Spring Crappie???

[Mike Tomchick]

I live in the Barrie area.
could anyone share with me a spot that I could take by son out and catch a few of these critters?......Pleeeease...?

[slop]

Mike, withought getting into specifics...Keswick or the Holland River would be a good starting point for you and your son to get into a little Crappie action. Let us know how ya's make out

[hawgbass]

Hi Mike. I don't mind getting to specific. I have caught them in the narrows area in Orillia. Not sure if you have a boat of not. But if you do then fish the channels leading into Hammack Harbor campground which is on your right past the swinging railway bridge, coming from Lake Simcoe. Fish with small bobber and small tubes about a foot or two below the bobber. You may have to experiment on length below the bobber, but the fish should help you to dtermine this. Fish the edges of the bullrushes and any docks, or pilings/wood you see. Good luck.

Cheers, Frank

[joco]

wathever you do dont go fish nere a ''GOLF COURSE'' you will get.. ...

(inside jokes)........ .

there some good population off crappy around here,,but i dont no any spot around your place.



joco

[Mike Tomchick]

How about colors, baits, scent?

[Todd B.]

Myself I like to fish the back bays and creek mouths after ice out. That said, if you don't see any minnow or bug activity in the shallows, the water temp is still most likely a little too cold still.

As for baits, I like to use 1/32, 1/64 oz jigs with micro tubes, twisters, etc, under a small float. What colour is hot is up to the fish to decide.
One think I have learned is that all of the fish in a particular bay/creek mouth can be holding in an area as small as 3 square yards. If you're on to a school of crappie you'll know it! If you're not getting any bites, cover all of the water, in addition to switching colours.

Cheers,
Todd

[Mike Tomchick]

I think that I will try for some this year. Are crappie finicky as far as the diameter of line you use? I have an ultra light outfit rigged with 6 lb. fireline. What do you think?

[larrybass]

Hey there MikeT, just a comment on line size and composition. Maybe it's unfortunate for me perhaps but I've never used Fireline. Old school fishin' boy here with mono brain forever! Why would I change when it still totally performs for me? Plus the fact that I'm well used to a certain amount of stretch, while playing a fish, that has saved the day for me more than once. You see Mike, I was more or less raised on four pound mono and a five foot rod for any and all of my ultra-lite fishing and I've only ever used 8 pound high-test mono, for my regular fishing needs. Third outfit is a weedy bassin' rig, which is an old Lew's Speed Spool, loaded right up with high-performance #14 mono-filament line, on a 61/2 foot medium action graphite/fiberglass composite, foam covered, pistol gripped, fishin' stick.

So buddy, you just might do real well with your 6 pound super-line but also it may be a good idea to see if they make four and give that a try if they do? On occasion, more to prove a point than anything else, I've spooled up my trusty ol' Mitchel #308 with that invisible "sewing thread" that they sell in places like Wallyworld and such, and proceeded to give folks a slick little demo on catching and landing fish on REAL "Thread-line", like it was nothing! Lots to do with what's in the water and HOW you play and land the fish properly. Most fishermen, in my observations, do NOT do a very good job of that. That's why they have to use the way heavier or way stronger line than really is necessary, to compensate for their lack of said skills.

So you see, with over four and a half decades of fresh-water fishing under my belt, something I totally believe in is that, for more fish action, anywhere, any species, I've always recommended, to go lighter and or smaller. That includes line size and lure size! All this is just my 2 cents worth. Well about five cents now days, with the price of copper up as high as it has been anyway.

Let us know how you do buddyman.