Thread: Cane Creek Crappie-Napper!

Well this post is a couple weeks old but I hope you guys can forgive me...

I could not stand Jerry's (LaStumpjumper) post any longer and I had to go give um a try. Well let me tell you, it was the hardest 4 days of crappie fishing I have ever endured... But it was all worth it.

I slept an average of 4 hours a night, got up 2 hours before light to freezing temps so as to stealth up on the best holes and hit the morning bite. It was 5 fish a day average and thats fishing all day long. But one morning I caught 3 fish in a row that were my biggest crappie to date!

I would have to say one of the best things about Cane Creek is when your cork goes under your heart is in your throat. You might really want to consult your doctor before going to this lake. lol When I landed the first true Cane Creek monster I had to hyperventilate for about 5 minutes says. "oh my god" over and over. lol

But let me now tell you of my intentions beyond going up there to catch my biggest to date. I wanted to bring 30 of them home alive to stock in my perch pond at the farm. Well it proved a challenge not only catching 30 but keeping them alive. First full day me and Chris (CEB) managed 7 worth stocking all fish under 14 inches went back in to grow. But wouldn't you know it someone found the icechest in my camp the next day while we were on the lake and STOLE MY 7 slabs! ... along with extension cords and the ice chest itself. I talked with the park ranger who was very nice and gave me a pound of minnows so I would not have a bad taste for the park. He took my information incase they found the guy but I told him I was only concerned with the fish. lol something tells me I am not getting those slabs back alive on my doorstep in overnight freight box.

But we did not let the thieves ruin our fun and Chris and I had a great time. He caught a 3lb 2oz monster trolling which takes great skill out there with all the timber. I stuck to cork and rosie and found my honey hole 1/2 way through the trip. I knew I was in the right spot because Jerry told me and I ran into Willy (Lucky) and he insisted it was da spot. If you read this Willy I really enjoyed fishing with ya that morning and hope to see you up there again sometime next year. Had that one morning when you were there with a 2lb 10oz, 2lb 13oz, and 2lb 14oz all three bigger then my biggest caught back to back in about 30 minutes. And the next morning in the same hole I caught my 3.0! :D

Almost all the fish I was able to keep alive all the way back to Louisiana into the farm pond. I lost 6 of them one night when it got up to like 70 degrees after my ice chest was taken but one of them was 16inches and 2lb 14oz and I am having him mounted for Chris. He gave me his 3lb 2oz to put in the pond alive. So 14 Cane Creek crappies now swim around in my family pond and I told my little cousins at the Christmas party, Hands off my 14"+ slabs, you let them grow into 5lbers!

Ok enough of my saga and tale time for some pics...

First a Cane Creek sunrise...


Ran into Jerry (StumpJumper) and he caught one very earlly to show me that there were indeed fish in that lake... thanks Jerry for all the help!


The maze of very old cypress...


A MONSTER!!!! just not the right species... See Chris there are chain pickerell in there... I caught 4.


Now some shots of keeping them alive... Had to rig with dollar store tubs from Star City after they nabbed my ice chest...








Nervous Minnows...


Had a better setup by the end of it with some trash cans...

2 out of the 6 that died... Brutes though one is prolly the one I am mounting for Chris.


Here is his true biggun... 3lb 2ozes and alive and well in Louisiana.






Now for a few shots once I had them save and sound back at the pond...

8 of the better ones...


Let them stage in a pin to be sure they would make it... Next day they were frisky when released...

Oh yeah Chris you remember stubby with the bad tail that we thought would not make it... well he did.




Now for a few shots of the size of them...

This first shot is next to a Bistineau slab that I had mixed in for the stocking... I am sorry Cane Creek is the winner.


Here is Chris' 3lb 20z monster...




And my measley 3.0lb...


And thats all she wrote guys... I'll end it with a pic waiting um out at Cane Creek.


~Fishin' Magician~

Great post and pictures Markham. Glad you had a good time and caught some good ones. It is a great place to fish, but it does get trying when it is slow.

Great post! Lots of good info and pics.

Great post and awesome pics! Yall keep pulling crappie out like that it's just a matter of time catching a state record fish.

Good post, and nice pics of some nice fish for sure.

Just watch them folks up there, "They heavy" :D

Randy

Congrats on both some outstanding fish and some outstanding pics.
Now, FYI, If those fish that you put into your pond had spawned when they were only a foot long, they would have even then passed along any "big-fish" genes that they possess. In other words, a fish doesn't have to be big in order to pass on superior growth genes, it just has to have them in it. And that gene doesn't appear as the fish grows - it's there all along. Since it seems like those fish tend to grow bigger than those in other places, I have little doubt that it's not an especially rare trait and that some of the 14-inchers you released could have very well been endowed with the big-fish genes.
Now that I may have bored you silly, I will wish you a Merry Christmas and say once again that ya done a fine job, cher!
Pete
Pete

Originally Posted by Slab Hunter

Good post, and nice pics of some nice fish for sure.

Just watch them folks up there, "They heavy" :D

Randy

Who is they????:D

FM THAT IS SOME NICE QUALITY FISH YOU GOT THERE.
ALL I CAN SAY WOW NICE CATCH:D