Hunting for Hayden’s crappies
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.”