Winter Crappie Forage

Winter Crappie Forage Tactics
by Gord Pyzer , Published in IN-FISHERMAN Magazine.

Sometimes it makes sense to match-the-hatch for winter crappie. A fine example is using an artificial bait that mirrors the size, shape, and color of the forage that fish are eating. But always treat this as a guideline, never as a rigid rule.

For instance, late last winter In-Fisherman Editor In Chief Doug Stange and Editor-¬Photographer Jeff Simpson met up with me to film an ¬In Fisherman television segment on a large, deep, clear, natural crappie lake. I’d kept close tabs on the fish for several weeks prior to their arrival and had harvested a few for dinner.

When I filleted the crappies, I closely examined their stomach contents. Young-of-the-year perch—about half the size of your smallest finger—were the most abundant item. Soft, gray insect larvae (likely mayfly) came in a distant second. As I landed several fish, I also noted them coughing up long, thin, threadlike bloodworms—chironomid larvae. So, I pretty much knew what was on their menu.

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