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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Hunting for Hayden’s crappies

Rich Landers Outdoors editor

Lure fishermen don’t own Hayden Lake’s trophy-size crappies. Fly fishers enjoy catching them, too.

In this April pre-spawn period, however, the fish can be hard to find.

“They haven’t staged around normal cover yet,” says Pat Way, North Idaho fly-fishing guide. “They’re out in the middle of the bays. I use my fish finder, but I also do a lot of blind casting, moving around slowly using the electric motor on my pontoon.”

He fishes a small leech pattern dead still under an indicator.

“I make a cast and if nothing happens in 20 or 30 seconds, I pick up and move,” he said. “When you find them, you’re set. But crappie fishing is more of a hunting trip this time of year until the water warms and they move in to the docks.”