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Crappies are one of the best tasting fish I have ever eaten, I like
them better then trout. The meat is pure white and is firm and full of
good mellow flavour. Crappies are a panfish, similar to bluegill and
sunfish. When I was a young man, a lot of local fishermen called
crappie, ' calico bass '. Luckily for us fishermen they are considered
a panfish and are not restricted in most areas, like other bass are
when it comes to fishing laws. Here in Pennsylvania we are allowed to
catch 50 crappies a day with no size limitations.
Crappies are ' little hellions ', they are full of energy and despite
their small size they can make a normal fishing rod bend to the
breaking point and cause a reels drag to become active, the energy and
taste are two reasons why crappies are such a great fish to catch.
Crappies come in two types or varieties, there are black crappies and
white crappies. Crappies live throughout the U.S in many ponds, lakes
and streams, I guess if other panfish or even bass can thrive in the
water, then crappie can also. Crappie look similar in size and shape to
other panfish, except they are a lot more silver colored, with black
spots, and they have upturned noses. They are actually a very nice
looking fish, and the silver or shiny color shimmers in the sunlight.
Crappies can be caught year around. In the spring and fall months they
move near the shore areas, and in the summer they move out in more
deeper and cooler water. They are probably the most active in the early
spring months when they move towards the shores to spawn, they become
very aggressive and tend to bite and attack anything that is cast or
moves near them or the nest, making it pretty easy to get a stringer
full of crappies in a short time in the spring season. The nests look
like hollowed out depressions or dishes in the mud or gravel on the
bottoms of the ponds and lakes. If you walk slowly around the edges of
the water, you can see these nests and often see the crappie in and
near them. Once you spot one of the nests, casting your bait near it
will usually produce a quick strike.
In the summer or warmer months, they often hang around stumps, trees,
and other debris areas and underwater structures for shading and
protection. Casting near these areas in the summer and warmer months
will often be very productive for catching a mess of crappie. In the
fall time of the year, they move towards the shores and become more
aggressive again in their feeding and biting. This aggressive feeding
and biting continues throughout the cold winter months, which makes
crappie a great fish to catch while ice fishing in the winter.
The best time to catch crappies is during the daylight hours, with
early morning after sunrise and in the late afternoon towards early
evening hours being the best times. Crappies love minnows with a
passion, and when it comes to live baits there is no better choice than
a small minnow. If you don't have or cannot get live minnows, then use
jigs or any such lure that looks as realistic as possible to a live
minnow. But when you use an artificial minnow make sure you keep the
lure pretty active, so it simulates a live minnow as much as possible,
if the fake minnow just sits still, crappie have been known to look and
then just pass by, they seem to prefer live minnows and bait instead of
dead ones. Crappies have a abnormally soft mouth, so be aware that if
you jerk your rod too hard, to set the hook, you can rip it right out
of the crappies mouth, resulting in losing the fish.
There is Computer Software that is made for crappie fishing as well as
catching any type of fish. After keeping a few past records of fishing
trips, this software will help you to easily calculate what days will
be a great fishing day ! The software is called: ' Fishing Buddy ', you
can download and try the software for free from this website address:
You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter or on your
website as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without
modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.
Robert W. Benjamin has been in the software business on the internet
for over 5 years, and has been producing low-cost software for the past
25+ years. He first released software on the AMIGA and C64 computer
systems in the late 1970's-80's.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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