Fishing is fun. Catching fish is even more fun. Perhaps the crappie's catchability is what makes the "papermouth" America's most sought-after fish. I'm not sure why anglers nationwide like cappie fishing so much, but I do know why I enjoy the sport.
    After a cold winter and four months of ice-covered water, I can't wait to get a rod in my hand and head to those shallow water bays, canals, marinas, and creek mouths that the black crappies invade in their search for warm water and food. That first crappie on the end of my line is a welcomed feeling.
    Crappies remain in these general areas until they finish spawning in June. Spring crappies are found in less than 10 feet of water most of the time, although they will move deeper during cold front conditions. Work your jig slowly and if the fish are inactive, tip your jig with a small minnow.
    Black Lake angler, Tom Fishel, talks about locating spring crappies. "To find the heaviest concentrations of fish, I check out three types of areas: rock piles and rocky points, weedbeds and weedlines, or an area that has both weeds and rocks." Fishel believes that some wave action on the surface aids the fishermen, whereas days of calm favor the fish because shallow-water crappies are sound and light sensitive.
    Spring crappies love wood. Try any brushpile, beaver lodge, fallen tree, dock, or submerged log. My biggest crappie, a 14-inch fish, came from a brush pile adjacent to deep water.
    Crappies are structure oriented fish. Having been raised fishing St. Lawrence River structures for small mouths and northern pike, I enjoy structure fishing for crappies which position themselves around weedbeds, rockpiles, wood, docks, weedlines, dropoffs, rocky points, bridges, and midlake shoals. My favorite spot on Black Lake typifies the ideal crappie location. This spot is a rocky point at the mouth of a small bay which has a weedbed with a defined weedline. Between the weedbed and the rocky point is a 8 - 10 foot-wide weedless area which has a wooden dock extending into it from the rocky point. The outside of the point has a small weed patch which drops abruptly into 17 feet of water.
    Even though crappies relate to structure, many fish elude anglers who don't realize that crappies will suspend in deep water, adjacent to structure. When you

don't find fish on typical structures, try the nearby deep water, working your jig at a variety of depths.
    Part of the fun of crappie fishing lies in locating the fish, which are extremely mobile due to seasonal changes, water conditions, available feed, and local weather patterns. Like walleye fishing, locating the fish is often more difficult than catching them. Once an angler locates a feeding school, the fish will often hit as quickly as he can get his jig back in the water.
    At times, though, crappies are difficult to catch. I've headed home having caught only a few or even no crappies, but those fishless outings are part of the attraction of the sport. They humble me and challenge me to rethink my strategies.
    Crappie fishing has additional attractions. The fish make excellent table fare. Fished on light tackle (4 - pound test line), they test an angler's skills. And what about those incidental catches? Any fisherman tossing a tiny jig into crappie habitat is inevitably going to hook into other species, like sunfish, bluegills, yellow perch, northern pike, smallmouths, and largemouths. Ironically enough, my biggest largemouth each season is usually caught on a crappie jig and light tackle. Catching incidental largemouths is part of the fun of crappie fishing.
    North country anglers have an abundance of quality waters according to Al Schivone, the Head of Fisheries for DEC Region 6. "The best crappie waters are Black Lake, Muskellunge Lake, and St. Lawrence River bays like Brandy Brook, French Creek, Black River Bay, Goose Bay, and Chaumont Bay." Good crappie water that anglers often overlook include the Jefferson County Indian River lakes, such as Hyde, Crystal, Butterfield, Payne and Red, as well as St. Lawrence County waters, such as Coles Creek, Fobare's Pond and the Oswegatchie river.
    Black Lake, however, is recognized as the area's premier crappie hotspot. Crappies abound throughout the lake's approxi- mate 11,000 acres, and anglers pursue them year-round. Crappie fishing is fun for all ages. Black Lake's Annual 60-Day Crappiethon enhances the fun of crappie fishing by featuring over 1,000 tagged fish with a total cash value of $400,000.
    Anglers should be aware that new crappie regulations are in effect for 1993. The minimum size limit is six inches, and the daily limit is 25 fish.
    Veteran crappie fisherman know the fun that their sport offers. If you've never tried fishing for papermouths, I invite you to join in the fun this season.