Thread: Crappie gorging on Shad

Wish I could answer but haven't been lately.

They are gorging themselves on shad in Conway. Everyone that I filet has a belly full of shad.

same for me full of shad

Crappie gorge themselves every fall getting ready for the long hard winter. This gorging will help them make it through the winter, develop eggs, and carry them into the spawn.

Yes they do and it shows, the bigger ones are adding girth.

I haven't been lately but in the past I've truly been amazed when their bellies are bulging and you go to take the jig out of their mouth and you can see the tails of shad sticking out of their throats. Looks like they couldn't eat another thing but they hit that jig like they're starving.

Does anyone have any photos of these fish? A guy on Texas Fishing Forum claims this never happens and you guys are spreading false info. His proof is that he had 1 (one) crappie in a fish tank at his home for 1 (one) year and it only ate 1 or 2 minnows every other day! LOL I need some photos to prove he is full of crap.
Thanks Rodney

I don't have any proof on the crappie, but we fished for speckled trout in the gulf on a lighted private pier that was a churning mass of baitfish. When we would catch on our jig and pull them up on the pier, they would be "puking" these bait fish by the bunches. A catfish will stuff itself until it's belly is bulging. We once caught a catfish that was probably 16 inches long. When we baited our lines and got to the last hook, we just discarded the remaining liver, a piece about 1 inch square and 8 or 10 inches ling. That fish had first ate the discard piece, then bit the liver on a trot line. Several times using a 2 hook rig, the same fish would eat both jigs if we didn't notice the bite in time. That being said, I do have this picture of a bluegill in a crappie.