Is it April? Feb 22 Crappie

[Johnsfolly]

Put in at 5:40 this evening for bank fishing off the dam near one of the fish attractor piles. The air temp was mid 60's. No wind and the surface was like glass. I had on a black and green 1/64 oz jig under a float. I made my first cast to the offshore side of the fish attractor brush pile and had a quick hit and I missed the hook set. I typically fish a pull and stop cadence which gives that little jig motion and that tantalizing drop. Another hit closer to the brush, snag the pile and break my 2# P-line. I retie and get another jig out and fish a little further from the brush and get hooked up on my first Feb white crappie. Looked good against the setting sun.

The crappie from the bank really don't have the size that I can catch in other lakes, but they make it up in sheer numbers of eager biters. I fished until it was too dark to see my float. I ended up landing 9 all from 6.5 to 8.5" in length and lost three others by horsing them and pulling the hooks. It felt like the April bite just a little slower. I left at 6:30 pm. I didn't think that I would be pulling in crappie from the bank in February. May have to get out a couple more times before it cools off again.