[JimG]

It's safe to say the Crappie Bite is on in Sandusky. There are a few changes I have found through. Since last Friday I have fished 5:30 p.m. to dark and in the mornings 5:10 a.m. till 7:30 a.m. I have now taken enough to fill my need for meals for lent for the family as of today, besides supplying a few folks because of age or health can no long get out.
This year in daylight hours I've seen few caught on shore using minnows , but all i did was fish the times above with a pony head jig with spinner and a 2" Hot grub form Drifterfishing supplies in the blue/white sparkle color and it out fished all my go to lures.
The water in the bay is clearing very fast now and this morning I could see about 14" to 18" in most areas. The Crappie seem very shy of light this year in our area and they hit the times above better than any other I've seen.
If your shorebound try the coves at Shoreline Park or the outer wall facing into Battery Park Marina, which is public. At the above times I have taken crappies in both places. You can't miss finding the spots because the word is out around town , but there's plenty of areas to fish.
This morning a fellow was fishing from a bass boat for crappies and he couldn't take it anymore and floated up to see what I was using. I gave him one of my jigs and he hit the motherload from the boat being out a little further. it was nice he floated back before leaving and made me take a five spot if I'd write out where to get the jigs.
The small mouth are more active now and I released quite a large number while fishing for the crappies.
I released all the female crappies I caught that were loaded with eggs and by the look of them the height of the spawn will be this next week. Last week it was all black crappies , but this week the whites were in the shallows and they to were loaded with eggs. The size range is normal, but I have noticed the bigger ones were coming towards dark.
4 pd. test, pony head jig either 1/32 or 1/16 oz with blue/white sparkle tail Hot grub is all it took. I'd count down 2 after the jig hit the water and did a slow retrieve with the rod tip high and whack, time after time.
So here's hoping all of you reading this are getting your fill also and may tight lines keep you smiling.
JimG

Ref.
4 pd. Trilene line
1/32 or 1/16 oz. Pony head jigs from www.Crappielures.com
2 inch "hot Grubs" blue/white from www.drifterfishingsupplies.com

 

[ShoreBoundOne]

Great post Jim...i gotta try to hit the marinas this week. If i can find one that will let me fish lol

Mitch

 

[twistertail]

Thanks for all the info. What size crappie were you getting? Also could you tell me where Battery Park and the Shoreline park are?

 

[JimG]

The crappies range from some dinks and the further you cast out the size increases. For the norm, I don't string up anything under 9 inches.
Heading into Sandusky go striaght for town on any of the highways coming in and you keep going till you hit Sandusky Bay. Heading east on the street that runs the downtown area you come upon Shoreline Park which is marked and public and further east by a few minutes you run right into Battery park, which is also public walking ramps and you fish into the marina side which is okey to do also. Both places offer rocky bottem area that attracts crappie for spawning. You'll see people fishing the hot areas and there's plenty of room to fish the areas. Like I said though , for me it has been first light and closing of the day seems to be best.
After last years slow start it seems they are on the rebound this year. The slabs have been coming at the end of the day and so far the biggest slabs in three years have come this past week.
But I only use jigs and reaching close to the bottom with a spinner pony head seems to attrack some of the bigger ones this year.
Hope it helps,
JimG

 

[twistertail]

Thanks for the help. Is the area protected so that you could fish from a small boat or canoe? I have a canoe or a small 12' v bottom boat that i could use, or is it better to just fish from shore? Thanks again for the help. I might try to come up this weekend and fish in freemont for some w/b and then try for some crappie.

 

[JimG]

Launching would be the problem ,closest ramp is about 1/2 mile from shoreline park and you be traveling a main route for bigger boats. The shoreline is set up where you'll fair well from the shoreline.
Jimg

 

[DANDE]

Thanks For The Info Jim. I Ordered Some Jig Heads And Hot Grubs Today. See You At Battery Park One Of These Evenings. Dan Jacobs