Fishing for spawning crappie is about as easy as falling off the proverbial log: Find some shallow wood, cast a small jig or minnow-and-bobber combo up next to it and start reeling in dinner.

And for a few glorious days, it really can be about that easy; you'd almost have to work at not catching fish.

This assumes, of course, that you show up during the spawn.

Timing the peak of the spawn can be difficult, given early spring's unsettled weather, and the water's quick reaction to changing conditions. What looked like perfect timing on a balmy Monday (when you'd planned a few days off work at the end of the week to fill the freezer with crappie fillets) can turn into a miserable, tooth-chattering day. On the water you may encounter cold rain and biting wind roiling the shallows into cold chocolate milk -- the worst fishing conditions possible.

Even if you do time things right, another drawback is the quality of the catch. Female crappie don't move up until they're ready to spawn. Before and after that, smaller males make up the bulk of the catch in the shallow timber. Depending on the quality of your local crappie lake, this may not be a problem, as "smaller" is a relative term; those dependable male fish swarming the shallows may be keepers too. At a lake that's not quite so good, though, having to sort through 10 little paper-thin males to get a decent fish for the cooler can get aggravating.

The final factor: competition. The first nice days of spring combine with the prospect of easy fishing to bring anglers out in droves. The boat ramps are crowded, the bait shop is sold out of minnows, and every shallow blow-down attracts a boat or two.

Rather than wait for those conditions, a much more consistent approach is to intercept the crappie before the spawn. The fish are near the usual spawning hangouts, but in deeper water. The weather might not be quite as nice as they ordinarily are during the spawn, but the fishing can be better. Crappie holding in deeper water aren't affected quite as much by changing conditions, and unless a real northeaster is blowing, the fish can be found in the same places day after day.

The key is to work backwards. Think of places in which you've experienced good fishing during the spawn; now just work your way out. If winter has begun relinquishing its hold, expect crappie to be staging on the middepth flats out from the spawning areas. These fish are going to be suspended in loose, roaming schools, trying to intercept some bait.

Trolling a spread of small jigs is an excellent way to cover a lot of water on the flats and find the fish. If you catch a crappie or two, listen to what the fish are telling you and make note of the location, depth and bait they took, and make more passes over that exact area until the action tapers off. Crappie aren't solitary fish -- they like company, and hang out in large schools. Catching one will indicate that a bunch are down there. Don't just keep on trucking down the flat pulling your jigs through empty water. Instead, work over the treasure trove you've found.