddish iridescence. The black crappie also has dark bands along its sides. This fish usually has 6 anal fin spines. Normal adult size is 7 to 10 inches, but lakes with good culling regulations will produce black crappie 12 inches or longer in length.
No matter which variety is biting, finding a school of crappie in early spring makes for a memorable day of fishing.
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