Lake Michigan Fishing Resources

“Fluttering” Crappies

          By Tony Roach

“Add some hover and flutter to your approach for a major boost in spring crappie catches.” (Photo courtesy of Frabill)

         Hang time. Michael Jordan had it in spades. Shaquille O’Neal—not so much. Leaves hang, flutter and fall on a warm autumn breeze. Acorns don’t hang or flutter much at all, in fact, they pretty much drop like rocks. Ever try to catch an acorn midflight? How about a hailstone; ever catch one, say, square in the noggin’? Smarts don’t it?

Falling leaves are easier on the melon, but I’ll take a shower of fluttering hundred-dollar bills any day. Watch how they flip, flop and glide in every direction as they drop toward the ground. Never know exactly where a C-Note’s going to land. Drop it from a rooftop, and the bill could easily come to rest 20-feet away from center.

In the wonderful world of crappie baits, it’s almost always better to be a leaf than an acorn. Big googly eyes perpetually scanning the nether regions above, crappie radars are forever tuned in to pennies from heaven—food that hovers and flutters seductively down to their jaws. Still, they can be awfully selective about the baits they bite. Often, it’s all about drop-speed. Getting down fast to schools of deep competitive fish is one thing. But that’s more of a summer-fall deal.

We’re talking early spring here. And when I’m searching out crappies in chilly water—perhaps months before they spawn—I’ll take a “flutterbait” every time. A flutterbait can be anything from a light spoon or gliding softbait to a freelined live minnow. Early on—might be mere days after ice-out—crappies are often doing what they do best, hovering. Whether they’re stationed above a bed of elodea in 18-feet of water, suspended twenty feet down over deeper water just outside a shallow bay, or roaming the edge of a rocky point carpeted with fresh green pondweed, crappies will be hovering somewhere above bottom, and looking “up” for food. This can be a tricky time to find fish, but it’s also my favorite period to catch crappie-kong. Really, though, it’s only tricky if you use stuff that’s too heavy. I’ve seen lots of anglers who were on fish, but continually failed to connect because their lures simply flew right past sets of deep lippy mandibles—crappies frowning at baits as they shot on by. It’s the acorn versus the leaf. And it makes a huge difference in terms of bait choice.

About Flutterbaits

Not coincidentally, two of my all time favorite flutterbaits are found on the pages of the Northland Fishing Tackle catalog. Northland knows crappies, and their new Live-Forage Flutter Spoon is absolutely slab-happy. The 2-inch size casts well on 3-pound test Bionic Panfish line, and it flips around and glides on the drop. Yes, crappies love to eat small spoons.

“Mini softbaits that glide rather than plummet on the drop spell more bites.”

(Photo courtesy of Northland Fishing Tackle)

They also savor softbaits, and a Slurpies Small-Fry tail rigged on a 1/32-ounce jighead does the fluttering thing to perfection. It’s the only tube-style bait I’ve seen that has two broad ‘glide-fins’ that make it, well, glide. And when it glides, the fine little tail tentacles kick and waver. Oh my, do crappies find this tantalizing. Using gentle rodtip sweeps, swim this bait high over deep vegetation. Kill it and let the lure coast and flutter. Both the Flutter Spoon and the Small-Fry can be made to move erratically, and they sink so nice and slow that they almost hover in a crappie’s strike zone. Slurping it up is an easy choice.

“Overlooked by most anglers, light flutterspoons can be deadly on hovering crappies.”

(Photo courtesy of Northland Fishing Tackle)

Hovering Livebait

Ditto for crappies eating livebait. But you already knew that, right? I’m a huge fan of live minnows for crappies, although in early season, I’ll often fish them a little different than everyone else. I’ll dunk minnows under floats if I have to, but for fish wandering higher in the water column—especially over deep vegetation—freelinin’ the thing. Using a 7- to 8-foot light action spinning rod and 3-pound test Bionic mono, I can lob-cast a single small minnow plenty well, no weight necessary. Just add a #12 InvisaSwivel (a new type of transparent fishing swivel made of fluorocarbon) two feet ahead of a single snelled #10 lightwire hook. Unlike metal swivels that sink like rocks, the InvisaSwivel won’t drag the rig down, but rather hovers along with the line, for a totally natural presentation. It’s also the best swivel I’ve ever seen for eliminating line twist—the special fluorocarbon swivel material actually self-lubricates in water. Pretty cool.

“A little baitfish TLC assures that they’ll reward you with lively action and major

bites.”   (Photo courtesy of Frabill)

Of course, the minnow’s the thing. Open a crappie’s jaws once—yeah, these wide-mouthed critters aren’t exactly afraid of eating big baitfish. And neither should you be of fishing them. If I can put up a stock of healthy 2 to 3-inch golden or spottail shiners early in spring, I’ll be solid for weeks. When the weather’s still cool, I’ll store ‘em outside in a Frabill Aqua-Life Bait Station, and the aerator will keep ‘em healthy and happy. Once on the water, I’ll divvy up baits into smaller Min-O2-Life Bait Stations—one for each angler aboard. Lift the interior net and behold a boiling cauldron of crappie getters.

Freelining means no weight—just the power of livebait working its magic, tail kicking and calling slabs from afar. Slide the hook gently through each of the minnow’s nares (nasal openings), into one and out the other. Done right, this is the least damaging way to fish a lively baitfish, and it’ll reward you with a nice lively (and long) swim. Make a soft pitch, raise your rodtip, and let the wind or a trolling motor carry you along, releasing up to 50-feet of line as you drift. Hold your rod tip at 11-o’clock, keeping tabs on the bait’s activity and position with a finger feathering your line. In water under 20-feet deep, it’s not unusual to attract crappies right to the surface with a lively, high-riding shiner. On calm days, I’ve even been treated to surface bites—watching crappies pop my minnows right on top.

“From northern natural lakes to Arkansas impoundments, flutter tactics score big

beautiful slabs.” (Photo courtesy of MarCum Technologies)

When You’re Elbow-to-Elbow in a Fast Flow,
it’s Time to Swivel into Stealth Mode

As winter wanes and spirals into spring, fly anglers can be found standing elbow-to-elbow in the fast-flowing tributaries of the Great Lakes. Their quarry? Silvery-sided steelhead fresh from the big ponds. To scoop one of these regal fish in a Frabill trout net, avid fly tiers have been mixing every modern-day material conceivable to design a pattern that will fool these migrants into full suction – slurp. Where fishing pressure reigns, trout have seen every possible fuzzy pattern flow past them – fur, feather, Flashabou and all.



But river aficionados have come to realize that no matter the pattern presented, stealth is a prerequisite —the morsel must flow flawlessly with the current. That’s the name of the real steelhead catching game, especially in clear water. Nowadays, clear plastic floats have replaced ones of solid color, and the virtually invisible fluorocarbon leader has replaced tippets molded of monofilament.

 
 
Still there’s a problem. Even though strike indicators and line have started disappearing before the fish’s eyes, terminal tackle has not. Until now, that is. Enter the easy-spinning InvisaSwivel. Made from a fluorocarbon material called “Fluoro-Clear,” this new age swivel is translucent by design, so fish zone in on the fly rather than the terminal tackle hanging above it. It’s fly fishing in stealth mode to the max.



“In the spring, rivers run fast and furious and fish only have a fleeting second to decide whether to eat your offering or let it pass,” says Jon Ray, noted fly-fishing guide for the Michigan-based Hawkins Outfitters. “When fishing in rivers with hoards of other anglers, you need the fish’s focus to be on your fly.” In short, an InvisaSwivel melds into the scenery, and even when placed just feet above a fly, it simply goes unseen by steelhead.
 
 The lightweight nature of an InvisaSwivel cures yet another setback in the fly angler’s world. Some believe that swivels are taboo because the weight of the apparatus ruins the ability to cast fly line correctly. “But swivels are an asset as steelhead fight hard, stretch line, and can render expensive fly line useless in a heartbeat,” Ray adds. InvisaSwivels spin smoothly, even in cold water, and eliminate line twist. Clearly, InvisaSwivel is the solution. 
The advanced swivels are also near neutrally buoyant, riding smoothly within the roils of a river’s current and allowing a fly the most natural presentation possible. No heavy metal swivel to sink your fly to the riverbed, out of the strike zone.

 

Fear not the “Black Friday” crowds on the bank this spring. Stealth is on your side.

Fluoro-Clear/Invisible in Water - The swivels are almost invisible in water.  They do not reflect light or shine.  Fish will not detect this like an ordinary swivel.

Virtually Indestructible - These swivels will not break like ordinary metal swivels.  You can take the 55lb swivel and bend it back and forth and it will recover to the original form and function perfectly.  Further, you can take 80lb test line and tie it onto either end of the 55lb swivel with a standard clinch knot.  This will form a loop around the swivel and then tug on it to prove the incredible product strength.  Warning:  Your skin will tear before the swivel breaks!!!

Neutrally Buoyant - The swivel properties consist of an industrial resin compound that will perform at a very slow sink rate.  Therefore the swivel will not tug on the line at all.  One of the best uses is the Carolina Rig.

Non-Metallic, Non-Corrosive - Will not corrode when used in freshwater or saltwater.  Maintenance-free.

Natural Bait Presentation - The InvisaSwivel allows the entire rig to be Fluoro-Clear which provides a natural bait presentation without any distractions.

Braid to Fluoro/Mono - The InvisaSwivel allows those anglers that have a difficult time tying line to line an alternative.  Braid to Fluoro or Braid to Mono is a perfect application with standard clinch knots being used rather than Uni to Uni.

Knot Strengthening Design – Please notice the notches on the top and bottom of the swivel. These serve 2 purposes.  First if you hold up the swivel and look through the notch then you are also looking through the hole where the line goes.  Therefore, you can thread the line through easier.  Second, when you tie your knot (we recommend the standard clinch knot), you can cinch down the knot into that notch and your knot has now strengthened and is less likely to come loose and undone.  The InvisaSwivel strengthens your knot!

GREEN – Lead free!!!  Save our beautiful outdoors for generations to come. 

Released in early 2010, the InvisaSwivel has quickly set new standards in fishing swivel performance—both on the ice and in fresh and saltwater. Available in sizes for all species and environments, from ant-sized 12-pound test, to tarpon-tough 80-pound test.