acrobats

[slowpole]

do crappie jump out of the water? wondering because I saw many fish jumping in the creek I fished today that has a good population of crappie but also has striper, gar, brim, bass, catz

[pstone]

They will on seldom occasion, but it is not the norm...

[Darryl Morris]

I agree with pstone. I've only seen crappie breach the surface of the water when on the end of a hook and line. Sometimes in the spring when they are real shallow they will swirl the top of the water chasing food to eat running off other fish from their beds.

[smoothlures]

Yep, what they said. Have had them "jump" when hooked and reeling in but I don't think they do it just to do it. If there was some kind of bug or something to eat on top of the water, they may be after them. I have caught a few bream fishing with topwater poppers on a fly rod, but I don't know that that counts as jumping.

[TreednNC]

gizzard shad maybe? very easily similar in size and relative shape and they'll flip and jump

[sentrysam]

If the water is muddy to dingy you may be seeing gizzard shad flipping their tails,,I see a lot of them when I'm trolling up here in Hartwell,hold on cause if they are in there so are the stripers,,ss

[pstone]

The only one I have ever seen jump were scared by a boat. I actually had one jump into my jon boat a couple years ago....nobody believes me.... I don't blame em.:D:D:D

[catman]

i`ve never sen them jumping out of the water, but i have seen schools of crappie surfacing like white bass. we threw jigs in amongst them and caught alot of crappie until we lost them

[joejv4]

I've seen 'em make that little "pop" at the surface when they're eating bugs or them little straight-pin sized minnows, but never saw one jump that wasn't being reeled in.