Mounting Size

[jfraley]

This my fist year crappie fishing and I have learned a lot from this message board. I started back in Jan. putting out condos and getting a feel for different lakes while the water was down. I have done pretty good at locating and catching fish, but there is always room for improvement.

My question is: How big does a Crappie have to be for you guys to consider mounting it. I know, "a trophy is in the eyes of the beholder." My biggest so far is 2lbs 2oz (14.5") that i cleaned and put in the freezer for a fish fry. Many of the lakes around me have records at around 3lb with some as low as 2lbs 1 oz and others over 4 lbs. I was thinking about mounting a Crappie to add some flavor to my Deer and Turkey mounts. I am hoping to catch bigger crappie as they spawn. Is this ok to assume or not?

Thanks,

James

[DENNIS BOWERS]

James-yes you can expect to catch bigger crappie during the spawn.i have also found that late winter early spring is a good time to catch some slabs!!as for mounting i"d say if a crappie is big for your area itsgood to mount! i"ve seen them mounted from 1 1/2 lb clear up to 3 10![my 13 year old son caught it!!]. like they say-beauty is in the eye of the beholder!! ithink this gos for mounts!! my son says we have to quit!!!-no more wall space? good fishin to ya!!! dennis

[Big Zig]

If you have a citation program in place in your state - that would be a good judgement to work off of. That would give you a little extra story behind the mount as well. Just my .

[SIG70]

I ate an 18" fish,What a mistake,I've never seen another

[GABoy]

It really does depend on where you are.....

For instance....back before I came to my senses and was a bass fisherman.....I lived in CT and a trophy up there (mounting size) was 5lbs....but, down here in GA a trophy is 10lbs.....a considerable difference.

But, I recently had a crappie mounted that was 2lb 11oz......I was holding out for a 3lber, but since that won a big fish award for the month of November I went ahead and got it mounted since I wasn't sure if I would see another one that big again or not.

[Indy-Travis]

Yeah, pretty dependent on where you are. Here in Indiana, they don't have as long a growing season. From time to time you hear of a 17-18" fish, but I have my sights set on 16". I'd like to get a white and a black, both over that length for mounting. To date, I have caught several in the 14-15" range.

[crappster]

One day I may mount a 8 to 9 inch fish. I think that would be hilarious up on my wall. Maybe even smaller. Everytime someone asks about it, I would tell them the story about it, real serious like. Not even flinch. Furthermore there would be nothing special about the story.

[GABoy]

One day I may mount a 8 to 9 inch fish. I think that would be hilarious up on my wall. Maybe even smaller. Everytime someone asks about it, I would tell them the story about it, real serious like. Not even flinch. Furthermore there would be nothing special about the story.

Now that would be funny!!

[CrappiePappy]

LOL !! I like it !! :D

There's a couple of Crappie mounted on a piece of driftwood, down at the local tackle store .... one looks to be, maybe 9in, the other is just a shade bigger. I've often wondered what the "story" behind those fish was

And to JF ...... a 2lb Crappie is a Slab, and a nice fish - anywhere! A 3lb Crappie, even from waters that produce many of them yearly, is a wall mount (and makes a nice looking one, too). I've caught a many a 2.75, 2.8, 2.9lb Crappie (Lake Barkley) in the past ... but never could seem to land that 3lb'r. If I ever do ... she's got an appointment with the taxidermist, then a spot on the wall next to my 7lb Largemouth and 12lb Tiger Muskie !! And I'm sure there will be a little story behind that fish, too, just like there is with the other two. ..........luck2ya ..........cp

[1weezer]

It all depends on how much you want to remember any particular fishing trip. Just check out a taxidirmist first before allowing him or her to handle the fish that you want to remember. I use a great Taxidirmist out of Ohio, His name is Tom Peterson. His number is 419-394-1712. He is mounting two crappie for me right now and he has already mounted a 8.6 bass for me. If you would like to see a pic of his work on the bass, send me an email and I'll send a picture. [email protected]