Page 10 - Crappie NOW - May 2019

Story & photos by Darl Black

oing by the moniker of Crappie fishing.
Mates, the husband and wife One difference is the size of baits
G fishing team of Dan and Sue we use. When fishing up north we
Dannenmueller participate in national downsize our baits to around 2 inches
crappie tournaments, and promote crappie on a 1/16-ounce jighead. But back
fishing through seminars and videos. home we use a 3/16-ounce jighead and
Although home is Alabama, Crappie slightly bigger soft plastic body to create
Mates travel across the US and Canada. a larger profile bait to mimic the shad in
On a Crappie Mate’s most recent press our lakes. The reason is simple: northern
trip to northwestern Pennsylvania this crappies feed on smaller minnows in the
past May, I had the had the opportunity to spring. In Pennsylvania, our best bait has
quiz the duo following three days fishing been the 2.25-inch Bobby Garland Baby
Pymatuning Lake in Crawford County and Shad Swim’r, while back in Alabama our
Shenango Lake in Mercer County. favorites are the Garland 3-inch Slab
Slay’r and 2.5-inch Stroll’r.
DARL BLACK: Your visits to this BLACK: What have you uncovered
region in May occur during the spawning about the location of pre-spawn and
period for crappies in NW Pennsylvania. spawn crappies (both black and white) in
Is there anything you do that is different Pennsylvania waters?
during the pre-spawn/spawn period in the CRAPPIE MATES: Crappies will
northern tier versus your home waters move into the bays and inlets to spawn
back in Alabama? around wood, rock and gravel when water
CRAPPIE MATES: Technically, we temperature approaches 60 degrees.
don’t do anything different. Crappies are Males move first to spawning areas, then
crappies – they follow the same spawning the larger females. On Pymatuning, we
rituals in Pennsylvania as they do in look for bays and inlets protected from the
Alabama. It’s just a matter of when they prevailing wind, which in NW Pennsylvania
do it. In Alabama, the pre-spawn starts is a north or northwest wind. Because
as early as late February with majority spawning crappies seek protection from
of spawning occurring during March. On the prevailing northwest wind, when the
visits to NW Pennsylvania during mid-May, wind shifts out of the northeast the bite
we have found crappies in both the pre- can be screwed up.
spawn and spawn phases – depending On Shenango Lake, the reservoir
on which lake or lake section we were downstream of Pymatuning, things are a

10 Crappie NOW May 2019