Early Season Techniques

Hi All!
New to the forum and I'm glad to have found it. Reading the posts I can see what a great site this is with a lot of great folks.

Here's what I've got. I've always been more of a saltwater fisherman than fresh. I'm out here on Nantucket and we've got some crappie in the ponds but nobody really targets them. They're more of an incidental catch.

Our ponds have thawed and some yellow perch, white perch and pickerel are being taken. The water is still cold, sorry, I haven't dipped a thermometer for an exact number. Some vegetation is trying to green up but there isn't any visible bait in the water.

I would really enjoy hearing ideas from the group about early season techniques. Lures, bait, I'm all ears.

Thanks in advance.
Schark

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Schark

Hi All!
we've got some crappie in the ponds but nobody really targets them.

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^Thats why crappie fishing in Massachusetts is so great. No pressure!

Welcome to the site. I'm definitely far from an expert, but the crappies should be pretty close to their spawning areas by now. I usually find them adjacent to shallow water this time of year. I do have to do some hunting for them if i'm in unfamiliar water, but once I find them, the bite is on. Pickerels are always a pest. There's been many a day when I've gone out to catch crappies and caught 3 times as many pickerel, especially this time of year. I'm sure there are biting crappies in the ponds you fish, you just have to find them. Not sure how much snow and ice you got compared to the rest of the state, but if your water levels are way up it could pose and additional challenge. I mainly use gulp alive minnows (3 inch) as my go to crappie bait nowadays, however I have also had good success with small jig heads with tubes, and inline spinner baits. Good luck!

Schark....Welcome aboard from the Foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. When you first get on line (crappie.com) look in the "article" section. You will find some good reading material there about seasonal patterns/techniques. Tight Lines!

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