| Crappie is a plentiful species of fish in most areas | | | | hanging around. This temperature can be hard to |
| of the United States, and there are thousands of | | | | find, depending on your location within the state, |
| lakes and rivers in the country where crappie can | | | | at least until May, when spring actually starts to |
| be found. As in many states, Iowa crappie fishing | | | | take off in Iowa. The length of the day can also |
| is best in spring but can be done in most months | | | | affect the ability to find crappie, with the panfish |
| of the year. Where are the best locations, and | | | | more likely to appear when there is more daylight |
| what tips and tactics should be used to produce | | | | keeping the waters more consistently warm |
| the most crappie? | | | | throughout the day. Look for conditions to be |
| Crappie Fishing in Iowa is good throughout the | | | | best in inlets, marshes, canals, and marinas in |
| state and although these plentiful panfish prefer | | | | natural lakes. |
| standing waters with brushpiles and other heavy | | | | As summer begins, the crappie shift from shallow |
| cover, you can also find them in many interior | | | | waters back to the deeper, cooler waters that |
| streams, as well as the backwaters and oxbows | | | | range anywhere from eight to twenty-five feet. |
| of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. However, | | | | You may have trouble fishing during these months |
| the best places to look in Iowa are the | | | | without the assistance of a depth finder that will |
| man-made lakes, oxbow lakes, reservoirs, and | | | | locate the large schools of fish. Drift fishing will |
| small ponds that litter the state. You'll find | | | | produce the best catch for you during these |
| consistent catches in the early and mid spring, | | | | months, with trial and error being the only |
| though fishing in many of the natural lakes provide | | | | "scientific" way to determine the locations. |
| an abundant crop of crappie year round. | | | | However, determining the level at which water in |
| In the spring, Iowa crappie fishing is most | | | | the lake no longer carries adequate oxygen for |
| productive, but the characteristics of the lakes | | | | the fish to breathe will help you find the depth at |
| vary widely from one to the next. You'll find your | | | | which you can expect to find the crappie. Try |
| best opportunities in waters that have warmed to | | | | fishing under structures during the summer, |
| about 58 degrees or more. Here, spawning can | | | | where you can find some of the best Iowa |
| occur, and you'll find large schools of crappie | | | | crappie fishing all year long. |