Though the crappie bite may slow in the mid season, Scott Petersen can tell you the adjustments to make to keep putting fish on the ice.

As we hit the midpoint of the ice season, it becomes easier to get around on the ice now. You can pretty much travel the whole lake, but please make sure you travel safely as you move around on the ice.

So, what can you expect from mid-season ice crappies? What do you have to change to stay on the best bite?

Outside weedline crappies

Start by looking for crappies in the areas where you were last on them. The last time I was on the ice, the crappies were suspending out over open water, off of the outside weedline. As the snow starts to pile up on the ice, the shallow weeds and the weeds on the flats start to pay the price. The last weeds left will be the deeper outside weedline. Crappies, by the midpoint of the season, will still be using these weeds. They will spend their off time suspended at the depth of the outside weedline, out over open water, but will make movements back towards the weeds when it is time to eat. If there are still deep green weeds and a viable food source, the crappies will not be far away. If you are looking for a few bull ‘gills to throw into the mix, this is where they’ll be.

Use your electronics and lake maps to target inside turns on outside weed lines. These inside turns offer a quick path to the weeds and to deep water with a few pushes of the tail. If the crappies are active and feeding, look towards the flat areas of the point. If the crappies are on the inactive side, they will stay closer to the inside-turn locations. Check both up on the edge of the weeds and out in or over deeper water for signs of fish.

Presentation depends on fish activity

Adjust your presentation to the mood of the crappies. If they are active and biting, go with a graphite rod and reel setup that has a tungsten ice jig tipped with plastics. When it comes to line, use Sunline Ice in the 2- to 3-pound range. This setup and bait will not need a lot of attention. You’ll drop and trigger a bite, then get it back down again.

If the crappies are harder to trigger to bite, switch to a lead jig ice option that is first tipped with plastics. Then, switch to waxies or euros if the bite is tough. The reason for the jig change is a slower fall. When faced with having to entice the crappies to bite, I always switch to a lead jig. Plastics look more natural and the jig will fall slower above the crappies, keeping the bait in the strike zone a little longer.

If the crappies are shying away from the bait, make the change from a graphite rod to a fiberglass rod. With the fiberglass rod, there is less action. The fiberglass will absorb most of your natural movements, giving the bait less action. Line choice for this is critical. If the crappies are somewhat shut off, I use the same Sunline Ice line. If they are super shy, moving away from the bait at the slightest of movements, downsize the line to 1 pound to help trigger bites.

Mid-season basin crappies

If all of the outside weeds are gone, nothing will hold the crappies. This is not uncommon in stained and dark water bodies where the weeds do not grow very deep. When this happens, the crappies start to roam the deeper water basins looking for and following food. When faced with this situation, finding these roaming fish can sometimes be tough. Most often, you will need electronics to help you find these moving targets.

To increase your coverage area, you will need to do a transducer swing. Drill a few holes and place your transducer down the hole. Now, take the transducer and start to swing it side to side in the hole. This will allow you to see what is to the left and right of your hole and what direction the fish are moving. If the water is clear enough, you can use a camera to do this.

Once you have located some fish, you have to look at the situation. If the fish you find are sitting in water 25 feet or deeper, every fish that you catch will go into your bucket. Coming from this depth and deeper, you will not be able to release these fish. Please keep this in mind on your basin pursuit for mid-season crappies. These crappies are catch and take. You will not have a chance to release these fish.

So, when you hit mid-season, do not throw in the towel if the bite gets slow. Adjust your presentation and locations to match the conditions you are faced with. By adapting to these situations and the mood of the bite, you will put more odds in your favor.

If you’re looking to refine your ice fishing skills, check out the many ice fishing articles in the winter issues of MidWest Outdoors, available at the newsstand or by subscribing on our website.