03-07-2013, 10:27 AM
It's going to be tough fishing for crappie unless you have a boat. Right now they are in deeper water. They won't start moving shallow until we get a run of at least four or five days with highs in the 60s.
As far as where you can catch them when the water gets warmer, Strike is the best spot for crappie but they are also present in Lake Lowell and Swan Falls Reservoir. Supposed to be some nice ones in Lowell, but you can't launch a boat there until the season opener next month.
Strike was really tough for spring crappie fishing last year, but I think that's because the weather was so cruddy and unstable. I'm sure the crappie are still there, because it warmed up for like a week at the end of April and I just hammered them at Cottonwood. Fish on every cast starting around 4 PM. I fished all night long and they were still biting when I left at dawn.
Then the back to back to back cold fronts started. Six weeks of two or three days in the 60s followed by a run of 3-4 days with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s. Also lots of wind, cold rain and high flows that turned the water into chocolate milk.
I caught my personal best crappie at Strike last year around the middle of June, a female black a little over 2 pounds that was still loaded with eggs. It's usually the biggest females that spawn first, and normally the spawn is nearly over by the end of May.
I really hope we don't have another spring like 2012.
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As far as where you can catch them when the water gets warmer, Strike is the best spot for crappie but they are also present in Lake Lowell and Swan Falls Reservoir. Supposed to be some nice ones in Lowell, but you can't launch a boat there until the season opener next month.
Strike was really tough for spring crappie fishing last year, but I think that's because the weather was so cruddy and unstable. I'm sure the crappie are still there, because it warmed up for like a week at the end of April and I just hammered them at Cottonwood. Fish on every cast starting around 4 PM. I fished all night long and they were still biting when I left at dawn.
Then the back to back to back cold fronts started. Six weeks of two or three days in the 60s followed by a run of 3-4 days with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s. Also lots of wind, cold rain and high flows that turned the water into chocolate milk.
I caught my personal best crappie at Strike last year around the middle of June, a female black a little over 2 pounds that was still loaded with eggs. It's usually the biggest females that spawn first, and normally the spawn is nearly over by the end of May.
I really hope we don't have another spring like 2012.
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