Photo by Ron Sinfelt

Spring is crappie time in almost any angler's book. Ohio has some excellent waters to pursue crappie on, and this spring anglers can find good fishing in every corner of the state.

"It looks like this will be a good year," said Elmer Heyob Jr., a Division of Wildlife fisheries biologist in District One.

"Crappie populations are at good levels, and there are some good-size fish out there. The flooding last spring came at just the right time for spawning crappies."

Fishermen should know that crappie lakes are cyclical, with some years being better than others, according to Heyob, and this year the prospects for Ohio's crappies are looking good. Some of our lakes have good populations, some have large fish, and some have both.

Here's a look at where to go in 2005 for some of the best crappie angling the Buckeye state has to offer.

DELAWARE RESERVOIR
"We had great crappie fishing just about everywhere in District One last year," said Heyob. "If you talk crappies, you've got to mention Delaware Reservoir, just because its black and white crappies are so huge. It offers good numbers of both species as well as good fishing year after year."

As far as the Ohio Division of Wildlife is concerned, Delaware Reservoir just might be the best crappie lake in the state.

"Anglers catch plenty of 10-inch fish in Delaware," said Heyob. "When we run our survey nets in Delaware it's not uncommon to see 12- and 14-inch crappies. We had one that made 15 inches, which means fish up to 2 pounds."

"Most anglers don't target these big crappies, but they're there in numbers. My theory, though it hasn't been proven, is that when there's flooding it covers grass and brush along the shoreline and provides good breeding areas. There's lots of low-lying land in the region, and when it flooded last spring, it came at just the right time for crappies," said Heyob.

Delaware Reservoir covers 1,300 acres of water north of Delaware between state routes 23 and 42 in Delaware, Marion and Morrow counties.

There is a 9-inch minimum-size limit in place with no limit on the number of fish that can be taken.

For additional information and a map, contact the ODOW's District One office at (614) 644-3925.

ALUM CREEK
Alum Creek Reservoir is another central Ohio hotspot and comes highly recommended by Heyob.

"At Alum Creek we had some 10- to 12-inchers reported last year," he said.

Alum Creek covers 3,387 acres and has 46 miles of jagged, shallow shoreline. Depths extend to 60 feet at the dam on the south end of the lake. The shallow bays are the best bets for spring crappie in long, narrow Alum Creek, especially docks and wood cover. As the bigger fish begin to move deeper, anglers should check the points and dropoffs.

Alum Creek has a history of producing plenty of big crappies, possibly owing to the large number of muskies in the lake. Muskies prey on small crappies and help keep the smaller fish from stunting the overall crappie population.

The lake is located in Delaware County about seven miles north of Columbus. The lake is accessed off Interstate Route 71 from the east by state routes 36 and 37. State routes 36, 37 and 521 provide access from state Route 23 on the west side of the reservoir.

A 9-inch minimum-size limit is in place with no possession limit.

For a lake map and more information, call ODOW's District One office at (614) 644-3925.