Crappie can be caught in this area of Lake of the Woods, however, they are a secondary species of fish here. This part of the lake warms up later since it has very deep, clear water. There are plenty of bays and shorelines with some rocks, wood and weeds that will draw crappies into them during the spawn. This is the easiest time of year for anglers to target them because once they go deep for the summer, it can be difficult tracking them with all the deep water in the Sioux Narrows area.
Fishing the Bays
Early in the year, anglers do find some crappie as they move into the shallows to spawn. The weeds in the bays will usually hold some fish. As water temperatures warm up in the summer, crappie will move deeper and become harder to find.
Fishing the Drop-offs
They will usually stay deep through the fall with some fish going shallower as water temperatures get more comfortable. If you can find some of these schools in the deeper water in the summer and fall, you can catch some very nice fish. However, you can very easily go look for them and have a hard time finding them. There is a lot of deep water in the Sioux Narrows area, which makes it even harder to locate them here when they are deeper. Crappie have so much room to roam the deeper waters in this area. If you do find a nice school of them on a drop-off in deeper water, take advantage of it while you can.
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. There are plenty of reefs in this part of the lake, so make sure you have a good map so you can get on these spots quick and hit more of them until you find an active school of fish.
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. This part of Lake of the Woods has a lot of vegetation in the bays, which gives you more options for targeting them when this pattern is working.
