# Do crappie eat crawfish?



## Bluegillin' (Jan 28, 2009)

Went out fishing last weekend and got into about a dozen 10-11 inch crappie on minnows. I decided to target some other fish for awhile and had on a small rebel craw. First cast on a steady retrieve, the bait was about 10 feet from the boat when something blasted it. At first I thought it was a rock bass but got it in and it was an 11" crappie. I didn't think crappie ate crawfish so not sure if I am wrong or if this crappie simply hit the rebel craw more as a reaction as opposed to looking for a crawfish meal. All I know is that I have never had a crappie hit as hard as that one did in my life. Anyone know if crappie generally eat crawfish?


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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

I know the scioto river crappies love craws. Last week we had a group of large crappies in livewell and when we went to take them out the bottom of livewell was full of crawfish shells and claws that they spit up. I have got some on craw color twisters and jigs slow hopped on bottom like you would for saugeye. Not a fluke part of there diet.


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## cpr_mike1 (Feb 25, 2009)

Crappies are absolute pigs. I did a study on them in school and they ate more than you would imagine.


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## Bluegillin' (Jan 28, 2009)

I have officially learned something new today. I had never caught one on a crawfish but guess I never targeted them with such a bait either. Thanks for the feedback fishslim and CPR Mike.


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## bjpatrick (Jun 18, 2010)

Fish like people are not too picky when a free meal is available. An example would represent if you were a Burger King fan and McDonalds offered you a free meal. Would you take the free meal?


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## firstflight111 (May 22, 2008)

we get them while bass fishing on jig and pig


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## lacdown (Apr 25, 2007)

They are more aggressive than I originally thought....I've even caught a crappie on a 6 inch lizard before....


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## CrappieTacos (Jun 22, 2010)

Crappies eat anything and everything. From fishresource.com:

"Crappies especially feed in the evenings and early mornings, on zooplankton, insects, crustaceans, fish, larvae and on small shad, minnows and sunfish. Crappie are known to eat their own young as well as other fish fry, and feed actively throughout the winter."

"Mature crappies (2 to 6 years old) eat their own young, causing cycles of severe population decline. When few mature crappies populate the lakes, most of the young fish survive and the population thrives for the next few years. In small or overcrowded lakes crappies experience stunted growth. Many biologists support an unlimited bag limit for crappies to promote a healthy fish population."


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## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

The question shouldn't be do they eat craws but why wouldn't they?I mean their a food source for other fish so why not the crappies as well.They gotta eat too & why pass up an easy meal.


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## foundationfisher (May 12, 2008)

spfldbassguy said:


> The question shouldn't be do they eat craws but why wouldn't they?I mean their a food source for other fish so why not the crappies as well.They gotta eat too & why pass up an easy meal.


i think just like any other fish, if they're hungry, they'll eat it if it fits in their mouth. i've never caught a crappie on a worm in my life, but a lot of you have. i did catch one on a frog fishing for bass.


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## Hillbilly910 (Jan 6, 2009)

crappies definately eat crawfish, black crappie imparticular, although both do consume them.(flies in the face of "crappie only feed "up", now dont it?)
Mid spring seems to be the time i find them in the livewell, and they are the smaller versions, compared to bass sized crawfish.
While using crankbaits in the heat of summer for crappies, often times use a craw pattern for dark or stained water. I doubt its because it looks like a crawfish, i tend to reckon that to a reaction strike, never saw many crawfish swimming through a school of shad.

HB


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