How to find/fish for Spring Crappies in Cattails

[lakevet]

Have a shallower dark water lake that has nice crappies. In the springtime (open water) can catch them scattered and tight to edge of cattails for brief window dawn/dusk. Think they might bury back into the cattails during the rest of the day. Read old Infisherman saying tracking studies show that they do this. Anyone fish this pattern and how do you dig them out? Can you extend the bite window? Thinking cane pole bobber/tube or minnow. Bottom too soft to wade. Cattails are too thick to get boat into.

Any advice from someone successfully fishing cattails would be great! Open water may be earlier this year

Lakevet

[jentz]

I fish the same type water,I catch the sunfish in and near the cattails edge.The crappies seem to stay out a fair distance from the tails.Gotta remember these fish are in the dark bottoms because of the dark warming quickly, and the larval insects are exiting the mud where they spent the winter, morphing into adult stage,The cattails shade the bottom and dont warm as fast.As far as them using the tails for cover, I just cant see it.I dont know where they go daylight, midday high sun? I cant catch much then.So it may be possible and you have given me a go try it attitude.Thanks I will try it!

[pushbutton]

I would not have thought to look up inside as well. Will also give it a shot this year. Usually head to the first deeper break or close by pockets(8 ft ish and below). Can often find them holding there, but definitely hard to get them to bite. Would look to jigging a bobberless cane/telescopic pole and some sort of small soft plastic if you can get close enough without spooking them.

[Gordie]

I have caught them with cane poles and I looked for the pockets in the cattails and fished the edges of them dipping the flu flu style jig with a bobber around these types of areas

[ozzie]

long pole and strong line pitching and dipping into openings of the reeds... strong line otherwise you can't get them out as they will wrap you up quickly in the reeds and cattails...good luck

[lakevet]

For those that have done it, can you catch fish all day, midday, sunny vs cloudy?

Thanks

lakevet

[ozzie]

the higher the sun the more skitish they become

[lakevet]

Is it worth getting a 20 ft pole or is 16 ft workable?

If they are skittish mid day does it pay to let a bait sit longer, switch to different type of presentation (ex minnow and let it sit 5 minutes for them to calm down) or move to next spot or take a nap?

Live bait on plain hook and no weight for slow drop?

What type of line, pound test, length and how do you attach to pole (tie or snap to be able to swap rigs).

thanks for the great info, pretty sure it is an untapped population in this lake.

lakevet

[lakevet]

Here is the article:

Environmental characteristics of black crappie

(Pomoxis nigromaculatus) nesting sites in two South

Dakota waters

K. L. Pope

South Dakota State University

D. W. Willis

South Dakota State University

In it it states that in one of the study lakes 60% of the crappie nests were IN THE MIDDLE of dense cattail stands!

lakevet