A Crappie Spring Day On Fairy Lake
While our first weekend in the boat felt like summer, this past weekend felt much more like spring, with overcast skies and chilly temperatures. With no chance of flat water on Lake Ontario, Darrell and I looked for calmer water locally and headed to Fairy Lake.
I have yet to encounter a day when the wind made fishing Fairy Lake impossible. Due to it’s smaller size and pretty protected nature, it’s a safe bet to hit that lake most days, and I was surprised that we were the only boat on the lake on Saturday. Darrell did, however, remind me that not everyone wants to be on the water when it’s grey, cold and windy. I really can’t understand why not.
Visible green weeds were non-existent so we headed for areas that have produced in the past. These were the areas we expect the weeds to green up first in, and the areas that looked to provide the best source of forage as the crappie move into their spawning areas.
It took some searching, but once Darrell hooked into the first crappie, we knew it was going to be a good day.
One of Darrell's fish.
While the wind has not kept us off this lake, it sure can make it hard to stay on a certain spot. We had no choice but to drift where the wind chose to take us, then get on the motor, head back up, and do the drift again. The battery for the electric motor took quite a long time to charge after this trip.
One of my catches from the day. Much to my chagrin, I caught fewer and smaller fish than Darrell did. I'd better correct that next time out!
One of the things that always amazes me about Fairy Lake is what a great crappie fishery it is. Not only can you find them in great numbers, but you can find some really big slabs. The bite is always steady, and at the right time of the year it seems impossible to keep fish off the hook. We like to use ultralight gear and 4lb-test or smaller line when fishing for crappie, and we’ve had some good fights from the bigger slabs.
This one measured in at 11-inches. Not the biggest we've caught here, but a pretty nice fish that left us both smiling.
Tossing out small jigs with curly-tail grubs was the winning combination, as it often is on this lake. Skimming the top of the weeds seemed to put the jig right in the strike-zone.
At one point we decided to check out an area of shoreline that is a major hot spot later in the spring. As the boat moved into position we noticed something was in the water. Upon a closer look we realized it was a hockey net.
The tell-tale red bars of a hockey net.
I honestly would have left it at that, but Darrell, being the swifter of the two of us when it comes to anything near the water, asked me to check if the net was still on the frame. Unfortunately, it was. He pointed out that the net would end up trapping all the crappie and sunfish that were starting to move into the shallows and there would be no way for them to escape. The dead crappie we found stuck in the net proved him right. It was our duty to remove the net.
What followed next was a comedy of errors as we discovered just how poor my boat driving skills are. I took over the back seat to guide the boat with the electric motor, while Darrell moved up to remove the net. He ended up hooking it with the anchor and dragging it to shore, while being very patient and telling me which way I should be turning the motor and what speed to set it at, and not seeming to mind when I ran him into a tree. In the end we prevailed, and the net is finally out of the lake.
A danger for all fish.
After our little ‘net operation’ we got back to fishing and had a couple of more bites before another obligation forced us off the water.
The sunfish are moving in!
Despite a wind-burned face and frozen legs, I was happy and relaxed as we packed up the boat and left Prospect Park. Crappie fishing is an absolute blast, and there are few areas within a short drive where I can experience such a great day on the water. I can’t wait for the next trip!
argosgirl
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Nice write up…there’s something about the slight thump of the crappie that makes it supremely enjoyable for me to catch them, although I probably miss more than I catch. :-).
Hahaha I’m sure I miss plenty of them as well. It’s part of the reason I like fishing for crappie from the boat – so much easier to sight fish! Thanks for stopping by.
Thank you for the write up. Is there a place on a lake I can rent a boat?
Thank you, Leon
Unfortunately, there are no boat rentals on Fairy Lake. But once it starts to warm up the fishing is pretty good from shore, either in the park, or from the sidewalk by the dam.
There are other lakes in the area that do offer boat rentals such as Guelph Lake (in the Conservation Area) and Island Lake (in the Conservation Area). Another good place to rent a canoe is Rockwood Conservation Area – you’ll find panfish, bass, and rainbows.
Thanks for reading 🙂