Thursday, 13 February 2014

Basic Crappie Fishing Techniques

By Aldrin Ricafort


Crappie are not hard to catch. The problem is that many fishermen believe that the only time you can catch them is during spawning. This is far from true. The following crappie fishing tips will help you extend your fishing time to the point where you can catch them the entire year.

The number one crappie fishing tip is to use a live minnow by far. I use a # 6 gold hook and a slip bobber for the depth control. I use a small drop shot weight just above the minnow to keep the minnow from swimming up. I prefer to hook a minnow behind the dorsal fin to present a natural swimming position. If you prefer jig fishing it can also be tipped with a minnow.

For the remainder of the year you will find them sheltering around sunken logs, the mouths of feeder stream, around stumps, the edges of weed beds and other basic locations where they can hide while waiting for a meal. So the key to finding good concentrations of crappie is to locate such places and fish around them.

There are two species of crappies: Promoxis nigromaculatus (or the black crappie) and Promoxis annularis (or the white crappie). Both of these species are from the sunfish household (Centrarchidae) which consists of largemouth bass, bluegills and other warm water game fish.

The fundamentals in crappie fishing will work on both these varieties. Here is a tip on how you can identify each type: white crappie are lighter in color and have a defined vertical pattern of spots, while black crappie are a bit darker with a irregular pattern of spots. Some other way to identify them is counting the number of splines on their dorsal fin; for example the white crappie should have between 5 and 6, while the black crappie between 7 and 8.

Crappies often suspend over different types of structure, but will usually be found at the same depth. This is frequently the situation in summer. A favorite spot is downed or standing trees in the lake. The crappie will hide around the trunk of the tree or its branches to stay out of the sun and to ambush bait fish. A lone tree await from other trees is a great place to find crappie.

Depending on the water conditions in each specific zone, the average size of this fish can differ. commonly a normal size catch is around to 1 pound, but if you are lucky and know where to look for, you might catch some fish in the 2lb range. The record for the largest white crappie ever caught was set in Enid Lake Mississippi, which is 5,2lb, and for the dark crappie in Kerr Lake Virginia and Otoe Lake Nebraska, which is around 4,8lb. Also, to buy the suitable crappie live baits, you need to know what they choose to consume. Bugs, small crustaceans and crappie minnows are the widespread crappie food supply. Insects and crustaceans are generally used for the young fish, while the adults mainly consume small fish.

Also you should know that is that if your bait is below them, they won%u2019t observe it, due to the fact that the crappies eyes do not allow them to look downward. So remember, when you are going to your crappie fishing, just keep in mind the basics and there is a good possibility that you will come home with a lot of good eating fish.




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