March minnow madness

A bucket of minnows can go a long way

March madness is a reality on lakes throughout the Carolinas as crappie fishing shifts into high gear and anglers head to the lakes in droves. The crappies are in pre-spawn mode and traveling towards the spawning water, and this means they can be caught in limit numbers.

Plus, other fish species are willing cooperators in terms of active bites when anglers use the right lure or bait. One species found throughout the Carolinas is white perch. It’s an invasive species, but the white perch is here to stay. Perch have proven to be an excellent fighting fish, they’re available in huge numbers, grow to good sizes, and provide prime table fare.

Add in excellent catfish action in the lakes, and black bass on the move, and anglers have multiple options.

Anglers employ specific methods when targeting these species individually, but a common theme satisfies the appetites of all these fish. They all love to feast on live minnows. “Minnow Madness” is an accurate description of the fishing success because multiple minnow-eating species share the same niche in Carolina lakes.

Capt. Jake Futia has learned to tap into these diverse species without compromising crappie action. Futia is a multi-species fishing guide (crappie and catfish at lakes Wylie and Wateree, and hybrids and catfish at Lake Norman). Catching multiple species on a trip makes his clients happy with rod-bending action that puts diverse fish species in the livewell. 

Futia’s strategy for catching multiple species is simple but effective. Targeting crappie in late February, March, and April, using live minnows as bait, is the ideal recipe for catching multiple species of fish while maximizing his crappie catch potential.

Bonus catches

“Targeting crappie using live bait enables me to put live minnows in front of several species of fish this time of year,” Futia said. “The side-benefit of using live minnows for pre-spawn, spawn, and post-spawn crappies is we’ll usually catch a lot of crappies, but also hefty white perch in this process. And at Lake Wylie, for example, all three major catfish species are in play: the channel, blue, and flathead. Plus, black bass, spotted and largemouth, lurk in the areas I target crappie this time of year. 

The common theme is they all will maul a minnow.

The guide from Waxhaw, NC, grew up fishing minnows with his grandfather, so it’s ingrained from his youth. They were consistently successful on crappie and multiple species, and the concept of catching lots of fish has carried through to his full-time job as a fishing guide.

“My thinking is that crappies, and many other species of fish, eat minnows in their natural habitat. I’ve used jigs successfully, and I know jigs are effective. But by using live bait, I’m offering crappies and other fish the real thing. It’s like cutting out the middle man of imitating the real thing when using jigs. Minnows eliminate several issues when dealing with artificial lures. I don’t have to worry about lure color, action, or scent; it’s built into the live minnow. Size can matter, so I’ll use different sizes of minnows to determine the best for a specific day. And sometimes, no size preference exists for a minnow. Fish gobble them up.”

Futia said using minnows blends perfectly with his concept of guiding.

“When I take people fishing, I want them to catch fish, have a good time, and enjoy the trip,” he said. “Many of the folks I guide are not expert fishermen. They simply enjoy fishing and want to catch fish. By fishing minnows, I can use multiple rigs simultaneously, baited with the same bait, so everything is equal. For example, if I have three clients on a trip, all three may be hooked into fish. That gets me into high gear, but everyone has a ball. Using live minnows takes much of the guesswork out of the process.”

Futia (704-989-1871; www.captainjakesguideservice.com) can take up to six people on his 24-foot Sportsman center console, and he’ll fish six double-hook rigs from the back of his boat. 

Gear up

The rigs are core to his success and are highly efficient, yet simple. He prefers a 12-foot light-tipped rod, although a 10-foot rig works. He uses spinning reels loaded with clear, 6-pound test monofilament with two short leaders with hooks. One leader is about a foot above a ¾-ounce sinker, and the second hook is about a foot to 18 inches above the first. He uses No. 4 or No. 6 lightwire, gold, Aberdeen hooks.

“I hook the minnow through the lips so it doesn’t kill the minnow and allows it to swim naturally,” he said. “I use a small wire hook. It doesn’t weigh the bait. I check my bait regularly, especially if we are not getting bites, to ensure it is lively. That does make a big difference, and if I’m bringing live minnows, I want a lively minnow in the water working for me.” 

He brings plenty of minnows. He doesn’t want to run out in the middle of red-hot action. And he gets them in assorted sizes so he can check for size preference. He prefers to use larger minnows in the spring because fish are typically aggressive, but on occasion, he finds medium to small minnows are the favored live bait.

“I know what I like to use, but I’ll check, and I’ll always go with what the fish tell me they want based on their daily bite pattern,” he said.

Productive areas in the spring vary because crappies are in transition mode from pre-spawn to spawn to post-spawn, he said. But most fishing will be in the creeks on whatever lake an angler is fishing.

Scout ‘em out

“I scout with my electronics before I start. Even when I begin seeing some fish, I still look closely to find pods of forage with fish marks around them. A lot of my fishing early in the spring is near the bottom, but crappies suspend a lot, so I need to understand the basic daily pattern before we start fishing. It’s not a random, haphazard method of fishing. I may be using minnows as bait, but I’ve still got to put them on a fishy target.”

Futia works along channel ledges, points, humps, and deep holes. Anything with contour changes on the bottom are good targets.

Futia said that crappie and perch are often congregated in large clusters but not necessarily together, although that does occur. Perch are usually deeper than the crappie. 

“As the daily pattern develops, I can usually get a handle on the best depth for each species, and I’ll generally target the crappie and pick up bonus perch, catfish, and black bass,” he said. “But sometimes, with a family aboard, they may want to enjoy the wild action of a big school of white perch. They can hook and fight hard. Sometimes, we catch fish as fast as we drop the bait in the water, often catching two at a time on a single rig.” 

He said the crappie bite is typically not as fast-paced as the perch. It’s steady, but he does find pockets where clients double-up on the rigs. Multiple crappies hooked on different rigs are common this time of year.

Futia does longline troll with jigheads during the spawn and, as he did when young, he’ll put a live minnow behind a jighead. 

“When the crappies go shallow, that’s a situation when I may use small jigs, but I’m still going to have a minnow trailer on the rig,” he said. “I’ll also use long poles with a float and minnow to work shallow cover.”  

“I’m all about the trips being fun for everyone, and that goes back to the core reason I like to use minnows,” Futia said. “Minnows simply catch many different species of fish, and they’re easy to use, allowing anglers of all skill levels to use them successfully. And these rigs, and the minnow fishing philosophy, work on any lake with crappie.”

Load up a bucket of minnows and go fishing. You may be amazed at how many different species you can catch, and the fun you’ll have, during March Minnow Madness.