Caught Over 5000 Crappie In 2021: My Personal Best

[BigD]

Cliff notes:

Lakes fished: Shenango Lake, PA. Mosquito Lake, OH. Pymatuning Lake, Ohio.

Bait: No minnows (except 2 weeks a year during march ice off). The rest of the year it is just tube jigs - bait pumped with crappie nibs.

Colors: Shenango - purple and chartreuse. Mosquito - blue and chartreuse, Pymatuning - red and chartreuse.

Favorite way to catch crappie: Once found, I prefer bobbers in 7 foot or less of water, casting with 1/16 jig in 8 to 16 feet, and vertical jig in 17 to 25 feet of water.

2007 to 2018 I averaged 3000 plus fish a year. Never could reach the 5000 club until 2021.

Having almost died of covid, gave me 30 non working days to fish - day and night by myself. I figured, if I am going to die, I might as well die fishing. Just me, my God and the fish.

Fish kept: My wife fillet's the fish and has strict quotas on what she will fillet. Fish must be in a slot between 11 inches and 12.5 inches. All other fish go back in the lake. All large fish are to be photographed but not kept. Some days she will allow me to bring some home and some of the time not.

If the water is cold then she will most likely tell me to keep some. We still filled a freezer and my kids love dem’ fish.

Back story: She measured and kept records on all fish from 2009 – 2016. She will not do that anymore.
Now I take my clicker and frill measure tape and log my catch.

However I just deleted 80 percent of my notes on accident, so now I want to put them online for future remembrance.

In the past when I posted pics of crappie I caught on crappie.com, I would get hate from showing large bag limits and keeping the fish. So I quit posting.

But now I don't care. Life is short and I love seeing others post pics. So hate away.

Today: This year (2021) I had many just under 17 inches. And had around 200 at 16 inches. Over 1000 between 13 and 15 inches.

Best Spot: Shenango had the largest black crappie I have ever caught in my life this year. Mosquito lake had the largest white crappie, and Pymatuning lake had the best mix of black and white, but was poor in comparison to the other lakes.

Boat: I use a pelican bass raider 10e and electric motor. I will travel miles in the dark of night and use stealth to creep on them.

Time fished: Day and night. I troll slowly in the dark (early am) to find them over brushpiles and gps anchor over them. As the sun rises I will already have pounded the biggest.

Daytime I hunt downed trees in deep water close to points and drop offs.

Time of year: As soon as the ice comes off I am on the water. I do not fish in the hot summer months.
Only spring and fall. I am still fishing and may change the title to 6000 if it keeps going as good as it been going..lol

Job: I am a Neuromuscular therapist who sets his own hours, and can fish 4 to 5 nights a week and or 3 days a week.

Pictures: I will put up 78 of the MANY pictures I took this year. We will see if I can...lol

Why Post? To keep record when I sit around a camp fire and my old time friends say I am full of it. Then I just send them this link.

BigD

[BigD]

More pics

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more pics

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getting warmer

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a few more

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hot days in spring

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dont know how to right the images

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my wifes fillet table

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on a roll

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hating the heat..lol