"There are all kinds of little lakes that have great crappie fishing in them, but also some medium-sized lakes that can be mentioned," said Hugill, who noted the Chisago-area lakes are very productive even though they receive plenty of angling pressure, mainly because much of that attention is focused on largemouth bass.

Brad Pusenka of Frankie's Bait & Marine in Chisago City said his favorite place for early-season crappies is the South Lindstrom Chain.

"The bite starts the same day the ice comes off, and it stays strong well into early June," Pusenka said.

Some of Pusenka's favorite locations include the area in front of the beach in the shallows below the dinner bell, and the area by the bridge over the channel between North and South Lindstrom lakes.

Leech Lake is known for its walleyes and muskies, but the crappies are underfished on these big waters. "There are so many different bays around the

Shingobee area, White Bay and the Federal Dam area up in the early-forming rice beds,"

Ladany noted.

"The area around the bridge is a great place to start if you get here as the ice is going out," Pusenka noted.

The channel from Chisago to South Lindstrom is another good spot right around ice-out.

"I also like to fish on South Center by Pancake Island and up on the north end of North Center where there are some muddy bays that warm up quickly," Pusenka said, noting the crappie bite is better where the water is warmer.

For additional information, contact Frankie's Live Bait & Marine in Chisago City at (651) 257-6334, or the Chisago Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce at (651) 257-1177 or ChisagoLakesChamber.com

EAST-CENTRAL MINNESOTA
Hugill said folks looking to get away from the crowds should try the high-quality crappie lakes in his area. One of the first lakes that popped into his head was Goose Lake northeast of Cambridge between Highway 65 and Interstate 35.

"Goose Lake has such a good crappie population with opportunities for size that we are putting a five-fish bag limit on the lake for this year," Hugill said.

Just a short distance north of Goose Lake is East Rush and West Rush lakes. East Rush has a lot more shallow-water locations, so it warms up faster, but West Rush has more shoreline and mid-lake structure, including numerous bays and islands.

Good lakes for numbers include Cross Lake in the town of Pine City and Pokegama Lake just west of Pine City. These lakes have an abundant population, although big crappies can be few and far between, Hugill noted. South of Mora is shallow Fish Lake, which is a favorite of Hugill's.