Arkansas Blacknose Crappie

[Jerry Blake]

The passing of a big cold front and rising pressure made the crappie real slow this morning but the first brushpile we fished gave us this 15-inch Arkansas Blacknose.

http://www.actionfishingtrips.com/8-13-04.JPG

Was a nice cool 55 degrees when we started and stayed cool all morning - feels like fall already.

We'll be back after them again in the morning.

[CrappiePappy]

Jerry - that little lady is holding a beaut of a Blacknose. We get a few of them in our Fall Brawl weigh-in tally. Most of the fish, that come in at our Fall tourney, are Black Crappie...they just seem to come shallower in Oct, than do any of the White Crappie. They're the ones everyone is "shooting" for ... LOL!! And a Blacknose, of most any size, is harder pulling and more acrobatic than either of the other two (White/Black). And, most of the time, when others "tic" the line (jig) ... a Blacknose will "thump" it :p !! ...cp

[Roberta]

That's a nice slab that young lady caught, Jerry. Was this her first time fishing, or is she an "old" hand? - Roberta

[crappieseeker]

I have just recently moved to the Tim's Ford area of Southern Middle Tennessee. I was use to catching mainly black crappie and a few white ones in the Guntersville and Scottsboro, Alabama areas around the tennessee river. I had never heard of a black nose crappie until I started fishing on Tim's Ford. They have a dark streak right down the whole top of the fish. Lately, 90% of the crappie I catch are black nose. I have found it to be different for me, the fight wasn't as good as the other species, and the bite was just a light tap, and it took me several times to catch some of them as they were biting so light, I had to keep after them to finally hook them. I think it all depends on the location, weather conditions, and several other factors. Thats a nice looking blacknose the gal is holding Jerry. I bet it makes you very happy to know you made somebodys day by helping them catch fish. What a great sport. Keep the love. God Bless all the people who were affected by the hurricane.

[Jerry Blake]

That's a nice slab that young lady caught, Jerry. Was this her first time fishing, or is she an "old" hand? - Roberta

Hey Roberta,

She'd been fishing before but I don't think she's caught a crappie that size.

[Roberta]

I'll bet she's still crappie fishing when she's an old lady like me. - Roberta

[Cincinnati]

I'll bet she's still crappie fishing when she's an old lady like me. - Roberta

"Hey Roberta, your not old!!!!! and please, can somebody have that young lady
teach me how to fish?"
Rick.

[Jerry Blake]

I have just recently moved to the Tim's Ford area of Southern Middle Tennessee. I was use to catching mainly black crappie and a few white ones in the Guntersville and Scottsboro, Alabama areas around the tennessee river. I had never heard of a black nose crappie until I started fishing on Tim's Ford. They have a dark streak right down the whole top of the fish. Lately, 90% of the crappie I catch are black nose. I have found it to be different for me, the fight wasn't as good as the other species, and the bite was just a light tap, and it took me several times to catch some of them as they were biting so light, I had to keep after them to finally hook them. I think it all depends on the location, weather conditions, and several other factors. Thats a nice looking blacknose the gal is holding Jerry. I bet it makes you very happy to know you made somebodys day by helping them catch fish. What a great sport. Keep the love. God Bless all the people who were affected by the hurricane.

Hey Crappieseeker,

I do enjoy guiding - more than any of the numerous other "occupations" I’ve had. It's great when I have a client young or old catch their "first" or "biggest" and it happens quite often.

Right now I can't get the crappie to bite anything anywhere. We're getting taps but they just aint hungry. The pressure has been high for four days but it looks like it will start to ease off tomorrow afternoon so the catching should pick up.

But people understand that you can’t load the boat every day. If they don’t at least catch their dinner, their next trip is free.

This guy was pretty happy today with his 24-inch walleye after only catching one little bream while his wife (they are on their honeymoon) caught a nice crappie, several bream, a striper, a hybrid white bass and a drum.

http://www.actionfishingtrips.com/Rusty'sbigun.JPG

[Moose1am]

Hey Jerry:
Which lakes down in Ark have walleye in them? The Indiana DNR stocked some Walleye in Patoka Lake here in Southern IN and they failed to reproduce and become numerous. There are some big ones still in the lake as the 2001 fishing survey netted a couple of nice walleyes. But like I said they failed to take off and really reproduce. Now Brookville Lake up north near or just East of Indianapolis has some walleye. We have some Walleye in the Ohio River and Lots of Sauger in the Ohio River and in Kentucky and Barkley Lakes.

I was thinking that the water was too warm for walleye. Patoka only gets about 50ft deep and most of the lake is only 20ft deep on average. We stocked Northern Pike and Walleye in Patoka Lake when it first opened in 1976/77. I caught many a northern Pike at Patoka in the first few years and then they finally vanished just like the walleye. But I never caught a single walleye at Patoka Lake. Now in Canada on Red Lake and on Eagle Lake we caught walleye all the time by back trolling the boat dragging a minnow on a small hook with a small single spinner all on a wire line. I love to catch and filet and eat walleye. They to me are some of the best eating fish around North American.

Now the Indiana DNR is asking fishermen if we want to have Muskies Stocked in the new Blue Grass Fish and Wildlife Area's Blue Grass or Loon Pits. Imagine hooking into a Muskie in Southern IN. Evidently the fishery biologist for this area is from up North and he is interested in stocking walleye in the pits down here. I know you are from up North Originally before moving to the South and that you surely are familar with fishing for Walleye, Northern Pike and Muskies. That really spoiled me as the fishing up north is so good. Lots more fish and much bigger fish to catch up in Cananda. If it were not so cold I would move up there just for the great fishing.

So I was just curious how the Walleye survive down in Arkansas and not here in Southern IN. It can't be just the latitude and must have to do with the water temps and oxygen levels at deeper levels of your lakes or rivers. Maybe you fished a river and caught that walleye. Moving water does not stratify and the fish can go deeper in the river and still have sufficient oxygen supply to survive unlike in a summer stratified lake.

Hey Crappieseeker,

I do enjoy guiding - more than any of the numerous other "occupations" I’ve had. It's great when I have a client young or old catch their "first" or "biggest" and it happens quite often.

Right now I can't get the crappie to bite anything anywhere. We're getting taps but they just aint hungry. The pressure has been high for four days but it looks like it will start to ease off tomorrow afternoon so the catching should pick up.

But people understand that you can’t load the boat every day. If they don’t at least catch their dinner, their next trip is free.

This guy was pretty happy today with his 24-inch walleye after only catching one little bream while his wife (they are on their honeymoon) caught a nice crappie, several bream, a striper, a hybrid white bass and a drum.

http://www.actionfishingtrips.com/Rusty'sbigun.JPG

[Roberta]

Don't know what IS the issue on walleye success, but Grand Lake St Marys in Celina, OH is no more than 15 feet deep and it has a large and lively walleye population. Now they also have a hatchery on the lake, but the 'eyes grow fast for nice catches for both shore and boat anglers.

Our local lake at Hueston Woods State park just started stocking saugeyes this spring in hopes of reducing the gizzard shad population. Can't wait until we boat our first saugeye while we're fishing for crappie.

BTW, Brookville Lake is near Connersville. A lot of Ohio anglers and boaters go there. I hear the lake lice have really messed up the fishing. - Roberta