Thread: Prefered crappie size for eating?

Those 10 to 12'' Crappie are fine. Big slabs are pretty, not always best eating. When fishing is slow and I want a mess those hand sized ones cooked whole are nice too.

hell in mississippi you cant keep eating sized crappie. its 12' and over

I like under 12'' for frying and the bigger ones the wife bakes in the oven

Most of the time, the smaller the fish, the better the taste...!:p But that's just me. Usually, the bigger fish are easier to clean but the smaller fish eat better. I usually fillet all my fish. When you eat a fish with the bones left in, the meat has a stronger taste, but there again, that's just me. A bluegill is fine with the bones left in because it gives the fish a much better taste. That's my take on it anyway.

Had a guy tell me one time that he liked a 2 biter. But he was a big feller so that coulda been a nice size fillet!

I try to stick to a 10" length limit in my boat. Got tired of taking some home that looked bigger than they were. Or my fishing partner would slide some dinks in the cooler when I wasn't looking. My favorite eating crappie is anything 10" or bigger.:D

I'll take a 2 pounder and up any day. The women and kids around here get the fillets because they are 'scared of getting a bone. For me, just scale that big momma and cut the head off. Make a couple of vertical cuts across on either side, meal it up and fry crisp in good fresh peanut oil. Be sure and leave the tail on....that gets eaten first!! The bones give it extra flavor and the skin just seals it in. Remember, "The closer the bone, the sweeter the meat"! To me the fillets just can't compare flavor with a whole fish.

I agree with 10" and up. As far as the 2lbs falling apart.... try chunking up the fillets. They tend to stay together better.