There aren't too many sure things when it comes to fishing, but a hot spring crappie bite is about as close as it comes. Many Wisconsin waters provide crappies in good numbers, while others offer fewer but bigger fish. You shouldn't have to drive far in our state to find crappies, and you shouldn't have to work too hard to catch them.

After ice-out, crappies often remain for a few weeks in their deep-water winter haunts, where you'll find them suspended 10 feet or more below the surface. To catch them in early spring, hang a tiny jig or ice fly beneath a slip-bobber and drift it over a school.

As the sun warms shallow dark-bottomed bays, crappies begin to move into these shallows in preparation for spawning. Look for them near reed beds, rocks or wood, and tempt them with a small minnow under a slip-bobber.

Once crappies start spawning, you should be able to catch them with small jigs and plastic tails. Rig two jigs 18 inches apart, one above the other, so you can fish the entire water column in shallow water. Don't be surprised if the action gets so fast that you hook a double now and then.

On most lakes, panfish populations ebb and flow in a dynamic cycle. One species can dominate the fishery for several years, and then another species takes over. Here's a look at a baker's dozen of waters where crappies are doing well right now, and where you should have no trouble catching a mess of slabs this spring.

GENEVA LAKE
The largest lake in Walworth County at 5,200 acres, Geneva is not your typical crappie lake. Clear and deep, it lacks the shallows and dark water associated with most crappie waters, but still holds good numbers of papermouths. Shortly after ice-out, you'll find crappies suspended over rocky humps at the west end. As the water warms, crappies move into Williams Bay and Geneva Bay where they spawn along the shore. In summer, fish those same humps or look for suspended fish over deep weeds. Crappies also hang out near the many private piers and other man-made structures.

There are good public launch sites in Williams Bay, the city of Lake Geneva and Fontana, but parking spots fill up quickly on weekends.

Contact Geneva Lake Bait and Tackle, at the intersection of Highways 67 and 50 just north of Williams Bay, at (262) 245-6150; or the Geneva Lake Area Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-345-1020 or online at www.lakegenevawi.com.

LAKE WAUBESA
Often overlooked by anglers heading to lakes Mendota or Monona, 2,000-acre Lake Waubesa offers the best crappie population on the Madison Chain.

Waubesa is fairly shallow with plenty of structure and weeds, so crappies are not hard to find. Early in spring, motor under the trestle at the lake's north end and look for them in shallow Upper Mud Lake. As the extensive weedbeds develop, fish the outside weed edges. Crappies spawn on the shallow flats where you can sometimes sight-fish for them. Off Rockford Heights on the east shore, fish cribs hold crappies at any time of year.