Unless you have the luxury of owning or having access to the kind of boat that can get you offshore, it’s time to start thinking about some freshwater action – especially crappy and yellow perch.
Crappie are starting to move into cover in more shallow waters, but that’ll take several sunny, warm days to really get them moving.
Yellow perch (also known as raccoon and ringtail perch) are starting to move into tidal creeks as we speak. You also can find them in any number of lakes and ponds throughout the region. As a species that can tolerate higher degrees of salinity, perch are a favorite with the legions of panfishers throughout the area.
Natural baits worked on bottom-bouncing rigs and minnows under corks are great ways to put some in the boat. Find a couple and you usually will catch as many as you want.
And save a few for the skillet – these beautiful fish are fantastic on a plate.
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