Fire Up with Early Slabs

by Ron Anlauf

I don't care who you are; catching early season crappies is fun. If you can't get a kick out of boating feisty slabs you might consider stepping back and taking a look at what's really important. For me it's being back on the water and getting in touch with my roots, which include plenty of panfish. Besides the scrap they can put out using light gear they'rre downright tasty, which makes for a perfect combination.

A lot of the early season action takes place in shallow water and can happen immediately after ice out. The thing about ice-out crappies is that they're either in or out. When they're in the real fun begins because the main reason they're there is to fill their bellies which means they can definitely be caught. When they're out you may have to spend too much time looking and will depend on the existing conditions.

Team Crestliner member John Janousek of Nisswa, Minnesota targets big early season slabs on two distinctly different types of lakes and reservoirs including the big sprawling open water variety with attached cuts and bays as well as smaller more protected lakes with out the obvious shallow hot spots. "Both types of lakes can produce on any given day and the direction I head really depends on the weather. Shallow bays and cuts connected to a bigger main lake are always a good bet. My favorite scenario includes a narrow shallow channel that you have to get through to get to a bay because it helps to limit the effect of wind and waves pushing in colder water from the main lake." Bays and cuts are typically warmer than the main lake and where things heat up quickly drawing in big schools of crappies. "They'll move in and set up near docks or fallen trees and is something you definitely want to look for. Another thing to keep in mind is that there may be a dozen docks or multiple trees and only one will be holding all of the fish so you better be thorough. When I'm looking for shallow fish in the main lake I'll wait for calmer conditions and try to find standing patches of weeds which can heat up and draw in big schools of hungry slabs. It's a solid pattern under ideal conditions but starts to come apart when the wind blows which will push in colder water shut it all down."
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Choosing A Fishing Guide - Two Perspectives

To give you some insight into choosing the Fishing Guide or Charter that is right for you we have enlisted the help of National Bass Professional Fishing Guide, former radio talk show host and author Steve Chaconas, and Professional Bass Angler Luke Clausen.

Choosing a Guide

by Steve Chaconas, NationalBass.com

Choosing a guide is tricky.

I get asked a lot of questions from prospective clients. They usually focus on the fishing and maybe the type of gear, including boat I run. I think the most important question they should ask...it might not be the first, but should be the deal breaker...What form of liability insurance coverage do you have? If they do not have a 'commercial' policy, then you might run into issues if there is a problem. Many guides try to cut corners here because complete insurance coverage costs about double or more. They will try to cover their guiding business with a regular policy...if a company finds out, they will deny claims in most cases.

They should also ask about the level of skill required for the techniques being used. Some guides are not very good teachers and are not able to teach learnable techniques to new clients. Knowing the range a guide can cover might help as well. Some guides might not be able to communicate this, so it is up client to ask sufficient questions to determine whether a guide will be able to accommodate the skill level of their trip. Read More

Subtleties to smallmouths
by Art Ferguson of Art of Fishing Guide Service

Smallmouth bass fishing, in my eyes, is the best fishing in the world today. I have fished for most species of freshwater and many saltwater, both bottom as well as flats fishing and still nothing compares day in and day out to smallmouth bass! They are aggressive, competitive, strong, fighters, jumpers, diggers, mean, schoolers, quick yet smooth and are not fearful!

I've found in recent years that smallmouth bass are more predictable than the largemouth bass and that goes against popular beliefs. The difference is, smallmouths tend to move a bit more throughout a years time, but, once you figure out where they spawn, feed and winter, you will have a much better understanding of these great fish.

Being a full time guide on the Great Lakes, I can honestly say I've caught thousands and thousands of smallmouths in the past 16 years as a guide. Customers have caught nearly as many. This is due to the aggressive nature of this fish. I've learned where to look for them at different times of the year and it pays off in extreme fishing situations. Some days, we'll catch well over 60 a day and this is due to their nature.

I'm a man of Faith and do not believe in luck, but rather God being in control of everything including weather patterns which in turn, make wildlife and fish react differently at different times. If you get lined up with God's perfect timing, when fish are most active in areas of the lakes or rivers you are fishing, this is when it happens. Smallmouths are no different, though they do seem to go into frenzies better than many species of fish. This is due to their schooling nature. Whenever you find a smallmouth, chances are, there are more nearby.

Lets get into some seasonal patterns as well as the subtleties that can make you or break you out on the water. Most of us know through experience that spring and fall fishing is typically better than any other time of the year for most fishermen. This is the time when the fish are shallowest and seems that once you find them, it's endless. Then the heat of the summer comes, the fish are post spawn and suddenly the heroes of the lake are the zeroes of the lake. This is due to fish spreading out into the vast areas of each particular lake. I find most of my summer smallmouth on our Great Lakes will relate to the first major breaks off of spawning flats or move into major rivers and channels that produce cooler waters, oxygen levels are increased and an abundance of baitfish. Finally, winter fishing. Well, I live in Florida during this time of year, so I won't comment on ice fishing.
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