Even though Crappie reproduce in great numbers, a bad spawn due to weather or other factors can hurt a year’s class of fish, a couple bad years, and things can start to drop off….if you are losing a lot of fish to the fryer, and dead fish from fishermen, plus bad spawns, the Crappie fishery can suffer…. And if you are trying to grow a healthy population of larger fish and a nice Crappie fishery, a few key ideas need to be shared and followed, so you don’t have a lot of floaters, or damage to populations on heavily pressured lakes or areas!
Proper Catch and release….if you are out for fun and not looking to get a mess for the fryer… and you are going to release crappie that you catch, there are a few things to keep in mind.
*Just as with a Bass, DO NOT hold the fish horizontal by the jaw…Don’t torque the bottom jaw down at any time, you can injure, dislocate, and even break the fishes jaw.
If you are taking pictures, you can hold the fish by the bottom lip and let him dangle straight down, or hold them by the lip and support the belly, to hold it horizontal.
*Make sure your hands are wet, if you are going to grab or hold the fish by the body….the protective slim coat on the fish is its defense against parasites, disease, etc. Also try not to let it flop around on the boat, use absorbent gloves, towels, etc, to hold them….removal of the slime coat is just taking chances with the fish’s survival.
* If a fish is deep or gut hooked, don’t just rip it out. If you can’t get it out with hemostats or needle-nose, try the procedure of going through the gill plates, pay attention to not damage the gills. If all else fails then cut the line as close to the hook as possible and hopefully Mother Nature will “Find A Way”!
One Point I want to make…if you are continually gut hooking a crappie, then IMHO you are using way to small of a hook, and your technique needs some work! J
I cannot remember the last time I have had a gut hooked fish….I use a #1 Sickle Hook jig head for smaller swimbaits and when they are really feeding, I use a 1/0 sickle jig head for the BIG BOY swimbaits. The hook is either in the corner of the mouth or roof of the mouth 99.9% of the time. Other guys use different size lures or hooks with the same success rates, so ask questions if you are having problems or if you need more info! When a Crappie is in BIG BOY FEEDING MODE, it is going to inhale a small bait and hook…there are times when a Crappie is feeding small, but those are normally in COLD WATER periods.
Using microscopic hooks/jigs/lures meant for Bluegill etc, is just asking for problems if you are going to C&R Crappie.
Now, if you are just catching fish for the table….NO ISSUES!
Ice fishing is a whole different technique…Crappie at this time are looking for that small meal they don’t have to work for, and most are going home to the fryer anyway. But still if you catch small fish or C&R, the same precautions apply…and don’t just throw them down on the ice and then try to throw them back in later.
The small fish you put back in, are going to be your next year’s keepers, so take care of your resource!
For those newbie’s that don’t know yet, like our old “OCEAN ANGLER”…A MALE White Crappie will turn Black during the spawn, but, Male Black Crappies do not change colors!
The only sure way to tell the difference between a White and a Black crappie are by counting Dorsal Spines…A White will have 5-6 Dorsal spines, and a Black will have 7-8.
NORMALLY, comparing two same aged/growth rate fish, White Crappie are longer and Black Crappie are thicker/taller/more compressed. Both put on weight at the same rates.
The biggest differences between the two are where they like to live and what they like to MAINLY eat.
Black Crappie prefer fewer fish in their diets, they eat more insects, crustaceans, invertebrates, and larva….Whites like more Sushi.
Black Crappie also prefer little or no current, and clearer water with more vegetation with mud or sandy bottoms…these are areas their primary food likes also.
Movements of both are seasonal, they use the same migration routes year after year, and they migrate following structure, using channels, drop-offs, river beds, sunken trees, rocks, edge lines, etc.
We have managed to disrupt many of the old patterns by adding all of the cover, now you are seeing the new patterns staring, and A LOT of deviation from the old! This is really going to come into effect with the next few classes of fish and the new spawns…their patterns will revolve around all of the new stuff that has been added.
Once Crappie find a suitable environment for that particular season and pattern, they will remain until conditions change to a new season and pattern. They may hold tighter to nearby cover or suspend, etc, but unless something drastic happens, they are staying put in the seasonal area! THIS IS ALSO WHY YOU CAN OUT-FISH AN ENTIRE AREA LIKE THE MARINA, OR AREAS OF COVER!
Fight…
People complain that Crappie do not fight???
First you have to understand that Crappie have 2 main feeding patterns in the summer….You also have to remember that most of the time you are fishing for Crappie, your time to fish and their time to eat are totally different.
Crappie like most fish are trying to stack the odds in their favor when hunting….their preferred time to hunt is in the early morning or during darkness, I believe the early morning fish didn’t fare so well at the night’s hunt oe get full enough!
…..They will also feed during cloudy/dark gloomy days. Crappie have a MAJOR advantage because of their superior eyesight AND NIGHT VISION!Fish that are feeding at this time just SMASH a swimbait or lure….they hit that lure with everything they have….and then put up a great fight for their size.
When the sun is out they are chillin’, looking for shade, or just waiting until they have the advantage over the prey again…fish at this time will eat, but most of the time you have to present it properly or drop it right on their noses…STILL, sometimes you cannot get them to bite.
These can be the times when they are finicky…. if they have full bellies, your offering has to be A SERIOUSLY EASY MEAL…AT THESE TIMES, Crappie can barely nudged a bait, they taste it, look it over, and gently take it in….then they may fight, shake their head once or twice, or surfboard right to you!
Of course, these are basic guides and other circumstances come into play…hopefully some of the other CRAPPIE GUYS will chime in.
During the Spawn, it is a whole different ballgame…there are A LOT of Professionals running around then, each has a magic bait, color, or technique!
I never try to help someone to become a Crappie fisherman at this time…every lure and technique known to man, works….and you can get into bad habits that will frustrate you for the rest of the year.
Just because you caught every Crappie Possible during the Spring Doesn’t mean a thing the rest of the year….the rest of the year determines if you are a Crappie fisherman or not!
I tried to explain this to a couple guys once….they said I was full of it…..so I caught a 9 inch crappie on a 5 inch swimbait, and actually was catching same sized crappie on the 5.8 inch swimmers most of the day ….this last spawn I was catching crappie on a piece of plastic and paper on my jig head, just to prove my point (Pics are posted below)….I could have fished all day long with the plastic and paper and caught fish….these guys kept telling me they were experts and I had to use certain things that they were using or I wouldn’t be able to catch fish like them!
I never see these people out the rest of the year…but, when you do they say one thing….”The Crappie just aren’t biting today”!...amazing isn’t it!Feel free to add!
Good Fishing To All!
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