Crappie are secondary on Lake of the Woods, however, you can still find fish in this part of the lake. For most anglers, they don’t come here for the crappie, but they do report catching some while targeting walleye with smaller minnows.
Fishing the Bays
If you want to target them, the spring and early summer is probably the easiest time of year to find these fish as they move into the shallow bays with weeds as they get ready for the spawn. After the spawn, you may still find some crappie around the deeper weed lines throughout the summer and fall, but crappie are known for roaming the open waters in larger schools from summer through fall.
Fishing the Drop-offs
Some of the deep water will hold schools of crappie in the summer and fall. If you find these schools, you can catch some very nice crappie with big fish up to and over 12 inches long. Just don’t plan to go out and find a mess of them every time out. Some anglers don’t catch any crappie on their trips to this area.
Fishing the Reefs
Some of the reefs will hold plenty of crappie throughout the summer and fall. Many anglers will catch crappie on accident while targeting walleye or smallmouth bass with live minnows or hair jigs while targeting the reefs.
Fishing the Weeds
The weeds are a good pattern in the spring as the water warms up. Some crappie can still be found in the weeds throughout the year, however, the spring and early summer will usually be best for this pattern. Some of the deeper weed edges can hold some nice fish in the summer and early fall though too.