It was a fun spring fishing for crappies in the Kawartha Lakes this year.
I started when the water was high and cold. My bait of choice in these conditions is a marabou jig under a fixed float. Slow is the name of the game and after trying a few depths and areas I found them.
As water temps warmed and dropped, I changed from a marabou jig to a small 2" bait called the Crappie Fry made by Anglers Choice here in Ontario. These were rigged on a slip float made by Cool Waters, another local Ontario company. The slip float allowed for some vertical movement while keeping the bait stationary in a specific location.
When the water temps and levels finally returned to normal I found myself throwing the Intact Grub, once again made by Anglers Choice. With the fish having seen every soft plastic at this point, I decided to throw colours that were eye grabbing. My most successful pattern was a hot pink and pearl combination, once again fished under a Cool Waters slip float.
Work and home life keep me quite busy, especially with vegetables, flowers, and plants on the go here at home. It is nice to have a balanced life, I find, so will be taking a bit of a hiatus for the month of June before returning to the water on Canada Day to fish with flukes, frogs, and paddletails for some bass, some of which will be cleaned and cooked on my little Coleman stove...looking forward to that, and will share some pictures and recipes through the summer as well.
Cheers all, and enjoy the nice weather while it is here.
2026 Spring Crappie Report
