crappie crib fishing

[muskiejoe]

I will be fishing for muskies this weekend. There are also crappies in this lake. The question I have for you experts is this. This lake has crappie cribs in it. I have never fished for crappies on this lake before and I was wondering if you think the crappies will be in shallow bays, or by the cribs. The lake is basically a bowl that gets to 45 feet deep. It is very clear 10+ feet clarity. The cribs are by a mouth of a bay in about 20-25 feet. Should I bother trying to find the cribs with my aqua view, or just fish the bays? Will the fish spawn that deep by the cribs, or are they just there for the summer/winter? Thanks, Joe

[CrappieJohn]

I think that submerged wood/weeds would be a better key than the cribs. If the fish cannot be found because they have spawned already, go to the open water in the bays near the spawning areas and either drift or very slowly troll jigs/plastics, jigs/bait, or even small minnow sticksbaits with a splitshot a foot or so ahead of the lure to help keep it down, but not impede the action. As UJ stated, the further north you go, the closer to spawning fish you'll be. I would hazard a guess that if you are below a line half way from Brainard to the Twin Cities you will be looking at close to post-spawn fish. Keep in mind that clearer water will likely be cooler water and this could come into play as well. The cribs will hold fish all year, but at certain times there will only be smaller immature fish there....this is one of those times and will remain as such until a thermocline sets itself.

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Plastics...making better fishermen without bait! Good Fishing Guys! CrappieTom
muckbootsonline.com Pro Staff
Culprit Tackle Crappie Pro Staff
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[muskiejoe]

Thanks guys. I had a feeling deep cribs were better in the middle of summer and winter. Is that right? Thanks, Joe
p.s. I just know there are cribs because all the muskie guys troll crankbaits over them in the summer in crappie patterns.

[united jigsticker]

No, the Crappies will not spawn in 20-25 feet of water.

Where in the state is this lake located? The further north you go, the further back the time line is pushed for spawning Crappies.

Try 6-12 feet of water for your Crappies. If anything is around the cribs, it will either be small fish, or the females, depending on if spawning habitat is nearly adjacent.

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Good fishing,
UJ
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