Scugog Crappie

Past few springs we've been trying to figure out the crappie in Scugog. Hoping to get out there this weekend for first attempt of 2025. Anybody else been out? is the bite on? not looking for specifics - I mean, I'd take any info people will share - just curious if there is action and is the water reaching the spawn temp range? I would assume the males may be staging but water too cold for females to move in yet.

I know there are slabs in that lake - this is the year we find them!!

Hey,

I heard through the grapevine that there is already some action. Where and when I don't know. I'm sure if you moved around you'd eventually stumble on a few. Ironically for myself, the only time I've caught a crappie on Scugog was throwing a topwater in the thickest weeds for bass- go figure. They were big though.

On a side note I took a drive to the Trent river last week with a slip float setup and made a few casts . As expected , nothing but its just a matter of time. Good luck and let us know how you do!

Tomorrow should be fine with a bit of north wind, 10kph with some gusts. Sunday will be perfect with a SW breeze. I don't fish Scugog but two of my friends have been Kawartha crappie fishing since last Saturday. An early spring again brings the crappie out again. Just like last year, from my posts in March. Most of us have been too busy cleaning up from the ice storm etc. But the crappie are definitely out there and hungry. Ice out means all crappie are out. Males, females, small, medium, large and monster crappie are feeding right now. Water temperature is nonapplicable during the two weeks right after ice out. Look at my post from last year in March again. The crappie will be right where I posted last year. Good luck on the cold water crappie fishing.

If you have, time try that spot you posted the picture of last March on my crappie fishing post. Crappie are hungry right now. Only a week to ten days left before they all split up and go for a cruise. After that the crappie will wait for the perfect temperature to spawn. Good luck .

Crappie ARE on the bite. Getting out due to weather conditions have hampered things a bit. Next couple days look good.
Good luck!!

boy oh boy y'all have me excited now! Jus have to chew my way through the Honey Do list today and enjoy ToW tomorrow!

I put this on the other post as well. Watch out for floating trees (branches and limbs) as a result of the ice storm. It will be quite a while before these hazards clear the waterways, maybe all season. Watch your speed and keep your eyes on the water when you are under power.

Very difficult to see debris at sunrise, or sunset. Small waves can hide a big log. Stay safe.

Yup, definitely need to be looking and careful with speed.

Your recommendations are always appreciated. I wish I could go to that spot but it’s a bit Out of the Way. If things go according to plan I’ll visit in may and June when I think that spot is best.

With that being said, I intend to make a short trip tomorrow and Monday and a few spots. It’s usually feast or famine for me. I’m not expecting much, but it will be nice to just wet a line. I’ll be happy to hook into a few sunfish after the long winter.

If I catch anything I’ll make a post . If you don’t hear from me… well you can guess how I did ?

This is today. If we all did not have enough to do, cleaning up from the ice storm.Time to clean up the shoreline after all these anglers leave. Brand new Tim Hortins coffee cups, cigarette butts, plastic bait bags, lunch rapper bags, chocolate bar wrapping etc. It's the same every spring. I counted over 20 boats so far and 2 or 3 per boat. This is just one spot. I visited three spots today on my travels. The only thing these anglers from the city contribute to the community is garbage. Day after day the same boats catching their limit, only to return the next day, to poach more crappie and other species as well. Very hard to prove for the authoroties, but you can't follow every angler back to the launches.

Also this was floating on the lake. Keep your eyes open, lots of hazards out there this year. I did not take these pictures, they were taken by neighbours. I did see the garbage though, in the water and at a few launches. I am usually fishing a few of these spots and one other spot every spring. Year after year it gets worse and worse and worse. Everyone has the right to go fishing and enjoy the great outdoors. But over fishing and garbage everywhere, year after year. These anglers are not contributing to the community they are visiting at all.

Someone please correct me if I am wrong. Caught this bunch of crappie, some time ago. Caught over 100 that day and released all but these 23. Took the fish home, cleaned them and had a big family BBQ. A few went in the freezer, and did not keep anymore crappie until we needed more a few weeks later. What gives anyone the right to fish multiple days keeping multiple limits? What am I missing here? Is the general fishing society oblivious to preserving the future of what many of us treat with respect? This fish pillaging started last Saturday, so this is day 9 and tomorrow many will be back again and again.

Oh man….I thought this pic was a joke at first until I kept reading. Talk about crowded… no thanks!

Oh man….I thought this pic was a joke at first until I kept reading. Talk about crowded… no thanks!

Definitely not a joke, there are more pictures. Very crowded in many areas of the Kawarthas, from Rice Lake to Balsam lake in the spring. I didn't mean to pick on the city anglers that bad. There are locals as well that have little respect for the fish and the environment. And not everyone that comes to the cottage country, throws garbage on the ground and in the water. But I have been seeing the same boats with the same anglers, year after year. There has been many conversations with the anglers in these boats. I have made a few new friends over the last couple decades. But for the most part, we the community have been met with rudeness, trespassing and damage to docks and boats. And of course the garbage. My friend invited me to fish with him today, and it was a quick no thank you. Even if the clean up from the ice storm was done, I still would have declined. Much rather prefer the solitude of night fishing, and my very secret fishing spots.