When the crappie bite picks up, action can be red hot. They start moving toward spawning areas when water temps hit 50 degrees. (Photo by Mike Gnatkowski)
Ice-out in the north country is a certainty. Exactly when it happens isn’t. Last winter was a great example. Ice anglers in my corner of Michigan usually enjoy a hot last-ice bite well into April.
In many locales across the Midwest, however, there was no or little ice last winter. The ice in January and February was thin and unsafe in numerous places. A wimpy winter meant many anglers could begin fishing open water in early March. What didn’t change, though, was the schedule on which panfish operate.