# Crappie



## buhrandon

So I have been wondering this for a while. What is the big excitement about fishing for crappie?


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## jonnythfisherteen2

what isnt there? during the spawn, you catch alot of them. they (in my opinion) dont fight very good but those 10+ inchers can pull a small bit of drag. it's fun if you can get on them, and if you eat them, they are some great eating. fried crappie fillets are great table fare.
new to fishing? or never caught one and saw all the posting and excitement about them?


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## buhrandon

I guess you could say new to fishing. I used to go with my dad a lot when I was younger. He died and I have been fishing alone or with the girlfriend (more like baby sitting) for the last 2 years pretty steadily during the warmer months.

Just didn't see the excitement in catching basically bluegill.

Fun and flashy for a kid I guess?


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## jonnythfisherteen2

I guess so. they are easy to scale. 
they are a bit finicky like bass but not as bad. real sensitive to weather change and like certain lures at times. some times minnows will slay them and they won't bother with a jig and other times its the other way around. some guys take em really serious. seeing you coma
pare them to gills might make them turn red like a demon LOL.


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## buhrandon

Meh, I'll give it a go sometime and see what the big deal is. Catching anything is fun, I suppose.

Besides herpes that is.


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## tadluvadd

buhrandon said:


> I guess you could say new to fishing. I used to go with my dad a lot when I was younger. He died and I have been fishing alone or with the girlfriend (more like baby sitting) for the last 2 years pretty steadily during the warmer months.
> 
> Just didn't see the excitement in catching basically bluegill.
> 
> Fun and flashy for a kid I guess?


they are bigger then gills unless fishing the wrong spot or lake.therefore,they fight better and have more meat on them for the table.also easier to remove the hook then gills.the other thing is,they spawn early.so they are one of the first fish to turn on.


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## Intimidator

My Grandmother taught me to fish over 40 years ago....she loved Crappie fishing and I grew to love it through her!
Like most people, I grew up thinking that you had to use live bait or SMALL lures for Crappie...it really wasn't challenging enough for me...I became bored with Crappie fishing.

I moved away to South Carolina and tried my hand at Bass fishing and also fished for Stripers and anything that could be caught in the ocean.
When I moved back I quit fishing for 10 years because I could no longer find the "Fun" in it...then my son was born and when he was 3, I took him out Crappie fishing with a snoopy pole, wax worms, and bobber...he was hooked!
I had all of this Bass equipment and lures just laying around and one day while I was Bass fishing a 12" SLAB hit a spinner bait, then I caught a SLAB on a crank bait...finally a light-bulb went off in my head and I decided to fish for Crappie (which I love to eat), the same way that I fish for Bass and Walleye, same poles, reels, and lures!
Now, I only use Keitech 3" and 4" swimbaits year around for Crappie, and catch just as many as with my Grandma...my son is 11 now and normally outfishes me with the same swimbait set-ups!
You don't have to invest loads of money on Small tackle, hundreds of small lures, jigs, plastics, etc to Crappie fish....Now Crappie fishingis FUN again...I have found that there is nothing like a Crappie smacking a swimbait, just like a Bass!


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## buckzye11

Love the Crappie... once you are on them, your on them... and the fun begins. I used to use minnows too, and found they will hit Panfish Assasains/Garlands just as well if not better then minnows, and i don't have to stare at a bobber anymore.
They sure do whack the Keitech 3"easy shiners too. It's the most addictive type of fishing for me, cause it plays like a game.... find them first(not always easy in the Summer months), catch them, cull them, filet them, eat them up.


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## SeanStone

Its a numbers game for me. Find a school of crappie and your talking a fish every other cast or better. I have had some 3 hour trips with over 50 crappie. Thats not counting the ones i lost or missed. They are significantly larger than gills so thats a plus too. They are super aggressive around spawn and will hit just about anything you throw at them.

Hard to beat a good day crappie fishing.

posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


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## hang_loose

And my back still hurts (cleaning those fish)


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## 9Left

cant beat a couple crappie fillets between two slices of rye bread , lettuce,tomatoe,mustard.....i gotta get some crappies soon!!


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## cfioritto

Fun to catch on a light weight rod and taste great fried on the grill in a cast iron skillet.


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## MassillonBuckeye

Easy to catch a mess of em for a nice fish dinner since they school. Like someone said, usually once you are on em, you are on em. Mild white firm flaky filets. Manageable size.


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## ezbite

i really love when they turn on and i cant keep both poles in the water.


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## Scum_Frog

The fight on keeping them on the hook!!! Such paper thin mouths on them!!! 

Nothing better than seeing a hog crappie.....we were prefishing for a tourny one day and my buddy was throwing a 5" money minnow.....first cast had a slam.....get it to the boat and it was a 15.25" crappie....AWESOME fish....plus being one of the best eating fish doesnt hurt either!


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## chaunc

Here's a couple reasons why i like crappie fishing. First pic is a 2.78lber and second pic is 2.98.
[ame="http://s41.photobucket.com/user/ken_e_getem_n/media/IMG_0581_zps651f9f08.jpg.html"]IMG_0581_zps651f9f08.jpg Photo by ken_e_getem_n | Photobucket[/ame]

[ame="http://s41.photobucket.com/user/ken_e_getem_n/media/IMG_0586_zps04d25f90.jpg.html"]IMG_0586_zps04d25f90.jpg Photo by ken_e_getem_n | Photobucket[/ame]


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## Guest

beautiful fish, chaunc.


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## c. j. stone

I like them best by casting a jig(or one of my "special" weighted, beaded, maribou flies) under a weighted bobber for a long cast. I never use live bait for them since I perfected minnow imitations! It is more like hunting than fishing. Once you find a school, the fun really begins! I use a ten foot UL crappie pole with four pound line and a UL spinning reel. Using heavy tackle on them, in my humble opinion, is like using an elephant gun on chipmunks! On light tackle, the fight can be quite respectable. And if taken out of cold water and immediarely iced, they are one of the best eating fresh water fish-also my opinion!


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## Hezzer

chaunc said:


> Here's a couple reasons why i like crappie fishing. First pic is a 2.78lber and second pic is 2.98.
> IMG_0581_zps651f9f08.jpg Photo by ken_e_getem_n | Photobucket
> 
> IMG_0586_zps04d25f90.jpg Photo by ken_e_getem_n | Photobucket


Nice fish! Would love to get some giant slabs like those!


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## FishandHunt59

Chaunc, Are those PA crappie?

Steve


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## chaunc

FishandHunt59 said:


> Chaunc, Are those PA crappie?
> 
> Steve


No. i got them from Ky lake on my trip there recently. Got at least a dozen that were 2 pounds each. 4 in one day.
[ame="http://s41.photobucket.com/user/ken_e_getem_n/media/IMG_0598_zpsa836cae0.jpg.html"]IMG_0598_zpsa836cae0.jpg Photo by ken_e_getem_n | Photobucket[/ame]
[ame="http://s41.photobucket.com/user/ken_e_getem_n/media/IMG_0595_zpsc9c52583.jpg.html"]IMG_0595_zpsc9c52583.jpg Photo by ken_e_getem_n | Photobucket[/ame]


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## jonnythfisherteen2

chauc, those are some BIG crappie. sounds like lake KY is the place to go!


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## hang_loose

chaunc, I love seeing your crappie pics. Kentucky Lake is an awesome early spring crappie fishing lake. Gotta watch that Tenn. state line though.


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## chaunc

hang_loose said:


> chaunc, I love seeing your crappie pics. Kentucky Lake is an awesome early spring crappie fishing lake. Gotta watch that Tenn. state line though.


Never went farther south than Ledbetter bay this year so didn't have to worry about it. I stay clear of the Blood River Zoo. Way too many boats down there.


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## chaunc

jonnythfisherteen2 said:


> chauc, those are some BIG crappie. sounds like lake KY is the place to go!


Jonny, you should see some of the bluegills we catch down there in May. Some up to 13 inches. I'm heading back next month for a few days to fish for them.


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## crappiedude

Great fish Chaunc.
I've been having some computer problems and the pics wouldn't show up for me on c.com. I bet it was tough coming home after spending a month down there. This was our 2nd time going down on the 1st week of April and it seemed a little early. Next year we will go on the 2nd week.
We spend all our time on the LBL side fishing, one of these years I'll have to get over to the western shore and look around. 4 days just isn't enough time. 
For you guys who have never been there Ky Lake is a great fishery but it isn't an easy lake to fish.


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## chaunc

crappiedude said:


> Great fish Chaunc.
> I've been having some computer problems and the pics wouldn't show up for me on c.com. I bet it was tough coming home after spending a month down there. This was our 2nd time going down on the 1st week of April and it seemed a little early. Next year we will go on the 2nd week.
> We spend all our time on the LBL side fishing, one of these years I'll have to get over to the western shore and look around. 4 days just isn't enough time.
> For you guys who have never been there Ky Lake is a great fishery but it isn't an easy lake to fish.


Thanks John. Only 4 days there would be torture for me. Being retired and by myself there this year, i stayed over a month. Got really dialed in during the second week and hammered them every day from then on. And you're right about not wanting to come back to this crummy weather.  That lake can be tough to figure out some years. Other years, they seem to jump in the boat. But i've been going there for 26 years so i have some knowledge about the areas i fish. Looking forward to getting back there next month and do some shellcracker and gill fishing.


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## crappiedude

chaunc said:


> *Being retired and by myself there this year, i stayed over a month. *


That says alot!
I've been trying to talk my wife into selling the house and moving down there. I could tell she was thinking about it but in the end she wants to stay here, friends, family, kids and grand kids. 
I can't really afford to retire right now but I had it all figured out. I was going to stand on a corner with a sign that said "WILL WORK FOR MINNOWS"


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## Smallmouth Crazy

My Dad started me crappie fishing before I got in my teens and it just never has got old for me(I like fishing for anything though) many of times my Son and I have been out and flipping for bass in a pond or stream and once we catch a couple crappie that's it I am strictly targeting crappie for the rest of the day, cant help or explain it.


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## walleye28

any good spots in northwest or northeast ohio? I'm willing to drive an hour or two from the toledo area


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## fishintechnician

crappies will get in your blood!! I have been targeting them almost exclusively for the last 3-4 years. 85% of my trips are for crappie. Throught the ice, spring,summer,fall and back to ice up. In the spring it is really easy. Just find cover and fish it. Once the spawn is over it gets more challenging. These fish can be super finicky. Alot of times the will suspend in deeper water and they can be really hard to catch. In my opinion they are affected by weather alot more than some other fish. They fight good for there size, and there is no mistaking the thump when you get hit. I have set a goal this year to get a 16'' this year from a central ohio lake. I have gotten 3 over 14'' so far this year and one that was close to 14.75''. When you see one that size it really gets the heart a pumping. There is something rewarding about goin out and fillin the boat w big slabs!


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## Bucket Mouth

walleye28 said:


> any good spots in northwest or northeast ohio? I'm willing to drive an hour or two from the toledo area


Irish Hills lakes. Get a sportsman's connections S.E. michigan lake book and check out which ones have crappies.


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## walleye28

im gonna check out evans lake soon


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