Lake Francis Case – Crappie, Bluegill, Perch: The daily limit is 25 with a possession limit of 50.

Crappie prefer warmer water more than other fish.  Crappie are taken in the spring-time due to their accessibility. 

During the spring they come into the shallows, usually shortly after the ice comes off the river and remain until after spawning which usually occurs in mid-May.  When the weather warms up the Crappie head to deeper water. 

When fishing for Crappie choose hooks with short shanks and buy the best quality you can afford.  Standard hooks are too fine for Crappie.  Using size six hooks are nice and large and do a great job.  When choosing jigs use the same size six hooks and fluorescent colors.  The live bait to use is either a worm or minnow best size minnow is usually no longer than two inches when fishing for Crappie.

Bluegill:  Bluegill is thought of as a small lake or pond fish, but they are found in abundance in lakes, reservoirs and large border rivers.  The Bluegill is closely related to largemouth bass, if you find bass in the water you will have an excellent chance at catching Bluegills also.

Bluegills are easily caught and are very forgiving for fishing technique mistakes.  The ease in catching Bluegills is also because they are very abundant.  Bluegill are not random in lakes, they concentrate into specific habitates depending on the season. 

Large river Bluegill spend their summer in deeper water and congregate along undercut banks often favoring old, fallen trees. High water in spring-time and currents scour holes near the bank, often exposing a tangle of roots and other snags. The edge of lilly pads or other aquatic vegetation can also produce good catches of fiesty Bluegills.

When fishing for Bluegill in reservoirs, and ponds they move to deeper water during the hot days of summer, and along the edges of weeds or in deep coves.  During the summer time these fish are usually at depths ranging from 10-12 feet.