With water temperatures ranging somewhere between 55-60 degrees on most lakes around the West Metro, the crappie spawn is in full swing. There are many “hot bites” right now, some of those lakes are Waconia, Prior, Minnewashta, and the lake I’ve been targeting most, Minnetonka. The water temperatures on the main lake are around 58 degrees, with cuts and bays in the lower 60’s!
 
Crappies are holding tight to wood, docks, and any green weeds in the warmest water you can find. I have recently started to fish dirtier water, in hopes of finding better quality size and less pressured fish. The baits that I have been using are small hair jigs, because they have a slow fall and a small float 2 feet above the jig. I have also been pitching around a minnow style bait, such as the 2 ¼” Lake Fork Trophy Lures Baby Shad with no bobber. Most of the fish I have been catching range from 7-10” and a few fish a little bigger.
 
I’ve been releasing most of the females I have been catching, because selective harvest is very important this time of year. Females are a lighter color and will usually have a belly shaped like a golf ball, which indicates they ready to lay eggs. Males, on the other hand, are spray-painted black, around the same size as females, and taste great. Right now is a good time to take a kid fishing and create some memories for the rest of their lives. No experience is needed to target these fish and when you find a school, it’s a blast!
 
Tight Lines,
 
Andrew Osowski
Team Yukon Outdoors