Crappie

Winter or Frozen-water Period

Water Temperature: Coldest of the year

General Fish Mood: Neutral

In far northern waters, Winter or Frozen-Water is the longest calendar period of the year for crappies. In many northern waters, ice covers lakes for up to five months. In southern waters, the temperature may never drop below 40°F and rarely dips below 50°F in the far south. In lakes like Florida’s famous Okeechobee, a temperature reading below 50°F is almost as rare as a polar-bear sighting.

Crappies feed on small invertebrates and minnows through the Winter Period, providing excellent ice-fishing in the North. In the South, open-water angling can be good, too, especially since few anglers pursue crappies at this time of year. Fishing small jigs 30 feet deep from a boat in the face of rain or sleet in a stiff wind is too much discomfort for most folks. Fishing from a toasty fish house on the ice, on the other hand, is easier and far more comfortable.

In general, crappies occupy the same areas they used during the Fall Coldwater Period. Basin areas are key in ponds, small lakes, and northern natural lakes, especially around hard-to-soft transitions. Deep edges of cover (weeds or timber), channel edges, and rocky humps continue to produce fish. The best areas lie in less than 30 feet of water but may be as deep as 45 feet. Active crappies often suspend within 5 feet of bottom during this period, sometimes higher. In clear weedy lakes, they also roam flats from 5 to 10 feet deep, apparently feeding on invertebrates, tiny bluegill, and minnows under ice cover.