"Hey Mom, look at this one!" said my son as he hauled in another spring crappie. We were out fishing one of southern Wisconsin lakes on the first warm day of the spring and I couldn't have been happier. It was our first day on the water and there is nothing like getting the boat out to chase away those winter blues. Although it was a Saturday, we seemed to have the lake to ourselves. No one had their piers in the water yet and there weren't any pesky water skiers to rile the water. And it was a good thing, too, because although the crappies were biting, they were still easily spooked.

Scenes like this play out all over the state once the lakes start to melt. Warmer temperatures bring crappies and other panfish into the shallow bays making them rather predictable. They like dark shorelines on the north end of the lake where the ice melts first. Here they gather, waiting for the water to heat up to nearly 50 degrees on the surface. The warmer the water gets, the more aggressive the crappies become. Yet, as every fisherman knows, success is never guaranteed. So, here are a few good lakes to get you started. (Continued)

LAKE DUBAY
Justin Gaiche of Hooksetters Guide Service spends many, many days on the water.

"I think Lake DuBay is the best crappie lake in the state right now," he said. "It has a huge population of fish, and fishing pressure can't wipe them out."

Lake DuBay spans 6,700 acres and it has many features that crappies like.

"Once the ice is off, you'll want to go up into the feeder creeks and into shallow bays and shorelines," Gaiche said. "Look for 1 to 3 feet of water adjacent to timber. There is a lot of wooden structure on the bottom of this lake, so much so that you can't run out of places to try. You can also troll slowly around the shoreline looking for good spawning habitat. This lake lends itself to spot hopping. Often, you'll be able to mark the fish themselves, or see the spawning beds."

Gaiche said the crappies average 11 inches and he has caught two bigger than 17 inches in recent years, but how do you catch them? "I use a slip-bobber and a crappie minnow. Try pink-and-white-colored jigs with small heads in 1/16- to 1/32-ounce weights. Instead of minnows, I also use 2 1/2 in Gulp! in minnow imitations like white and silver."

Access to this lake is rather easy with at least eight public launches in navigable water. The problem arises once you've launched. This lake is loaded with submerged timber that can make navigation treacherous. Make sure you know where you are going or hire a guide who does.

HOLCOMBE FLOWAGE BY EAU CLAIRE
Holcombe Flowage is a lot like Lake DuBay in structure, yet it is smaller.

"This flowage has a lot of muddy bays with timber," Gaiche said. "The timber is different in that the trees are huge 150-year-old white pines. On this lake, you'll find crappies holding tight to these large stumps. In fact, you will often find several fish on one stump as opposed to DuBay where you are jumping from spot to spot. You'll want to look for fish in 2 to 4 feet of water, maybe even a hair deeper depending on conditions. If the whole bay is shallow, don't go any deeper than 5 to 6 feet."

Crappies on Holcombe are a little bit smaller than on DuBay and average 9 to 11 inches.