The Year of the Minnowby

In China, 2020 is considered the Year of the Rat. For local crappie anglers, however, 2020 is proving to be the Year of the Minnow. A statement like this typically again triggers the long-standing debate over crappie jigs versus minnows. And, both sides of this argument have their points and supporters.

For many avid crappie anglers, jigs are considered the only lure for their favorite species. There are plenty of anglers on the other side who use nothing but minnows on a hook and fished under a bobber.

There are even those who straddle the line and use a crappie jig tipped with a lively minnow. All of the previously mentioned methods produce crappie. Still, there are certain conditions or times when one technique will out-produce all others.

For many local anglers, minnows seem to be yielding the best results at this time. Perhaps this is due to the murky waters found at many locations. The later-than-normal arrival of spring fishing conditions may even be playing some role in this situation.

However, who can argue with success? Up to this point, anglers using minnows have found significantly greater success on most local waters than those preferring jigs. And, despite the murky conditions found at many local lakes, minnow sales have been quite good for most bait shops. Most local bait dealers are selling good numbers of minnows to many anglers throughout the River Bend.

This fact alone should indicate something to crappie fishermen. It seems that minnows are currently the preferred dining experience for crappie around these parts. According to Rend Lake fishing guide Todd Gessner, minnows have actually worked exceptionally well the past several years.

"Minnows always seem to increase the angler's success rate when the fishing gets tough," Gessner said. "My clients and I used minnows throughout the spring last year and this has been the case again thus far this spring."

Gessner and his clients have been enjoying some very good fishing action the past few weeks. Though Rend Lake remains murky, Gessner says good catches of quality crappie have been coming from some of the deeper brushpiles and structure.

"This is not to say that the crappie fishing has been a bit unusual this year," he explained. "The late spring weather coupled with excessive rainfall has apparently delayed the typically good crappie action by as much as three weeks."

By now, the Rend Lake crappie bite has usually been going strong for well over a month. The early weeks of May regularly find the crappie spawn well underway with much of the better action coming from the shallow water.

Similar reports of minnows yielding good crappie action is coming from the other two Illinois Corps of Engineer impoundments. Anglers at Lake Shelbyville and Carlyle Lake are currently finding minnows as the top crappie producer.

The story is the same at many of the rivers, ponds and smaller lakes throughout the area. Currently minnows seem to be outproducing jigs. Minnow fishing requires a minimum of equipment. The most common technique is to use an aberdeen hook, a small split-shot sinker a few inches above the hook and a sliding or stationary bobber set at the desired depth. Then, all that's needed is to add a minnow.

With the spring crappie bite well underway, now would be an excellent time to grab a bucket of minnows, your favorite crappie rod and head to one of our local fishing holes.

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