Photo by Greg Keefer.

Even on the best waters crappie populations explode and recede, a phenomenon that everyone agrees takes place, but no one really knows why. A lake may be full of fish one year, left high and dry the next and a few years later, anglers are hauling them out by the bucket again.

A number of factors -- food, angling pressure and environmental conditions -- may contribute to the ever-changing nature of crappie populations.

Crappies usually enjoy successful spawns following a high-water period and once a large year-class is established, they may dominate the fishery for several years until the inevitable downswing comes. These cycles typically last as long as five years before they come full circle.

The boom-and-bust nature of crappie populations keeps everyone guessing, and unless anglers want to leave success to chance, knowing where to fish in a given season is crucial.

Here’s a look at waters across the state that seem promising for 2008.

Spider Lake
“Spider Lake is one of the best crappie lakes in my area,” said fisheries biologist Todd Kalish of the Traverse City DNR office. “There are good numbers, decent-sized fish and good production in this fertile, eutrophic lake. You can pretty much expect to catch crappies in Spider Lake at any time of the year.”

Though a small lake, Spider maintains a fairly consistent crappie population, Kalish said. In the majority of smaller waters, the success of year-classes of fish may vary widely, depending on a variety of environmental conditions. Spider is one of those old standby waters where crappies are almost always available, especially in an area where good crappie lakes are far and few between.

If the weather is still nippy, crappies may respond by being tight-lipped.

Crappie expert Curt Harvey has caught plenty of them in his 60 years and he has found the key to unlocking a tough bite.

“One thing that will slow a crappie bite is a severe cold front,” Harvey said. “Crappies will simply move out to the mouth of the bay and wait for a warm-up. They can still be caught, but fishing slow and more precision in bait presentation is required. Where you find suspended crappies under these conditions, use a small slip-float and a minnow. This simple presentation will almost always outfish other baits on a tough-bite day.”

The public boat launch is off Weber Road on the southwest side of the lake.

Spider Lake covers 459 acres in Grand Traverse County.

For more information, contact the Traverse City DNR office at (231) 922-5280. (Continued)

Lake Cadillac
“One of the best black crappie lakes in the northwestern part of the Lower Peninsula is Lake Cadillac,” fisheries biologist Mark Tonello said.

According to Tonello, crappies may be caught all over the lake, but several spots are worth checking -- at the west end of the lake near the M-115 causeway and the Four Winns center on the east end of the lake.

Shorebound anglers do well by fishing from the M-115 causeway and from the city dock near the pavilion in downtown Cadillac.

Boat launches may be found at Kenwood Park on the north side of the lake and near the downtown area on the east end of the lake.