Crappie at Willard

[Trent_S]

Hi Willard fishing folks. I am trying to learn Willard better. My question for now is when is the crappie spawn and when and were and how is the best time to fish for them? I have a boat. Is gigging the best or crank baits or trolling jigs? what locations? From the archives it looks like May is a good time? Thx.
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[Anglinarcher]

Don't want to let this drop off the radar so I will post on it to get it to the top.

First, Willard is different, just different. There is almost no deep water cover at all so only shore cover is available for holding fish. Most catch the fish in the cover in April, May, June depending on the year. PM TubeDude and he can provide lots and lots of great info and be more accurate, but from what I can tell, temperature, seasonal differences, water level all change the crappie fishing from year to year.

Small cranks will work, as well as trolling jigs, but I believe that when they move into the brush that long rods with jigs tipped with bait or small floats and jigs tipped with bait seem to be most common.

Still ........

At least this gets you to the top again.

[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]As you have already been advised, Willard crappies are not a slam dunk every year. In the days before wipers and shad, crappies were both a sport fish and a primary forage species for the cats and walleyes. Today they are only a small part of the biomass and their populations fluctuate a lot depending on water levels and other factors. They only get a good spawn when the water is high enough to flood brushy areas. That seems to happen only a couple of years in every 10 years. So some years there are good numbers of good sized crappies and other years only a few smaller ones.

Last year was not a good year because numbers were down from the previous two good years. Plus, water levels were higher so a lot of the crappies were able to find brushy cover in which to spawn and they did not school up over humps and bumps in open water as in previous years. So anglers did not do as well...especially those who did not fish the cover.

Because of their relatively low numbers...and because Willard is often murky...crappies do not form large schools in this pond. Most of the year they travel around the lake looking for food...in singles and doubles. Most catches are sporadic and accidental...by anglers trolling or casting for wipers or walleyes. Since larger crappies feed on the gizzard shad...like other predators...you will usually find them in the same areas as the other guys...and they hit the same offerings.

During the months there are no shad small enough for them to consume, crappies adapt and will slurp up midge larvae or other aquatic invertebrates. So using small jigs is a good way to entice them most of the year...either cast and retrieved, trolled or fished under a bobber. Your sonar will tell you at what depth to present your offerings. Just remember to fish at the depth the fish are showing...or just above them. They will rise up in the water column to take a lure but will almost never dive down to take something below them.

Crappies start staging for the spawn in the spring when water temps pass about the 50 degree mark. That is usually sometime in April. Between 55 and 60 degrees is when the crappies gather and get busy. That is the best time to find active schools. Around the first week or so of May is a good time. Most years, the Mothers' Day weekend is right in the middle of the spawn. After that it tapers off, with some fish still being caught into early June. After the spawn the crappie scatter around the lake and begin gorging on newly hatched shad.

As mentioned, a lot of crappies are taken by those who troll crankbaits for wipers. But they will take a wide variety of plastics in shad-imitating colors, like white, silver and/or blue. A tandem rig of small tube jigs in those colors is a good way to prospect for them. Troll them slowly, fish them under a bobber or cast and retrieve...using a count down method to keep your jigs at the right depth.

Obviously, there is a lot to know and understand about crappies...or any species. Put in the time, watch reports and keep fishing logs to consult for future trips.
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[Trent_S]

Thanks Pat for taking the time to provide so much information. I appreciate it. Trent
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]It remains to be seen how the crappie fishing will be this spring. Numbers have been down again in the DWR netting surveys, but they can still show up in small schools at different spots around the lake, depending on water levels, food sources, etc.

Watch the board for reports or send me a PM for any specific questions I may be able to help with.
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