Just another crappie day

[MichaelGA]

Where do you live?

[smitty55]

Hi guys. My son has a PD day tomorrow and he wants to go fishing. Don't know much about crappies so what kind of locations and structures should i be looking at this time of year? I see from other posts that creeks could be good, right? Any advice welcome especially since him and I can rarely find the time to go fishing together. Thanks

Harpee, anywhere along the Rideau system at creeks where they hit the river or under some of the bridges along river road. Early season the locks are all worth checking because they have the warmest water first. Backs of bays that warm earliest can be good as well. Basically you could start at Long Island locks and work your way upriver to Buritts Rapids and beyond. Check maps and you can spot them. South of Kars on Rideau Valley Dr the second creek has a nice bridge.West of Kemptville on the River Road there are a couple of creeks, one with a nice bridge to fish under. Sometimes they like the shade. Afternoon and evenings will generally be better than mornings. On nice sunny days the water is warming all day. Don't fish your lure too deep. You need to be above the fish for the most part. Use the smallest float you can get away with, if using. And definitely use the lightest line you have or at least use a 2 or 3ft leader of 4lb or less. It can make all the difference between catching and not catching, even if the fish are there. Trust me on that one. Don't need bait IMO. An assortment of 1/64 to 1/16 tubes and grubs or even hair/glitter jigs will do you fine. Some days they want a certain color, so have a variety. White, yellow, chartreuse, and I particularly like those two tone microtubes with red/pink heads and white/yellow tails

I haven't been to Manotick Bait for over five years but I imagine it's still a great stop for all your Crappie needs, including local info I would hope. They were in the past, before it was sold. Kinda neat for a kid too, to visit a local bait shop. Part of the experience.

Good luck getting out with your lad. Those can be very special moments. How old is he btw?

Cheers

[kliven]

Smitty, I'm pretty new to crappie fishing as well, so I was wondering, do you use 4-6lb braid, mono, or flouro? What material of leader do you use?

[smitty55]

Smitty, I'm pretty new to crappie fishing as well, so I was wondering, do you use 4-6lb braid, mono, or flouro? What material of leader do you use?

Mono is my pick. Flouro is less visible but it sinks so it might drag your jig down more. If using braid I would use a leader, but sometimes they are very aggressive and it doesn't matter. But I wouldn't take the chance.

Cheers

[Harpee61]

Thanks a lot Smitty, really appreciate the effort you put in the great post. We ended up playing ball then catching the new Avengers movie (...) bur he's got next Friday off as well ( we are in Aylmer) so we will be heading over to the Rideau. Hopefully it's still time for some action. He's at the age (12) that I'll take any time that he wants to spend with me before I turn too boring....I'll report back on our day and tahnks again. H

[CyrusG]

Thanks everyone! I forgot to mention this was done from shore on the Rideau, you don't always need a boat to catch a lot of slabs.

[Markus]

If you're gonna have a crappie day fishing, this is a blueprint for it! Very nice indeed. Good fishin.