JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
From Joe Wilkinson
[FONT="]Fishermen begin hunt for crappie[/FONT]
[FONT="]Joe Wilkinson • Outdoors • April 29, 2010 [/FONT]
[FONT="]Warmer weather is pushing Iowa anglers toward the water. One of the big lures is the oncoming crappie spawn, when novices can feel like the pros pulling in a limit of the scrappy game fish if they are in the right place at the right time.[/FONT]
[FONT="]"Any type of rocky area, a little bit of brush will concentrate those crappies," said fisheries biologist Paul Sleeper, of the Department of Natural Resources.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The right time?[/FONT]
[FONT="]"Typically, the second or third week of May. Day length is one of the big cues for the spawn. We're not quite there yet," Sleeper said.[/FONT]
[FONT="]As the weather (and the water temperature) warms up a little more consistently, the crappies come into the shallows. They're going to spawn in two, three, four foot of water." Sleeper says just as the fish move into spawn, they'll be most susceptible to a minnow or jig over their spawning area. Males, especially, are more aggressive.[/FONT]
[FONT="]We are getting close. About now, crappies are being picked up in the staging areas, maybe the mouth of that bay in a lake. I've talked with a couple anglers this week who still are picking them up over brush in 8 to 10 feet of water.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Perhaps the big selling point for crappie fishing is that they are equal opportunity fish during the spawn, accessible to anglers on shore or those chasing them by boat.[/FONT]
[FONT="]"They are going to be around rocky shorelines. If you can find one with brush, the combination is even better. There are going to be some spawning crappies in that area. Use a small minnow and bobber; a small jig and usually they are very easy to catch," Sleeper said.[/FONT]
[FONT="]I don't get out fishing nearly as much as I would like. But I'll always block out a couple hours in the first week or two of May to guess which section of shoreline will give up a crappie with every couple casts. With more than a couple hours, I'm on board looking for them.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Around here, Lake Macbride and Coralville Reservoir are destination lakes for crappie anglers. Drawn down for more habitat work during the winter, Macbride is full again. And that shoreline armoring is just what crappies look for as they move in to spawn.[/FONT]
"There have been good reports this spring of crappie catches," Sleeper said. "We are seeing a lot in the 11, 12 inch range. It is still spotty, but as they move into spawn, this should be a very good year on Macbride."
High water on the reservoir including an "extra" 25 feet of depth dumped in by spring rain and winter runoff have muddied up the water so far. The lake level should be near normal in the coming days. Water clarity will return as the lake level stabilizes. Without it, suspended sediment will cloud crappie fortunes. It just makes it harder for anglers to find them around their usual spawning areas.
Boat registration due
Most of us haven't had our boats in the water yet. Before it hits the ramp, though, remember that the registration expires Friday. Registration fees are unchanged from 2007. You can renew it at your county recorder's office. The fee ranges from $12 to $150, depending on the size and type of craft. Those fees help pay for seasonal water patrol, Iowa's "water trails" program and to manage aquatic invasive species.
Buck, trout featured on new plates
As you renew your vehicle registration in the months ahead, there are two more specialty license plates available. Outdoor supporters now can choose between a whitetail buck and a brook trout, in addition to the existing rooster pheasant, bald eagle or goldfinch and wild rose renderings on specialty license plates. More commonly called the "REAP plates," the three older plates outsell the rest of Iowa's 50 specialty plates combined. Switching from a current REAP plate is just $5. For any other plate, it is $45.
Funding from the REAP plates goes to the Resource Enhancement And Protection program, which provides grants and other funding for park, habitat, water quality, conservation and historical projects throughout Iowa. Income from the natural resources plates has totaled $12 million in the last 14 years. The buck and trout are expected to boost that by another $1 million annually.
Joe Wilkinson, information specialist for the Department of Natural Resources, is the Press-Citizen's outdoors columnist. His column appears on Thursdays. For questions or comments, write to P.O. Box 2480, Iowa City, Iowa, 52244.
[FONT="]Fishermen begin hunt for crappie[/FONT]
[FONT="]Joe Wilkinson • Outdoors • April 29, 2010 [/FONT]
[FONT="]Warmer weather is pushing Iowa anglers toward the water. One of the big lures is the oncoming crappie spawn, when novices can feel like the pros pulling in a limit of the scrappy game fish if they are in the right place at the right time.[/FONT]
[FONT="]"Any type of rocky area, a little bit of brush will concentrate those crappies," said fisheries biologist Paul Sleeper, of the Department of Natural Resources.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The right time?[/FONT]
[FONT="]"Typically, the second or third week of May. Day length is one of the big cues for the spawn. We're not quite there yet," Sleeper said.[/FONT]
[FONT="]As the weather (and the water temperature) warms up a little more consistently, the crappies come into the shallows. They're going to spawn in two, three, four foot of water." Sleeper says just as the fish move into spawn, they'll be most susceptible to a minnow or jig over their spawning area. Males, especially, are more aggressive.[/FONT]
[FONT="]We are getting close. About now, crappies are being picked up in the staging areas, maybe the mouth of that bay in a lake. I've talked with a couple anglers this week who still are picking them up over brush in 8 to 10 feet of water.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Perhaps the big selling point for crappie fishing is that they are equal opportunity fish during the spawn, accessible to anglers on shore or those chasing them by boat.[/FONT]
[FONT="]"They are going to be around rocky shorelines. If you can find one with brush, the combination is even better. There are going to be some spawning crappies in that area. Use a small minnow and bobber; a small jig and usually they are very easy to catch," Sleeper said.[/FONT]
[FONT="]I don't get out fishing nearly as much as I would like. But I'll always block out a couple hours in the first week or two of May to guess which section of shoreline will give up a crappie with every couple casts. With more than a couple hours, I'm on board looking for them.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Around here, Lake Macbride and Coralville Reservoir are destination lakes for crappie anglers. Drawn down for more habitat work during the winter, Macbride is full again. And that shoreline armoring is just what crappies look for as they move in to spawn.[/FONT]
"There have been good reports this spring of crappie catches," Sleeper said. "We are seeing a lot in the 11, 12 inch range. It is still spotty, but as they move into spawn, this should be a very good year on Macbride."
High water on the reservoir including an "extra" 25 feet of depth dumped in by spring rain and winter runoff have muddied up the water so far. The lake level should be near normal in the coming days. Water clarity will return as the lake level stabilizes. Without it, suspended sediment will cloud crappie fortunes. It just makes it harder for anglers to find them around their usual spawning areas.
Boat registration due
Most of us haven't had our boats in the water yet. Before it hits the ramp, though, remember that the registration expires Friday. Registration fees are unchanged from 2007. You can renew it at your county recorder's office. The fee ranges from $12 to $150, depending on the size and type of craft. Those fees help pay for seasonal water patrol, Iowa's "water trails" program and to manage aquatic invasive species.
Buck, trout featured on new plates
As you renew your vehicle registration in the months ahead, there are two more specialty license plates available. Outdoor supporters now can choose between a whitetail buck and a brook trout, in addition to the existing rooster pheasant, bald eagle or goldfinch and wild rose renderings on specialty license plates. More commonly called the "REAP plates," the three older plates outsell the rest of Iowa's 50 specialty plates combined. Switching from a current REAP plate is just $5. For any other plate, it is $45.
Funding from the REAP plates goes to the Resource Enhancement And Protection program, which provides grants and other funding for park, habitat, water quality, conservation and historical projects throughout Iowa. Income from the natural resources plates has totaled $12 million in the last 14 years. The buck and trout are expected to boost that by another $1 million annually.
Joe Wilkinson, information specialist for the Department of Natural Resources, is the Press-Citizen's outdoors columnist. His column appears on Thursdays. For questions or comments, write to P.O. Box 2480, Iowa City, Iowa, 52244.