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Thread: Where the big'uns hole up...

  1. #1
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    Default Where the big'uns hole up...


    Ok, I've been doing some serious thinking on Crappie today. How many of us live for the spawn, just to see some of the real serious Crappie?? I am not talking about 2lbs and under, I am talking about those that are 3-4lbs, and then some. I bet there are plenty of them out there. I also bet their life patterns are totally different than there smaller 2 pounder brothers and sisters. I would also bet that the only thing most of the big'uns have in common with their smaller siblings is how they spawn. I have found that bigger crappie will begin their spawn alot earlier than the others. For me, NE Oklahoma, I have found 2-4 lb crappie spawning in mid February. And that was with maybe only a week and a half of decent weather prior.
    Has anyone else ever noticed how much earlier the really big crappie spawn vs the smaller ones? Talk about a great fishing trip! I once took home 20 fish on a nightstalk that average 2-4 lbs, it was in February, and up a creek, that fed a creek, that fed the Verdigris River. The feeder I was in was about 40' wide and 4' deep in the middle. I was catching them in 2' of water, with live minnow 8" below a bobber. The closet steep drop off was about a mile away where the creek met the river and it goes from 21' to 32' and the fish were just full of early eggs.
    My point to this is that, where would such a fish hold up at this time of year? Would it choose to school with others its size or become a loaner?
    I would like to think, that since one can find many schools of small fish, another school might average about a 1/2 lb bigger. That the 3-5 pounders may also tend to "hang out" with one another. (yes, I said 5 pounders)
    Got to be one that is just one more once. http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/listing2.htm

    I would also think that a crappie this big would really not have to eat that often, and would probably pass up a minnow unless it was dropped on his lips during the spawn. I think the big boys would tend to feed on one or two fish that will fill it up, thus saving energy. We as humans tend to figure out plenty of shortcuts to save energy and effort as we age.
    So, the really big Crappie are out there, and only seem to show up during spawn.
    Question is, just where do the big'uns hole up?
    Good fishin all!
    Reaper
    Reaper, Where Fish come to Fry

  2. #2
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    I have notice a lot of times, say trolling on a big flat, 50 acres or more,
    I'll be catching decent fish, but the big mama comes when I go a little
    farther in one direction or the other, off the beaten path so to speak.
    I don't know if this is because they don't associate with the average size
    fish, or that I get off into water that isn't fished as heavy - but I suspect
    the latter. For me, most of the year, big, small, or otherwise, I catch
    suspended fish over deep water, has a lot to do with shad, little to do with
    cover.
    Shoals Area Crappie Association

  3. #3
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    All of my fish over three pounds that I can remember (and there have only been a few) have come in February or March from the shallowest stumps in the muddiest water you can imagine. In my experience you might be right - I can say that the days I have been fishing shallow that time of year didn't see many fish but the ones that were caught were good ones.

  4. #4
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    My point exactly, thanks for the input!
    Reaper
    Reaper, Where Fish come to Fry

  5. #5
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    Hey Reaper, The last 3 lb crappie that I caught was on a summer hole where we catch them all summer long. I have caught 3 in the summer and 2 in the winter. I don't fish the spawn much anymore, but stands to reason that fish in the spring would weight more.
    Hold My beer and watch this sheeet!!!

  6. #6
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    Thanks for posting your thoughts. Of course the females will weigh more during spawn, but my point is that one rarely sees the really BIG Crappie other than spawn. In the lake I fish, a 3 pounder is very nice, but still only around 66% of its potential growth. There have got to be more than a few that get over the 3.5 pound mark. Granted, the both the Oklahoma records for black and white crappie are from farm ponds, with probably zero predators, but, still, in a lake of over 103,000 surface acres, you would think a few more 4 pounders would be caught during the rest of the year.
    Those of you who have had a day where EVERY fish was a Slab, and you just couldn't believe that 4 or 5 of your catch are topping 3.5-4 pounds know what I mean. It's a day sent from God to bless you for all the times you were skunked, or let that one nice fish go, before heading to the house.
    Reaper
    Reaper, Where Fish come to Fry

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