By Nick Simonson

With each slide of the small bucktail fly over the two rocks in the shallows, I elicited a strike on nearly every cast from the crappies staging on the edge of the flat in the warming spring afternoon.  A slow drag of the brightly-hued minnow imitator kept it moving out and away from the fish in a natural manner which set them off and reminded me that while matching the hatch was always important, imitating the way an item of prey moves is equally key in presenting a lure to fish. Be it a fly like a Clouser minnow, a marabou jig, or a small crankbait, discerning crappies will more readily take to a bait that matches natural movement as well as a preferred forage pattern.

With the ice covering lakes, and the forced vertical presentation such angling opportunities require due to the physics of it all now a distant memory, anglers are better able to find and key in on those species like crappies staging in open spring waters.  With those chances comes the ability to carry out a more natural presentation and get more bites.  Think about a minnow.  How many times have you seen a baitfish in the wild swim straight up or straight down?  My guess is virtually never unless you’ve had the thrill of witnessing something big and hungry chasing behind them, or if they’re in some other sort of distress, which usually brings that big and hungry thing in for a look as well.  More often though, those chubs, minnows and other baitfish will flit, dart and swim in a horizontal fashion, only slowly going up or down in their movements.

Keeping that in mind now is key to catching spring crappies, whether they’re holding a bit deeper after a cold front or staging in the shallows for the upcoming spawn. Instead of casting out and working a jig or other lure with an up-and-down jerk of the rod tip, instead consider a slow drag and reel process to keep the bait returning to a boat or shore with a more horizontal presentation.  Don’t remove the erratic motion that comes with the twitch of a rod tip altogether, but instead, make those jumps slighter and more sporadic, as they still can and do trigger reactions from following slabs, but ultimately keep a focus on a level and horizontal retrieve to provide the most normal action that your favorite springtime minnow imitation can produce.

This type of presentation can also help locate crappies in springtime waters.  Simply count the lure down – estimating a foot per second with offerings such as 1/16-ounce jigs or small crankbaits, or spinner-equipped lures such as Beetle Spins or Road Runners – and then make the same, paced, horizontal retrieve at varied depths.  Go down three feet, then five, then seven, then 10 to find where the fish are, noting that a school may be holding at the midpoint of a retrieve and the bite may come halfway back to the boat.

Typically too in the cool waters of spring, the slowest possible retrieve one can make while keeping the bait horizontal is often the best.  Factor in the weight of the lure and the thickness of the line, along with any blades or the suspending nature of small crankbaits to influence the speed and sink as the retrieve rate is slowed.  Using sinking or sink-tip fly lines also helps make this process easier when using the long rod for a fun early spring fishing opportunity.  Simply cast the line out, count it down and began slowly dragging and stripping the line back in to provide a solid forward-moving minnow target for spring crappies.

A horizontal presentation is the most natural one, and mastering a retrieve that maximizes that display will help catch more crappies now and all through the open water season.  Consider lure weight, line type, and even conditions such as wind and current if fishing for slabs in flowing water to get it just right and set off a strong bite.

Simonson is the lead writer and editor of Dakota Edge Outdoors and an avid crappie angler, especially on the fly rod.

Featured Photo: Leveling Out. Presenting flies, jigs and small lures in a more horizontal fashion to spring crappies better mimics their baitfish prey.  Slow retrieves and less vertical action makes most baits look more like a minnow and an easy meal for these popular early open water pursuits! Simonson Photo.