Jackson: Make time for catching crappies this spring

I go through the same nonsense every year, especially with this particular event.

It took me close to an hour to change all the locks in my home and on my truck. And it's all because both federal and state laws hark back to ancient times when animals were hunted to feed families and maize was a staple in the diets.

There is always a political excuse offered to the taxpaying public as to why farmers and others need an extra hour of daylight to get their chores done.

My friend A.J. is a clock nut. I am afraid to ask him how long it took him to reset his hundreds of clocks this month. He builds clocks out of wood and metal scraps and then gives them away as gifts to friends.

And so here we are waiting for the Cubs and White Sox to start playing and for the crappies to keep on going in the middle of their spring spawning rituals.

Paul B., a regular reader from Rolling Meadows, is eager to get out and start catching fish. Here's a snippet of his email.

"Where can I find decent crappie fishing right now, since I've moved my clocks ahead and changed the fishing line on two of my reels?"

I like to stay local and see what lakes are ready for that annual start of the fishing season.

There already is crappie action in and around the back-channels of the Fox Chain. Most of the ice is gone from these spots, and if you are lucky enough to have shore access you can probably cast to some of the sea walls and docks where these fish have a tendency to suspend.

And, yes, I would gladly eat crappies I catch from these shallow spots.

While you absorb these words of experience, I will be working on my super-duper mega-gas grill in anticipation of laying my fish basket across the inner grill bars. It's a shallow basket designed to hold filets and stake-like cuts of fish.

Even though the 2018 Wisconsin fishing has not officially started, there are crappie hot spots that are legal to toss minnow and slip floats. Of course, you will need a new fishing license for both Illinois and Wisconsin.

There is a small lake near Salem, Wis., called Hooker just over the state line where that famous cheese is made and sold. If the ice poachers haven't vacuumed this lake of its giant bluegills and crappies, this could be a good spot.

As warmer air temperatures move into this area over the weekend, the warming of the waters will help drive those hungry fish into a feeding frenzy.

Whenever I head to such places, I like to use a 10-foot Grandt light crappie rod with a reel loaded with 4-pound test mono. I may use a tiny ultralight fixed bobber or a small slip float, but that depends on where I find those schooling fish. The deeper the water, the more I lean toward the slip float.

• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, catch his radio show 7-9 a.m. Sundays on WGCO 1590-AM (live-streamed at www.1590WCGO.com) and get more content at www.mikejacksonoutdoors.com.