# Finding the BIG crappie?



## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

I only keep fish a few times a year, but I hunt crappie all year long. I don’t seem to have much trouble finding the crappie, or getting them to bite. BUT, I just can’t seem to locate the BIG girls. Size is relative, and here in SW Ohio, I consider anything over 12” to be a monster. I primarily vertical jig with sonar (video game fishing). In the schools I find, most crappie are all the same size with a few dinks & larger fish mixed in. Do the BIG girls outgrow school? I usually stick with 8 – 25 FOW (difficult to vertical jig in less than 8’, and high mortality rate deeper than 25’). Are they in the shallows or deep six?

I know they are in there…….But, where are they?

Thanks,
Mark


----------



## bobberbucket (Mar 30, 2008)

Rooster said:


> I only keep fish a few times a year, but I hunt crappie all year long. I don’t seem to have much trouble finding the crappie, or getting them to bite. BUT, I just can’t seem to locate the BIG girls. Size is relative, and here in SW Ohio, I consider anything over 12” to be a monster. I primarily vertical jig with sonar (video game fishing). In the schools I find, most crappie are all the same size with a few dinks & larger fish mixed in. Do the BIG girls outgrow school? I usually stick with 8 – 25 FOW (difficult to vertical jig in less than 8’, and high mortality rate deeper than 25’). Are they in the shallows or deep six?
> 
> I know they are in there…….But, where are they?
> 
> ...


Crappie in our lakes tend to be schooled in year class size similar results to what your saying when we are catching fish average 10.5-11” there are usually a few 12-14” fish in the mix. I’ve been on schools with 12-13”average with a couple 16+” . The biggest crappies I’ve ever caught have come from less than 10 fow during the hottest month of the year on gold #6 hook and live minnows under a stick float. 

I know artificial is the most effective way for catching consistent numbers of average fish but I’m not a true believer that it’s better than a live struggling minnow to snare a giant or multiple giants.








On


----------



## bobberbucket (Mar 30, 2008)

Also where the giants are is going to be relative to the average depth and size of the body of water you are targeting. In my opinion if your target is giants target small shallow bodies of water. Smaller bodies of water are easy to pick apart and you’ll spend less time figuring out where the giants should be. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## chaunc (Apr 11, 2004)

Rooster, fish higher above that school or find a small piece of brush just away from it. Big fish don’t like a lot of company. I’m talking 14 inch and better.


----------

