How To Catch Crappie In Lake Eerie

The best way to catch crappie is to fish according to the time of year, and know how to locate the areas where you might find the crappie, and that holds true for Lake Erie. If you listen to any old timer used to fishing Lake Eerie, you are sure to hear that the calendar will never tell you what Mother Nature will.

If you want to fish the very best time for catching crappie in Lake Eerie, wait until the dogwoods are blooming and the oak leaves are about the size of the ears of a mouse. This really is true, because as the cycle of life moves for the trees, so does the temperature of the water in Lake Eerie, and this always signals the spawn of the crappie there.

When Mother Nature tells Lake Eerie crappie that it is time for the spawning run, they are going to seek out underwater structure to make it easy for them to find food and lay their eggs in a place that is relatively safe from predators. This is just their nature. They will get very protective, aggressive, and guard their nests with a vengeance, hitting anything that comes near their nests.

When we talk about underwater structure, you should look for fallen trees, brush, or anything wooden in the water such as a dock. When the spawn starts, the crappie are going to go shallow, and it is not unheard of for anglers to bring in over fifty crappie in a single trip during the spawn. The spawn usually starts in April and lasts about a month. Crappie are so much easier to find in Lake Eerie during the spawn, but you can still catch crappie in the summertime too!

If you want to catch crappie in the summertime, you have to be persistent and exercise patience. It really helps to have a fish finder when it comes to locating the crappie in the deeper, summertime habitats, but if you just concentrate on areas that provide some type of structure (isolated structure is always prime) and cast to the outer edges, you should have some luck. Just cast, let the hook sink, and very slowly, reel it in. Once you get a hit on your line, just mark the line with a magic marker, so that you can determine which depth the crappie are holding to the next casts you make.

There are a large variety of lures and baits you can use to catch crappie on Lake Eerie, but the best bait is live minnows. People will argue that, and with all rights to do so, but it is the go to bait for crappie fishing in Lake Eerie, because it is so consistent.

It will also help you to know that there are two different varieties of crappie. Which one you want to catch should determine the type water you choose to fish. Black crappies are found in clear water and white crappie thrive in turbid, muddy waters. Both species grow to an astounding fifteen inches or so, and are referred to as 'slabs' when they are that big.