Don't rely strictly on crappie minnows to tip your jig. Many times, a fat wax worm or a few colored maggots will do the trick even better.

A good game plan on Moccasin will be to drill some holes right next to the hump in the middle of the lake in about 18 feet of water. Work a zigzag drilling route toward the northwest, popping holes until you hit that 50-foot zone.

Crappies will move to a shiny spoon being aggressively jigged, so try to entice some over for a bite. When the crappies show up on the sonar but don't grab the bait, send down a smaller-profile lure and let it set. Expect a soft bite this late in the season -- which means you have to be on your toes and set the hook as soon as you feel the least bit of resistance.

Maple Lake
Put yourself in the search mode and head out to Maple Lake, just south of Alexandria, if you want to get into some big crappies.

This is a fun lake to hunt crappies on because the fish migrate into the center of the lake during the late season and suspend over the deeper water. It's a lot of area to cover. You have to drill a few holes, fish a little while, move, drill a few more holes, fish awhile . . . and then you find them. These are big crappies -- as in two-to-a-pound or better -- that really pop a crappie minnow suspended below a dropper spoon on a glow hook.

Anglers' first reaction on Maple is to get intimidated by all the potentially productive water, which tends to push them toward the community locations. There are plenty of big crappies in this lake, so find a spot of your own and clean up on big slabs.

PERCH
Mille Lacs & Winnibigoshish
There are two premier lakes for perch fishing in Minnesota. One is Mille Lacs and the other is Lake Winnibigoshish.

When I'm targeting perch on Mille Lacs, I look for transition lines. This is where the bottom changes from one content to another, like from mud to gravel, or rock to sand. When I find a spot like this, I know I'm going to find perch.

I'll share with you a GPS coordinate that's always been a good perch producer on Mille Lacs because it is such a distinct transition. Here you will find a dropoff from rock to muck, with some sand around the edges. This is a perfect spot for perch to congregate. It's a community spot, but if you can get to it, it will define what a prime location is on Mille Lacs. The coordinates are: N 46 17.414 W 93 42.667. Check out this spot, and then go find a few more like it.

On Lake Winnibigoshish, a reef is your best friend. Work the tops of the reef in the morning and evening, and the edges in the middle of the day. The perch in Winni move all day long, so don't get glued to one spot. Keep moving to stay on top of the perch.

Here's a great GPS coordinate for Winni that will give you an idea of what to look for: N 47 28.062 W 94 12.375.

On both Winnibigoshish and Mille Lacs, you must be careful to watch for ice heaves, and too much slush under the ice can limit your travels. In case it's too tough to get to a prime location, transition areas are all over both these lakes, and you can find perch on all of them.

In a couple of months, the ice will be gone and we can line up at the boat landings again. For now, the only line I want to see is the one going down the hole where the fish are. See ya out there!