The Ice is long gone and the surface temperatures are already feeling the power of the mid April sun. The crappies are in the back bays ready to spawn and eat your Flu Flu™ jig tipped with a crappie minnow. Water temps are already reaching the mid to upper forties on our area shallow lakes and low to mid forties on our deep area fisheries. The underwater food chain follows the warmest water making it easy for the average angler to bring home a bucket of fish fillets. If you are fishing a large, cold lake such as Long Lake (east on 34) fish where the smaller lakes drain into the larger lakes (north end of Long in this case). Fish will congregate in the areas with warm water and current for multiple reasons. The spring spawn attracts minnows, crayfish and other underwater creatures which are busy consuming the fish eggs and other game fish are busy consuming the minnows.

(Thanks to the Hanson Family of Park Rapids for the photo)