New MI Crappie Angler

[Suburbbass]

I am reposting this here as per moderator suggestion.

Hello everyone. I am new to the forum and this is my first new topic. I am mainly a bass angler but I want to try out some crappie fishing before bass season opens. I was planning on using my light spinning bass gear for them crappies this weekend, and wanted to check with some experts here for any pointers. I am planning on using my 6'6" ml st croix premier and pflueger president 6920 with 6lb fluoro (my bass dropshot setup) for casting 1/8 and 1/16 oz roadrunners and jigs. I want to use my other finesse bass setup which is a 6' med cabelas tourney trail, pflueger president 6930 for a slip float rig with live minnows (no line spooled up yet, so I could use some suggestions there). Would these be a good place to start? Also, the ice is just starting to melt here in Michigan, and I'll most likely just be casting from shore by the mouth of a river feeding an inland lake (Huron River and Ford lake to be exact). Do crappie like to hang out in or near current? What types of books should I be using for my minnows? I think I have some tru turn bait holder and panfish #6 hooks which is what I was leaning towards. Should I try any of my ice lures since the water is so cold (jigs, small rapalas, Swedish pimples, small cleos)? Like I said I'm very new to the crappie game. I did catch 1 through the ice on a minnow and slip float this winter, but I want to try casting for them before bass season opens. Thanks!

[wicklundrh]

Welcome to the site. We are having a little get together this weekend at 2pm in Grandville (grand Rapids) at Buffalo Wild wings (just down the road from Cabelas). You are welcome to attend! We also have a summer crappie fishing outing coming it at Croton Hardy on the weekend of June 6th. We would love to have you there. For more information you can checkout the threads on it inside the Michigan forum.

As for your questions: Your slip float rig should work just fine. I personally prefer a longer rod as it get more leverage during the hookset. As for a hook: my personal favorite is a gold aberdeen hook in number 6 (long shank). You are correct on the cold water however crappies will start hitting the shallows as ice goes out. Also, the history tells us that the hands down best crappie fishing (besides the spawn) can happen during first ice and last ice of the year. Sunlight has a ton to do with it. Crappie love staging outside of rivers, cuts and canals as they get ready to spawn. The do not like a ton of current but will hang out outside of rivers that are pushing run-off out into the main basin of the lake. They are gobbling up about anything that comes out of it.

Minnows might be your best bet but I wouldn't overlook waxworms or other live bait for ice fishing although you might have to fend off other bait stealers. As for casting. You might try 1/16 or even 1/32 oz depending on the depth of water and how far you want to get down. Couple that with a variety of soft plastics that all work at certain times. My personal favorite is a "Big Bite" 2 inch shad in gray and black. I also like the big bite twisters in several colors. Tubes are also good this time of year.

If the water is stained because of run off, you can get away with about any type of line you want. If it is extremely clear, you may want to run 4lb test line. I use Stren but there are tons of different companies out there that work well (Vicious is another favorite of mine).

Ford lake is a great crappie area. If you have no luck, might I suggest Bellville lake right around the two bridges that go into down (I think Bellville road). Pulled a ton of crappies from around the bridge pillons using slip bobbers, hooks, tiny sinkers, and minnows.

Welcome aboard. We look forward to hearing from you!

[yankee doodler]

Welcome Suburbbass! Rich pretty much covered the tactics, so I won't add to that. I too would like to extend an invitation to come and join us at our spring camp. Here's a link to the thread with all the info.

http://www.crappie.com/crappie/michi...camp-question/

We have camps at least twice a year, one in June and one in September. These are the best places to get first-hand info. on techhiques and tactics. You may even get to fish with some seasoned crappie anglers.

[Suburbbass]

Thanks for the invites, guys. I'll be sure to post some pictures from my morning trips tomorrow and Sunday. I saw a nice amount of open water on ford lake right where the Huron feeds it, so I'll be starting there. Now I just need to find a bait shop that's open at 5:30am.

[Crappie 1]

Welcome to the group and good luck with the fishing.

[Suburbbass]

Well it looks like I won't be able to get minnows that early tomorrow. Would I be alright with waxworms? If so, should I use a plain hook or a jighead if I'm throwing em under a slip float?

[yankee doodler]

Sounds like you need to invest in a live minnow bucket so you can get your minnows the day before. There are a few different models out there that work well. Good luck on the weekend fishing.

[Suburbbass]

I have a bucket. I need to fix my aerator though with a new on/off switch. Another problem though is the bait shops I know of close before I'd have a chance to get there. Luckily, I'm not going until later today now so I will have a chance to pick some up! Wish me luck!

[Michigan Man86]

I keep minnows alive for days or even a week or so, buy a cheapo fishtank aerator from wally world and an air stone. Minners will be quite happy. warm days i put a frozen bottle of water or two so as not to stress them out. A good fix for no miners is gulp minnows. Under slip float i use a jig jig hook to keep the minnow as horizontal as possible. Just little twitches and the fish are good to go.

[yankee doodler]

A good fix for no miners is gulp minnows. Under slip float i use a jig jig hook to keep the minnow as horizontal as possible. Just little twitches and the fish are good to go.

MM86 is right. I used to trap and fish live minnows, but I started running GulpAlive minnows in tandem with real ones when I spider rigged and there was no diff. so I quit with the live minnow hassle. They worked great last spring pulling slabs out of tree tops too. They come out cheaper as you can reuse them many times over. Give them a try unless you just really prefer live ones.