Photo by Ron Sinfelt

Papermouth purists can be found chasing their speckled quarry at any time of year. But perhaps no period is more popular than spring. With water temperatures climbing, spring crappies head into shallow water for spawning in great numbers.

Spring is a great time to target them, but the timing of the spawn can vary depending on weather and water temperatures. But the quality of even established crappie fisheries can vary from one year to the next.

Most crappie populations are cyclic, having a natural ebb and flow. They’ll see great peaks in fishing quality and then slide into a down period that may last a season or longer. To you to get in on the hottest action, which lakes are offering the best opportunities this year?

Our state is divided into five wildlife management districts (WMDs). Throughout the state are great crappie destinations, so here’s a rundown of some the best spots to find great papermouth fishing right now:

DISTRICT ONE
“There are lots of good crappie lakes in central Ohio,” said Ken Cunningham, the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s District One fisheries supervisor. He noted that numerous lakes in the district offer prime fishing and there is at least one surprise hotspot.

Madison Lake in Madison County is not expected to have good crappie fishing and doesn’t get a lot of attention. In fact, this 104-acre lake has even been referred to as “a mud hole.” But in a recent fall trap-netting survey, biologists found good numbers of crappies in all size groups.

The real surprise came in the “big fish” sizes -- a large number of fish at 11 inches or greater. For targeting large-sized crappies on small water, Madison Lake may be the lake of choice in central Ohio, where electric motors only are allowed.

Three other lakes in District One should offer some excellent crappie fishing this spring. Deer Creek Lake in Madison, Pickaway, and Fayette counties, Delaware Lake in Delaware County and Hoover Lake in Delaware and Franklin counties all look great for 2007.

Cunningham said the crappie fisheries at all three lakes mirror each other. All three lakes have good distributions of fish in all sizes. There are even good numbers of big fish.

What makes these lakes look really good for 2007 and even into 2008 is that sampling last year showed a large year-class of fish in the 8- to 9-inch range, which should grow into good keeper size this year and next.

Crappies in central Ohio usually start to move shallow by mid-April. Look for them in good numbers around shallow woody structure by late April. The timing of the spawn depends on weather conditions, but typically begins by the latter part of the month and continues on into May.

At these lakes, Woody structure is also fairly uniform. Anglers will typically find more structure farther away from the dams. There is a good amount of shoreline cover from the middle sections of the lakes into the upper ends. Look for crappies in the usual spots around fallen trees, brush piles, and aquatic vegetation.

When fishing the lower ends of the lake, however, don’t overlook riprap areas. The rocky areas around the dams will attract a fair number of papermouths.