Call it spring fever and maybe I am jumping the gun, but lately I have been daydreaming of catching spawning crappies in the spring. I envision my bobber floating out there on the waters' surface, a minnow daggling below on my favorite colored jig, the sight of my bobber being pulled under, and finally setting the hook. Chasing spawning crappies during the springtime has to be one of my favorite things to do, not to mention it feels good to get out in the boat again. As snow disappears and temperatures begin to rise, these once iced covered lakes begin to warm. Crappies will then begin their move from deep-water winter hangout locations to the shallows. As an angler you want to focus on shallow parts of the lake where the water tends to warm up faster. This means targeting the north to northeast banks of a lake. To give you a better idea of where you should be searching for these slab crappies you will need to locate cover like bulrushes or sunken tree cover. This type of cover offers protection from waves and predators, but also allows them to prey on passing baitfish. This is another reason that crappies head to the shallows because as the water warms, food begins bunching up. The tool I rely on to help me land these slab crappies is my St. Croix Panfish Series 7 foot Light action rod. This rod provides a sensitive tip backed by a solid backbone allowing me to lob those cast right up to the bulrushes. Check out the complete line of St. Croix Panfish Series today. Click here... Another tool I like to utilize when searching for new springtime fishing locations is Fishidy. Fishdy is an app that can easily be downloaded to a smartphone giving you the ultimate fishing resource right at the touch of you finger tips. From lake maps, tips, and reports, I am able to scout new lakes from the comfort of my home and be prepared for when spring rolls around. Now crappie fishing during this period is not as easy as it seems. It takes the correct timing, water temperature, and location to be successful. As they sometimes say, it's better to be lucky than good and same holds true for chasing slabs this time of year. The fish will either be in those locations or they won't. But I think if you take the tips above into consideration you will find yourself having more success. So if you're anything like me, spring crappies are on your mind