Mud under foot, sunny skies but chilly winds, the stench of pig farms permeating the air...this could only mean one thing - it's springtime! Don your lightest of jackets, tear down the front door barricade you've been hiding behind, and step out into the great outdoors we lovingly call suburbia. There are fish waiting to be caught, and you're just the guy to catch them.

Thankfully, Minnesota lakes are beaming with crappies. The coveted walleye season doesn't begin until well into May, and bassers like I need to wait even longer to chase our favorite quarry. Not being a walleye fisher, this wait can be agonizing. If not for the abundance of crappie, it would be near impossible to bear. Fortunately, spring crappie fishing can help subdue the anxiousness of the long wait. Using ultralight tackle, the occasional spring crappie can hammer out a fight akin to a hungry bass, making for a fine early season practice.

Open year round, the crappie season provides the average angler with plenty of challenges. During the summer and fall, that crappie location seems about as unpredictable as a Fishwrench-er in a tackle shop. This is the time when crappies break from their schools and scatter throughout the lakes positioning at breaks and ridges as hard to find as the fish themselves. But in the springtime the crappie comes to life - you can almost set a watch to their every move.

Melting ice and warming temperatures will move crappie into the shallows of the northern most lakeshore, the area known to warm first. There they will feed on baitfish and insects like piranhas getting their first taste of flesh. It would almost seem that they are there to spawn, but quite the contrary. They are there to simply eat, and will do so for the next week or two, until returning to their deep retreats. When looking for these voracious fish, toss ultralight tackle toward boat docks, rock piles, and short breaks near the shoreline. Other staging crappie can be found at breaks just outside of bays. They will wait here, periodically checking into the shallows for a quick meal. These breaks can be fished with a small 1-2 inch minnow hanging below a bobber. Covet this time, as it is short lived. However, all is not lost. After moving deep and scattering for a period of time, crappie will again regroup in the shallows for their spawn.

The secret your mother never told you - crappie spawn at 68 degrees. Point your boat north and find the warmer water temps; the fish are bound to be there. Fish in 66-70 degree water temps, and your going to have success, but fish cooler water, and you may as well go home and tie flies for the next few weeks - your crappie fishing is done.

At this magical temp, it's spawning time, and the crappie are back in their shallows of a few weeks ago. Concentrate your efforts in about 2-3 feet of water, pinpointing casts toward the boat docks, reeds, stumps, timber - whatever. If it looks like a yummy spot to fish to you, then it's probably a yummy spot to spawn for a crappie. There's a sort of rotating door policy for crappie during the spawn. As one group moves out, another moves in. This pattern continues from early May through early July, depending on how much the water has warmed. This is the perfect time to use a small tube jig to fish multiple depths with one cast. This will give you the best opportunity to catch pre-spawn, spawning, and post-spawn fish. Of course, crappies have an aggressive nature during this time, so small crankbaits and spinnerbaits can also produce an abundance of fish. Using the right equipment for the job, your can count on an exciting day on the water.

As mentioned earlier, ultralight tackle provides for a great crappie fight. I prefer a rod in the 6' range, although I fish with people that use rods as short as 5'6 and as long as 7'. Length is not as important as a fast action, another benefit of the ultralight equipment. A quick snap of the wrist makes for a solid hookset into the mouth of slab crappie. When I get into the slab tucked deep into shallow cover, I want to make sure I'm not going to lose the fight, or worse yet, break a rod.

On my ultralight reel, I prefer a 4-pound test line. Again, this can vary from crappie fisher to crappie fisher. Some go as low as two - although I don't think there's enough strength here to pull a fish out of thick cover - while others go as high as 8 pound test. This may be overkill, but it can come in handy when you're fishing for these fish in the timbers where tangles are as likely as smelly feet on a basketball court. Spool that line on your favorite spinning reel. Mine is a Shimano Symetre. The Fluid Drive II system ensures a smooth retrieve, while the instant anti-reverse ensures solid hook-ups. Its 6.1:1 speedy gear ration lets me cover a lot of water in a short amount of time, getting me to the next cast faster.

Spring has sprung, and ice is moving out of the northern lakes. With temps on the rise, look for crappie to be in the shallows early on, and then find them again at spawn when the water temp hits 68 degrees. Use ultralight tackle for a great fight from a fish with a lot of spunk, and enjoy your early fishing season.

Until bass time,

Bob Wood