Spokane area Crappie

[jgwinup]

So I have decided to target Crappie this year. Where is the best place/spot to fish for them? I mostly shore fish but do have a canoe and inflatable that I use when needed. When do the bait fish start to come in around here? Any help would be great.

[hewesbob]

Bonnie Lake, take your canoe up the creek. Its about a half mile from the bridge where you launch to the lake. My first trip in to Bonnie several years ago I spent the entire day just checking out the lake. Just find a snag that has fallen into the water and throw a small jig under a bobber around the snag. Try to work every limb, I have cast 15 times at a snag and no bites, cast to the other side of the same snag and pick up 4 or 5 crappie. There are several of these downed trees all around the lake, in a week you could never fish them all. Also try the basalt bluffs on the north side of the lake. I have found that early evening on a hot summer day the crappie will hand right next to the bluff in deeper water. Good Luck

[jgwinup]

Thank you so much. I really look forward to heading out there.

[Anglinarcher]

Bonnie for sure, but it is more like a mile by water and with this years HIGH water flows from Bonnie to Rock, it will be a work-out for sure. Maybe it will be down by the time you try it. Awesome crappie, great yellow perch.

Another option is of course Long Lake (AKA Spokane Lake). Try the brush in the back of some of the bays. Sunset and Willow bays are places where a canoe will work well. If you hit it right, you can have great fishing for crappie. I know you will not believe me, but I caught a 17-3/8" crappie there a couple of years ago, and C&R maybe a dozen others in about an hour that were almost that long. On the other hand, if you hit it wrong, you won't catch a single crappie.

On highway 291, near Spokane Lake, there is a little sleeper that is perfect for your inflatable or canoe, or some shore fishing. The crappie are not huge, but nice enough. (Forgot to name it - Red Lake)

There are crappie in Newman, Liberty, Hauser in Idaho ................ and of course if you are willing to travel, Moses Lake and Potholes.

Actually there are a lot of lakes with Crappie in them in the Spokane area, but it is a case of learning the water, hitting them at the right time, and knowing the right methods. Check out the reports for Long Lake and you will see for example that some guys have done very well in the late fall, early winter, drop shotting in deep water for crappie.

Hope this helps some.

[juggalo]

this topic hits the nail on the head for me,I've been trying to learn the crappie in the Spokane area for a couple of years now and it seems to be all about the water temps.once they're active its on but until the water temps hit the mid 50s it can be real tuff.then once the spawn is over it can be very frustrating trying to key in on them again.

[Anglinarcher]

juggalo, WOW, soooo true.

I remember when there were Crappie in Sprague. They put them back in, but I could not prove it. But then, except for rare occasions, they seemed to not exist for me even when they were very plentiful.

I know that if we could sink brush, or if there were more deep weeds in Sprague, then locating Crappie there at all times of the year might be easier. Still, crappie are pelagic or free swimming most of the year, so in theory you should be able to locate the schools and hit them by trolling, and I never could. The advantage of deep weeds or brush is that the crappie don't hold on the spots, but they move to them to feed at times during multiple times of the year.

Elokia has some nice crappie in it, but again, not so easy to pattern. I find that during the winter the ice fishermen get them on occasion. During the spring they find them spawning sometimes. I find that early summer and late fall I can get them using surface poppers (fly rod) at times. Still, not something worth targeting, just worth taking advantage if I am already there.

Liberty lake is an interesting place at times. In the spring, for about a week or two, casting a jig and float against some of the rockier shores is a sure way to locate and catch a bunch of crappie. But, predicting that week or two is pretty tough. After that, they go pelagic again and I cannot locate them. Liberty even has some deeper weeds, but I cannot keep the perch (small), bass and brown trout off the jigs long enough to do well on the crappie. But, I do get some on a drop shot with a small curly tail along the deeper weed lines.

Newman Lake is probably the easiest to catch crappie, but don't expect large ones. I have located crappie during the morning and afternoon around the reed/cattail beds, but I toss a lot of perch and gills away as well. Float and small jig works best.

Last one to discuss, Long Lake. I talked before about the spring bite. With a boat, there are actually a lot of locations, and some of the shallow docks can be DYNOMITE from spring through early summer. But, once they pelagic pattern has started, not so easy. I got my big one (wish I had weighted it or taken a girth measurement as well as the length) by locating a school of "something" at about 25'. I thought there were SMB based on the graph so I dropped a 1/8" crayfish jig to them. What a day? To bad it only lasted a short time.

[swb69]

I am not real familiar with lakes around Spokane, but if you are willing to travel a bit then I would suggest a slough on the snake river down by central ferry. It is on the left hand side of the small highway bridge and you can walk all the way around it or take you boat in under the bridge. The crappie come in the spring to spawn in the shallows where a small stream comes in. If you time it right the fishing is awesome. You will most likely get smallies to because they like to spawn in there also. After the spawn you will have to find them out in the river. I usually have decent luck under the main bridge. Good luck and good fishing.

[Anglinarcher]

One last spot, and if the water is right, now is the time, or soon will be.

If you go to Sandpoint Idaho, there is a gas station right on the shore of 48 degrees-16'13.01" N by 116 degrees-32'39.22 W. I have not fished it, but I use to travel through there and when they raise the water to almost full the crappie pile into this little bay to spawn. It is shallow, but a float with a small jig under it a couple of feet was dynamite for the people that were parking at the gas station and fishing. I assume that they still allow people to park and fish.

OK, so now that I have opened up Idaho......., some more ideas. Fernan has a reputation for early spring crappie. The northern part of Hayden Lake, especially fishing with drop shot off the columns of deep weeds can be awesome. And, one last old time secret...... if it is still available to fish (have not done it in 30 years so .....) the old railroad bridge that separates Lake Chatcolet from Coeur d' Alene 47 deg.-22'41" N by 116 deg.-45'13" W.

[swb69]

I know the bridge you are talking about and also the bridge the separates benawa from the ST. Joe used to be hot, but I've been told that the pike have moved in and destroyed the crappie population.