How to Catch Crappies in the Spring in Minnesota

Crappies are one of the most popular fish species in Minnesota. They make excellent table fare at any time of the year, and their location in shallow water in the spring makes them particularly susceptible to fishermen, whether the anglers are fishing from a boat or fishing from the shore. Anglers of all skills can find and catch crappies in the spring in Minnesota, which makes the species especially appealing to children and other novice fishermen.

Things You'll Need

• Fishing rod and reel
• Bobber
• Plain hook
• Sinker
• Plastic grub
• Jig

Instructions

1. Wait for a warm day. Crappies head for the warmth and feeding opportunities that are available in shallow water almost as soon as the ice leaves lakes in Minnesota. Sunny days are especially conducive to finding crappies in shallow water in the spring. Dark-bottomed areas of shallow water heat up more quickly than other bottom types, so look for them. Narrow the search even more by focusing around emergent and submerged vegetation, logs or other objects in the water, as well as boat docks.

2. Prepare your presentation. Use a thin-diameter fishing line, no more than 6-lb. test, since in Minnesota the areas of the lake you target in the spring will be shallow and clear. Two main presentations work for crappies in the spring in Minnesota: a plain hook and minnow fished underneath a bobber, or a small jig and plastic grub fished with or without a bobber.

3. Cast into the areas you have selected to fish. Work your baits around the edges of emergent vegetation and objects like boat docks. If you find submerged vegetation, cast around the edges and into the middle of it.

4. Drop your anchor or otherwise stay in the same spot after you catch a crappie or two, since crappies in the spring concentrate in small areas.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that shorelines on the northwest side of the lake receives the most direct sunlight during the spring, so focus on those areas first.

• Make long casts. The fish spook easily when they're in shallow water.

• Use small jigs, hooks and bobbers.

• The membrane around a crappie's mouth is thin, so don't set the hook too hard.

• While the crappie season doesn't close in Minnesota, some lakes have different regulations on the number and size of crappies fishermen can keep. Check the regulations.

• Some areas are off limits to anglers in the spring because crappies are so vulnerable to fishing. These areas are posted with signs.