Questions about March Crappies

[Luck e 1]

I am just getting into ice fishing later in the season now. What time of day is best to get out? What depth of water? I had luck later in the day earlier in the season, but I didn't know if things change. Is morning better than afternoon...afternoon better than evening...?

Thanks Guys, any info will help.

[Stratosman]

A few factors will determine this. All lakes vary to a degree depending on water clarity, depth, ect. Soon crappies should be staging near to shallow water, spawning areas. Last weekend the lake we were fishing the crappies were holding in 14' of water closer to the break which rises to 6' or so, I fished within 30 yards of the break and caught numerous crappies along with the bluegills. The other guys were fishing within 60 yards of me, same depth, but farther away from the break, and found only bluegills. This is telling me that on this particular lake they are obviously staging near to the break. Not every lake will be the same however. A good rule of thumb would be to find and area with a shallow flat or bay with some deeper water adjacent to it and do some searching. Be willing to move around alot till you find fish. The good thing about March is when you find them, they usually will not hesitate to eat your jig. As far as timing is concered, mornings and/or evenings are typically the better times of day, however in my own experience, this time of year you can usually find active fish all day if you stay on the move.

Hope this helps and I'm sure others will chime in with their experience as well.

[eyepatrol]

Just to add to what Stratosman has said, on the lake I've been fishing, I've found the early morning bite to be better than the evening bite. This could have been due to the fact that the early morning hours were much quieter, traffic-wise, than late in the day on into the evening/night. With the houses off the lake and the ice thinning up, this situation could change since there will likely be less traffic on the ice now.

I too had been finding crappies at the base of a slope from 5' down to 10' over a large (very large) flat. It appears that the fish may have moved from this location though. As Stratosman said, stay mobile. Next week when I get out I'm certain there will be a concerted effort in trying to find where the fish have gone. If the weather is stable at that time, the fish could be staging in or near shallow bays where the fish spawn. If the weather takes a turn for the worse, they may be staging out in deeper water adjacent to these bays. I'll just have to wait and see!

Good luck and be safe!

bc

[kdawg]

stratosman, by "break", do you mean where it drops from a flat area into a deeper area at a steep angle of decline? thank you.

[CrappieJohn]

Kdawg...

One of the kinds of breaks we speak of is as you describe. Weeds can create a break as can rock structure. A long gradual descent into deeper water interupted by a little stutter of flat can be a break too.

Breaks right now are going to become a very key part of fish location. In some bodies of water late-ice into the mid-pre-spawn period, breaks willbe the center of attraction.

[Stratosman]

Tom is right kdawg, (and up early I see)

Any relatively sudden change in bottom contour can be considered a break. The particular break I was fishing was a break from about 14' up to 5 or 6' in a short distance, say 10 yards or so. Some would call this a dropoff as well. Not all breaks are this drastic, but this particular body of water has this sort of a break from the shallow flats to the basin around most of the shoreline. Other lakes the break can be very subtle but can be just as important for holding fish, a good map is key and mobility is just as important.