Spring Fishing Season Kicks Off Early With Crappies Biting

Anglers in Minnesota are largely ready for open water fishing.  Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News says there is an appetite to open water fish despite options to ice fish in Northern Minnesota.  He says this is a unique time in the state where lakes in southern and central Minnesota are seeing open water while northern Minnesota still has available ice fishing.

Open Water Fishing

Schmitt says south and west of the Twin Cities, they have ice out on lakes.  He says they are about a week ahead of the average ice out date.  Schmitt says he's hearing reports of people catching crappies in the Willmar area.  He believes the weather is the biggest deterrent from keeping people off the water where they have access.

Crappies

Schmitt believes this is a good time of year to fish off shore.  He says fish are in shallow areas.  Schmitt says crappie fishing is a good option for anglers this time of year.  He'd like to see the sun come out more and for the temperatures to go up to increase the odds of catching fish and to improve the fun factor.  Schmitt suggests looking for crappies staging outside shallow areas in 8-12 feet of water.  He says weed lines are a bonus if you can find those.  Schmitt believes fish will move to shallow water as the water temperatures increase.  Great locations to find crappies include black bottom bays, channels, boat harbors, and culvert areas in 1-5 feet of water.

Year Round Bass

Year round bass fishing is now available in the state of Minnesota.  It's catch and release from now until Memorial Day weekend.  Schmitt is curious to see how many anglers will be fishing bass this spring.  He says bass can be really good this time of year.  Schmitt expects many anglers to catch big pre spawn bass.  He says the Mississippi River is a great spot to fish small mouth bass.

Turkey Hunt

The turkey hunting season begins in 12 days on April 15.  Schmitt says turkeys are very active and the state has a big population of wild turkeys.  He says Central Minnesota is a good location to hunt turkey and has steadily saw an increase in numbers.  Schmitt says the southeastern portion of the state used to be the only spot to find a high turkey population but that has changed.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Glen Schmitt, click below.