Ice out crappies...

[DitchPanda]

Holy crap...3 crappie threads in one day for me...what can I say its winter. For those of you in the North country where do you look for crappie right at ice out? Favorite baits?

 Don't worry I plan to ice fish soon...to stop the hemmorage!

[Bluebasser86]

Deep brush right along channel edges. If you're looking right after ice out, I'd probably look for the channel edges near where they'll eventually spawn and near deeper coves that shad like to concentrate in. 

[Team9nine]

You fishing reservoirs (then this above) ^^
 

or natural lakes (then this below) vv

[gim]

I go to shallow backwater-type areas that have a dark bottom and are on the north side of the lake.  The sun will heat these areas up quicker, and the water temperature will be warmer.  If there is any weed growth, even better.

 

I use both minnows and small plastics under a down sized slip bobber.  Once I locate actively feeding fish with the minnow, I often switch over to artificials and can catch them with those instead.  I can catch a lot of 10-12 inch crappies, but rarely do I find anything bigger.  I've tried for years too.  I don't claim to be a crappie/panfish specialist by any means though.  I only target them because its its the only species I legally can at the time.  All of my fish get released, especially in the spring when they are spawning or getting ready to spawn.