Crappie Fishing
Crappie is a breed of fish in the sunfish family. There are "black crappies" and "white crappies." Anyone who has ever been in the right spot when these babies have been biting know how much fun it can be to catch a boat load of these rather small fish. Believe it or not, when one of these fish decides to fight you can feel as though you have a mammoth fish on the line. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that game fisherman like catching these fish.
Why Catch Crappie?
Despite their rather, pardon the pun, crappy name this fish is one of the best tasting of all the pan fish. They are a favorite of anyone who enjoys fresh pan fish and tastes especially good cooked over an open fire. They also provide a challenge to most fishermen as they are not the easiest fish to hook and reel in making fishing for them a bit more sporting.
Where are Crappie found?
Crappie are fresh water fish and can be found in many lakes, rivers and streams throughout the United States. In fact, there are crappie and crappie fishermen in all of the continental United States. Checking online or with your local DNR fishing publications will tell what bodies of water in your area have the best crappie fishing.
When is the Best Time To Fish for Crappie
Since Crappie remain active during the winter months any time of the year is a good time to catch crappie. During the spring and fall Crappie can be found nearer the shore and during the hot summer months they prefer deeper cooler water.
While Crappie can be caught pretty much any time of the day you have to know where to go during certain times of the day to catch these little fish. During the heat of the day, they are less active and will hang out around weed beds and submerged logs or boulders. Though they are more lazy in the afternoon, fishing in the area where they are resting sometimes has some surprisingly good results.
Crappies preferred feeding time is at dawn and dusk and at these times they can be found closer to shore or in more open water. People have reported having good luck fishing for crappie at night as well.
What Kind of Bait Should I Use?
Crappies have been hooked with all kinds of different bait. Many avid fishermen suggest the use of minnows when fishing for Crappie, but people have been equally successful fishing with worm and night crawlers and even artificial bait. Fly fishers have even caught Crappie using trout flies.
What is The Hardest Thing About Catching Crappie
If there is one thing that makes Crappie fishing challenging is setting the hook. Crappies have delicate lips and any attempt to set the hook too hard will result in tearing the lip and losing your fish. A gentle tug to the left or right with the tip of your rod should be all it takes to set the hook in the Crappies mouth.
Crappie fishing is fun and even if you are not successful you can have a great time and enjoy the weather.