One of the first fish species to turn on immediately following ice-out is crappies, and Crawford County’s Pymatuning Lake is one of the best places to target them.

A specific fishing pattern takes place on Pymatuning at that time, and though not necessarily unique, it’s not particularly common in Pennsylvania.

As the water begins to warm during the early spring, concentrations of crappies move into the many shallow, soft bottom bays located along the northern portion of the lake. The primary cover they relate to are stems from the previous year’s lily pads.

Since northern portions of the lake receive the most direct sunlight during the early spring — warming things more quickly — this also plays into the equation.

I say that it’s not common in Pennsylvania simply because few lakes in the state have this type of habitat, certainly none on the scale which Pymatuning does. Whereas most of our reservoirs are set in hilly environments, sprawling Pymatuning is a true flatland reservoir, flooding what was once an extensive swamp.

According to Kenny Smith of Sharon — a well-known local crappie fishing expert — it takes about three days of warm, sunny weather to move the crappies into Pymatuning’s northern bays.

“I concentrate on depths of four to five feet of water with dead lily pads,” Smith noted. “I like to fish a Trout Magnet below a bobber.”

Many anglers mistakenly believe early spring movements of crappies into the shallows are driven by the spawn. Rather, these initial migrations are fueled by the need to feed. Typically, the spawn won’t happen for another four to six weeks. This is true on Pymatuning as well.

Folks such as Smith who have fished this pattern for years say timing is important. While the fish seem to magically appear following the spring’s first warm-up, subsequent cold snaps send them back to deeper water. Often the fish don’t return to these bays after the first flurry of action, even after the weather improves. Smith says the crappies in this part of the lake tend to spawn in stump fields in three to 10 feet of water.

Several boat access areas can be used to reach the northern part of the lake. Three of the best are Linesville, Wilson and Padanaram. The first two are in Pennsylvania, the third in Ohio. Keep in mind that you can fish from a boat on Pymatuning with a resident license from either state, but if fishing from shore you must have the license for the state from which you are fishing.

Stewart Bay is a large bay just west of the spillway and is one of the better known early-spring crappie hotspots. But several other bays are scattered along the northern shoreline, north of Clark Island, and along the shoreline toward the Padanaram access area.

Special regulations are in effect for Pymatuning crappies. The daily limit is 20 with a nine-inch minimum length limit. There is no closed season.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle