It starts sometime in April, normally running well into June. It is crappie time, and the best time of the year to catch these panfish.

Beginning with pre-spawn in April, crappies start moving into shallow water. Depending on air and water temperature, and the sun and the moon with a host of other factors, crappies will spawn, but that might be in bits and pieces, which no one can accurately predict. Then, in post-spawn—usually after Memorial Day—crappies move into a bit deeper water, although still close to their spawning areas, before disappearing into the deepest holes in the lake for the rest of the summer.

It is mid-April, and Doug Hurd of Eagan, Minn., and I are motoring slowly across a small, Polk County lake in northwestern Wisconsin. We are searching for crappies. They should start moving into shallow water. At least that’s our theory. The day is gray and overcast with a prospect of rain, which could turn into sleet or even a snow flurry.

For our own morale, we needed to feel a tug on the line and see a bend in our spinning rod. Crappies seemed like our best bet to do that.

A bay with shallow water lies on the far side of the lake. Our hope is that the shallow water will be a couple degrees warmer, which should trigger some action with crappies.

There are a series of docks and a couple boat lifts, either put in early or left over from fall and not battered by the ice. It has always been a good spot to start.

Doug and I are using small, 1/16-ounce jigs with 1-inch tubes. We are using different colors to see which one the crappies like best.

We fish for several minutes, then I feel a light tap, and setting the hook, I feel a rush as a fish takes off. The tip of my ultra-light spinning rod is bouncing. It is a good feeling and a moment later, I have a crappie splashing next to the boat. It is a 9-inch fish—a good start.

Moving to the other side of the bay, we first work a spot of sunken brush and pick off a couple more crappies before we start working up the other side of the bay. We pick up a few more crappies off docks and boat lifts.

We work around a small point which leads us into a rocky bank with some overhanging trees. Here, the water is a bit deeper. Immediately, Doug and I each have a fish on. We have found the fish and are steadily getting strikes. We catch a bunch of fish and, of course, miss a bunch, too. Such is the nature of fishing.

Numerous baits work well on crappies. Crappie minnows a couple feet under a small bobber are always a good bet for crappies in 6 feet of water or less. Use small, number 8 hooks and place a light split shot sinker six inches above the bait.

My favorite bait is a small tube jig. They can be fished on 1/64- to 1/16-ounce jigs. There are specially designed jigs for fishing tube jigs, although any round headed jig will work, too.

I normally just cast the jig out, letting it sink for a couple seconds and then bring it back with either a slow, steady retrieve; or bring it back with slight jerks of the rod tip. Or place it a couple feet under a small float and bring it back with short jerks of the rod. Sometimes you need to experiment with what works best day to day. Colors don’t seem to matter, but I have always been partial to anything with chartreuse in it.

Small, light hair jigs also work wonderfully on crappies. Fish them the same as tube jigs. Pink, white and chartreuse are all good colors.

Small spinners and spinnerbaits work well, too. A small Beetle Spin is among my favorites. Again, chartreuse is the best color. Spinners and Beetle Spins are good search baits if you are trying to locate schools of crappies. Small spoons such as Al’s Goldfish and others are good producers as well.

Small crankbaits or plugs work on crappies, too. Small Original Floating Rapalas are good.

Small flies fished on fly rods are a fun way to catch crappies. The Royal Coachman has always been one of my favorite flies for crappies. Small streamers produce, too.

By mid-afternoon, we have caught and released several dozen crappies and a handful of northern pike. It has been a good day for the beginning of crappie time.

You’ll find plenty of helpful spring fishing tips in the April and May issues of MidWest Outdoors. Subscribe on our website.