you can find many more fish in the spring if you remember a little school lesson about plants. Remember that plants emit oxygen. Therefore, if you find new submerged weed growth, fish it, because it is probably emitting oxygen into the water and is therefore probably holding fish. Don't overlook decaying vegetation, either. Dead vegetation generates heat and will attract fish when the water's cold, even if the oxygen content of that water is lower.
The best place to fish for crappie is in deeper water adjacent to some form of structure such as a submerged tree. When it is cold outside, it is important to fish very slowly around the structure before moving on. I like to use small feather jigs, but minnows are a great choice too.
In spring and early summer, most spawning behavior is triggered when the cold winter waters begin to warm. Among the many panfish species, yellow perch will spawn first when the water temps reach about 44 degrees.Perch spawn shortly after ice-out and deposit their eggs on vegetation, submerged brush or gravel bottoms. After perch spawn they leave the spawning site, unlike crappie and bluegills.
Pre-spawn and spawning perch are difficult to catch - their minds are elsewhere. Furthermore, fishing conditions can be brutal as early spring weather often brings raw winds and cold days. (Besides, many of us are turkey hunting!) I think your time is better spent concentrating on post-spawn perch moving out from the shallows into emerging weeds.
To find actively feeding post-spawn perch, try the technique called "weed walleye" fishing. (I use a six- to seven-foot graphite rod with a very sensitive tip.) I rig the rod with 4-pound test line and a 1/16th to 1/32nd ounce jig. I tip the hook with a small fathead minnow or larger crappie minnow. Hook the minnow through the open mouth and then up through the top of the head. This allows the minnow to trail straight behind the lure and it won't work off so quickly.Search out new weed growth in about four to nine feet of water. Cast out your line, leaving the bail open, and let the jig drop slowly toward the bottom.
Pay close attention to the line lying atop the water. When the line stops moving, the jig is on the bottom or is hung up on a weed. (If the line twitches, it's a bite! Set the hook!) Take up the slack and slowly raise the rod tip to the 11 o'clock position and hold it there. When you think you've raised it enough, cut your speed in half and it should be just right. This action just teases the jig off the bottom.
When the rod stops, the jig floats back down while you maintain a tight line. When the line stops moving, lower your rod tip, wind in the slack and repeat this slow retrieve, bringing the rod up and holding it at 11 o'clock, etc. The fish usually strike as the jig is falling. Perch bite in a series of fast raps. Drop the rod tip for a few seconds while picking up the slack, lightly set the hook, and bring in the fish.
Sometimes crappies will provide the first action after ice-out. Search out lakes with dark or stained waters; they'll warm up weeks before the clear waters do. Look for shallow bays with 2-6 feet of water, where you'll find the warmest water in the lake. Male crappies move into the shallow water first as temperatures increase. Crappies begin spawning when water temperatures are between 61 and 68 degrees, but the males can be caught long before that.
As spawning temperatures approach, male crappies become more aggressive in searching out nesting sites. Like bluegills, crappies build nests, but their nests are in deeper water up to six feet down and are barely noticeable. Fishing crappie minnows on a #8 long shank hook will produce fish on most days just prior to spawn. It's an excellent choice for post-spawn crappies, too.
As temperatures warm up, concentrate your efforts in the evenings and early morning hours around outside weed edges, deep holes with fish cribs, sunken trees and logs. Again, be flexible. Change color combinations often, tip jigs with a minnow, speed up or slow down the presentation until you figure out the fishes' patterns. Check the deeper holes adjacent to known spawning areas for pre-spawn crappies. Suspended fish will be easily found with fish locators. Work lightweight jigs tipped with small minnows slowly through the holes at the depth where you marked fish.
One of the toughest things about fishing has nothing to do with casting, lure selection, or setting the hook. Rather, it's in learning the proper way to spool new line onto your reel. Many anglers blame lack of casting accuracy or distance on poor technique, wind, or some other uncontrollable factor.
Often the trouble is caused by either improper loading of the line onto the different types of reels or not loading the reel to the full line capacity. Line twist is the big problem for most anglers who load their own reels. The solution depends on what kind of reel your filling. When filling spin casting or open-faced spinning reels, you must allow for the rotation of the pick-up bail. Place the supply spool on the floor or any flat surface. The line should balloon or spiral off the spool as you pull up.
Thread line through the rod guides, then hold the rod tip three to four feet above the feed spool. Make 15 to 20 turns on the reel handle then stop. Now check for line twist by reducing the tension on the line. Always apply light pressure to the line when spooling any reel. Do this by holding the line between your thumb and forefinger with your free hand.
Finally, fill the reel to within an eighth of an inch from the lip of the reel spool. If you underfill, you'll lose distance and control on your casts. If you overfill, the line may come off the reel in a tangle. One other problem with freshly spooled line is that it tends to "fluff" or push outward on the reel spool. This is because the diameter of the supply spool is usually greater than that of the reel spool. The nylon line has taken a "set" on the factory spool and it tries to return to the same size spirals on your reel.
If you fish almost every weekend, you may want to change your line a least once during the fishing season. However, for most anglers they will not need to change their line during the season. Keep the line out of hot cars and away from the sun's rays. In fact, it is best to keep your rod and reel in the house during the hot/humid days of summer.
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