# The crappie are here....



## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Not good enough!... :-?

Details, details, details
As it is, it doesn't even qualify as a barely crappie report!


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## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

pretty crappie of ya not to include details ;D [smiley=worth.gif]


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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

I did something stupid this morning. Hung the motor on the duck boat and figured I'd give it the first "fish test". But I had a ton of stuff to do, my wife was on me not to be long. 

So I didn't take a cooler. One rod, a bag of soft plastics and my pliers and I'm off. 

Boat ramp road was a zoo (almost made me regret I worked to get that ramp open  ). Ran the boat for a bit out there, fished for a bit, zero bites. Figured I'd pull out and go test an area with no ramp, just perfect for the 13. 

Drove to the spot, yanked the motor off the boat and dragged it to the water. Tossed in a TM battery and I'm off. 

Loaded with crappie, almost every cast. Some at 2+lbs. Almost brought tears to my eyes tossing them all back. 

I will hit it during the week and give a full "crappie" report, pics and all....

-T


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## jgregory01 (Nov 20, 2009)

Im trying to get into Crappie fishing. What kind of plastics were you using? How did you fish for them?


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

I'm sorry litpipe, I can't resist, it's Monday
and a thought just tickled my funny bone.

If you need help to become a crappie fisherman...
     just how bad at fishing are you now?


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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

> Im trying to get into Crappie fishing. What kind of plastics were you using? How did you fish for them?


This is my go-to lure when fishing artificials for crappie:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0030977119517a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&QueryText=road+runner&sort=all&Go.y=0&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&Go.x=0&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1

I make my own, but they are exactly the same. 1/16th oz or 1/8th oz for deeper water. Can't go wrong with white but other colors will work too.

And these tails, 2" size, again you can't go wrong with white:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0012335113613a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntt=grub+tail&Ntk=Products&sort=all&Go.y=0&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&_D%3Asort=+&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form1&Go.x=0&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1

The trick with these is S-L-O-W and steady. Watch the bait, and reel it JUST fast enough that the blade is turning and the tail is wiggling. That seems to be the key. Slow....

Good luck and lemme know how you make out!

-T


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## Canoeman (Jul 23, 2008)

I have never targeted these fish, but maybe I have had bad experiences. To me they are like sea trout-pull hard for a sec and then give up. Am I missing something?

Do I need to buy 25 rod holders for my canoe to look like an official "crappie man"?


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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

> I have never targeted these fish, but maybe I have had bad experiences. To me they are like sea trout-pull hard for a sec and then give up. Am I missing something?
> 
> Do I need to buy 25 rod holders for my canoe to look like an official "crappie man"?


If you're fishing for them hoping for a good fight, you'll probably wind up a bit disappointed unless you fish with a true ultralight rod/reel. They don't pull all that hard. 

It's the dinner fare you're after. IMHO they beat all but dolphin, flounder & Tripletail. 

And no, you certainly don't need 25 rods. Heck you don't even need an ultralight outfit. Just go out and have fun!

Cook a few, then let me know if you'll be going crappie fishing again. My bet is, they'll become one of your favorite target species in the winter. 

-T


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## Canoeman (Jul 23, 2008)

I'll give 'em a try this winter Tom. Maybe we'll have a fish fry.


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## Yoreese (Oct 15, 2009)

One of my favorite eating fish! I would put them up there with Yellowtail and Hogfish!


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## Frank_Sebastian (Oct 15, 2007)

Tom that "Road Runner" is my all time favorite for specks. I sometimes troll two at the same time and they don't tangle unless you are catching one. Green and yellow with white tails is what i start with.

Thanks for the great report and tips.

Best regards,
Frank_S


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