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Dec 30th, 2023
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 Why Crappie ?
#10860137
05/21/15 06:25 AM
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,356
Mike Ryan
OP
Extreme Angler
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OP
Extreme Angler
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,356 |
My earliest memories of fishing were at my father or grandfathers side fishing in a farm pond with worms we dug or grasshoppers we caught as bait. We would catch bream, bass, catfish, and once in a blue moon a crappie. Years later I focused almost exclusively on bass fishing. I did the whole nine yards,I bought a boat, joined a bass club, fished tournaments and spent thousands of dollars in the process over the years.
I still love bass fishing and fishing for many other species too, but crappie have become the fish I most often want to catch.I am not sure if it is the no guilt feeling of proudly displaying a stringer of a great days catch or just how good they taste cooked in so many different ways but crappie fishing has taken over most of my time spent fishing.
Crappie are not by any stretch the hardest fighters in freshwater, but that thump gets my blood thumping each and every time.
What is it about crappie fishing that you most enjoy ?
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Re: Why Crappie ?
[Re: Mike Ryan]
#10860147
05/21/15 07:12 AM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,073
Ricky Taylor
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,073 |
Well for me it hasn't been crappie until this past weekend. I went out on my boat for the first time on the hunt for Crappie. If im on the lake its always for largemouth bass which is divided into fun fishing and club tournaments. Me, my brother, and 2 friends went from 10pm - 3am dropping minnows and catching 12-13in crappie and what got me the most was how constant it was. Now I haven't been crappie fishing since I was super young and have no knowledge whatsoever on how to find them or anything. Completely blank. I decided to go out to a brush pile that's about 13-16ft deep that I usually fish for bass on and we dropped the underwater lights in and started sinking minnows on a dropshot setup and to explain my knowledge on this type of fishing I had us rigged up with a drop shot but instead of a normal panfish hook we used crappie jig heads and hooked our minnow on it... (Overkill right?)
Anyways we caught our limit and then some sandbass (never targeted those either). Brought them home, my brother held the phone with a YouTube video tutorial on how to clean them for the first few and by the end I felt like an expert crappie angler and fillet-er! Lol!
Now I understand I sound like a Googan with the live bait, underwater lights, and all that good stuff but gotta start somewhere!
I am most definitely going back out and going to try the whole dock shooting and jigging method. It was a LOT of fun but it doesn't set the bar above getting a quality 4-5lb bass on an ultra-lite setup.
But anyways... What makes me love crappie fishing the most? The taste! and they look really cool!
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Re: Why Crappie ?
[Re: Mike Ryan]
#10860148
05/21/15 07:30 AM
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,356
Mike Ryan
OP
Extreme Angler
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OP
Extreme Angler
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,356 |
Ricky, what a great story and explanation. I never have tried dock shooting but there is no doubt that is one of the most effective methods to target and catch crappie.I cant say for certain that he invented the method but the first time I ever saw a video of dock shooting was of Mr. Patty on this forum. He and his friend Guy Skinner are just two of the members who have done so much for crappie fishing popularity. There are others too, I am in constant awe of the skill so many on this forum have in consistently putting big stringers of fish together.
I am pretty old school. I like to eat what I catch and in my opinion nothing in freshwater that can be caught locally taste as good as crappie. Besides, it is one of those species that few if any fisherman complain about a fella keeping a big mess of fish to take home for the dinner table. And they freeze good unlike some other fish so you can enjoy them weeks after they were caught.
Good story Mr. Taylor, thanks for sharing and be careful, catching crappie is very addicting.
Last edited by Mike Ryan; 05/21/15 03:21 PM.
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Re: Why Crappie ?
[Re: Mike Ryan]
#10860153
05/21/15 07:51 AM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,073
Ricky Taylor
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,073 |
Thank you sir. I look forward to catching many more! Ordering me a Bubba Blade soon. My dull Buck skinning knife wasn't so handy after the second fish! Good luck to you!
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Re: Why Crappie ?
[Re: Mike Ryan]
#10860795
05/21/15 03:05 PM
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 1,266
Ruffneck2000
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 1,266 |
Hands down its the THUMP for me! Im so addicted to the thump that my stubborness wont let me us a bobber much even when I need too!lol Its like waiting on the guy to say the number you need at bingo BAMM. I really like the soft thump that the hoggs give you and you know its big from the hung up, dead weight feeling! Its simply the best feeling pulling in a hogg on 4 lb test through a BP scaring the life outta you because you dont want to lose him, nothings better on the water. 
'A veteran - whether active duty, retired, national guard, or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his, or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to The 'United States of America', for an amount of 'up to and including ones life.' (Author unknown)
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Re: Why Crappie ?
[Re: Mike Ryan]
#10860932
05/21/15 03:51 PM
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,356
Mike Ryan
OP
Extreme Angler
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OP
Extreme Angler
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,356 |
Ruffneck, I know that dead weight feeling well. I was fishing on a small public lake on a fishing pier mostly catching dinks but having a ball when I felt a heavy weight on the end of the line. I thought I had snagged an old shoe until I saw the fish emerge from the depths, it was by far the largest crappie I have ever hooked. When that fish came close to the surface it came alive, sadly I made the mistake of trying to horse it out of the water only to watch it come unhooked and fall back from where it came. I think my largest crappie to date may be around 15 inches and weigh a little more than 2lbs. That fish, the one that got away was to date my best chance of having one push past the 2.5 mark and dare I say it, by all indications that fish would be in the upper range closing in on the elusive 3lb mark. For me there are size/weights of certain species that I have yet to catch that make fishing even more enjoyable and with each outing bringing hope to finally realize a long sought after fishing trophy. I have a double digit bass, that crappie that is close to 3lbs still eludes me. I keep trying, and even if I never do push past the 2.5lb mark, I don't mind wading through all of the 11 to 14 inch fish along the way. 
Last edited by Mike Ryan; 05/21/15 04:11 PM.
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Re: Why Crappie ?
[Re: Mike Ryan]
#10860953
05/21/15 04:02 PM
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Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,662
Action_Jackson
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,662 |
Yessir...its the THUMP for sure!!! Just that feeling of anticipation gets me! It's like they'll hit cha when you least expect it, so ya gotta stay ready for it! Also IMHO, crappie is the best tasting fish I've ever dipped in mustard and fried until crunchy and golden brown!!! Like Ruffneck2000 stated, nothing like getting that soft thump but when you raise your rod and it's heavy then begins to tugg in the opposite direction...Just can't get enough!!!
Katchin krappie...doin surgeries(filleting)...and givin hott grease baths until krunchy and golden brown is what it's all about!!!
"STAY ready for the THUMP"!!!!
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Re: Why Crappie ?
[Re: Mike Ryan]
#10861069
05/21/15 04:41 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 8,272
Jig Man
TFF Celebrity
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TFF Celebrity
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 8,272 |
Its the going back to that brush pile and seeing the fish and not being able to get um to take anything. Throw everything at um but the kitchen sink and they wont take it. And then you find the right color, one that you tied yourself and present it just right and then............THUMP! its game on. Yep thats what I like about it. And going back to the cleaning station with a bucket full of specks and one big ole bass. Can't help it, I like messin with bass fisherman..
Life is Good..<><
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Re: Why Crappie ?
[Re: Mike Ryan]
#10861096
05/21/15 04:51 PM
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,356
Mike Ryan
OP
Extreme Angler
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OP
Extreme Angler
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,356 |
Jig, I did not even think about that, catching a fish on a jig you tied has to be a very rewarding experience. I have always admired trout fisherman that tie their own flies and use a fly rod to catch their fish. I have gone from minnows to jig fishing and the difference is night and day in how much more pleasure I get from catching crappie on artificial baits. You guys/gals that tie your own jigs in just the right size and color pattern that you want to catch your fish, all I can say is 
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Re: Why Crappie ?
[Re: Ricky Taylor]
#10861474
05/21/15 06:28 PM
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 380
Esnow74
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 380 |
Well for me it hasn't been crappie until this past weekend. I went out on my boat for the first time on the hunt for Crappie. If im on the lake its always for largemouth bass which is divided into fun fishing and club tournaments. Me, my brother, and 2 friends went from 10pm - 3am dropping minnows and catching 12-13in crappie and what got me the most was how constant it was. Now I haven't been crappie fishing since I was super young and have no knowledge whatsoever on how to find them or anything. Completely blank. I decided to go out to a brush pile that's about 13-16ft deep that I usually fish for bass on and we dropped the underwater lights in and started sinking minnows on a dropshot setup and to explain my knowledge on this type of fishing I had us rigged up with a drop shot but instead of a normal panfish hook we used crappie jig heads and hooked our minnow on it... (Overkill right?)
Anyways we caught our limit and then some sandbass (never targeted those either). Brought them home, my brother held the phone with a YouTube video tutorial on how to clean them for the first few and by the end I felt like an expert crappie angler and fillet-er! Lol!
Now I understand I sound like a Googan with the live bait, underwater lights, and all that good stuff but gotta start somewhere!
I am most definitely going back out and going to try the whole dock shooting and jigging method. It was a LOT of fun but it doesn't set the bar above getting a quality 4-5lb bass on an ultra-lite setup.
But anyways... What makes me love crappie fishing the most? The taste! and they look really cool! See your in Midlothian, where did you fish? I live in Midlothian and chase crappie in this area.
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Re: Why Crappie ?
[Re: Esnow74]
#10861677
05/21/15 07:28 PM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,073
Ricky Taylor
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,073 |
Well for me it hasn't been crappie until this past weekend. I went out on my boat for the first time on the hunt for Crappie. If im on the lake its always for largemouth bass which is divided into fun fishing and club tournaments. Me, my brother, and 2 friends went from 10pm - 3am dropping minnows and catching 12-13in crappie and what got me the most was how constant it was. Now I haven't been crappie fishing since I was super young and have no knowledge whatsoever on how to find them or anything. Completely blank. I decided to go out to a brush pile that's about 13-16ft deep that I usually fish for bass on and we dropped the underwater lights in and started sinking minnows on a dropshot setup and to explain my knowledge on this type of fishing I had us rigged up with a drop shot but instead of a normal panfish hook we used crappie jig heads and hooked our minnow on it... (Overkill right?)
Anyways we caught our limit and then some sandbass (never targeted those either). Brought them home, my brother held the phone with a YouTube video tutorial on how to clean them for the first few and by the end I felt like an expert crappie angler and fillet-er! Lol!
Now I understand I sound like a Googan with the live bait, underwater lights, and all that good stuff but gotta start somewhere!
I am most definitely going back out and going to try the whole dock shooting and jigging method. It was a LOT of fun but it doesn't set the bar above getting a quality 4-5lb bass on an ultra-lite setup.
But anyways... What makes me love crappie fishing the most? The taste! and they look really cool! See your in Midlothian, where did you fish? I live in Midlothian and chase crappie in this area. I fished at Lake Waxahachie that time. If you'd wanna go catch some one day lemme know!
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Re: Why Crappie ?
[Re: Mike Ryan]
#10861739
05/21/15 07:47 PM
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 380
Esnow74
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 380 |
I fish it frequently, if you're there much you will see me. I'm the guy with the little 2 man bass hunter boat chasing crappie. I have a hard time fishing brush piles in it with the big boats flying around but know of a few. I've been hitting docks lately. Maybe a trip in a more mobile boat to hit brush and docks, I have only been using jigs this season.
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Re: Why Crappie ?
[Re: Esnow74]
#10861901
05/21/15 08:38 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 7,026
Fishbonz
TFF Celebrity
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TFF Celebrity
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 7,026 |
I fish it frequently, if you're there much you will see me. I'm the guy with the little 2 man bass hunter boat chasing crappie. I have a hard time fishing brush piles in it with the big boats flying around but know of a few. I've been hitting docks lately. Maybe a trip in a more mobile boat to hit brush and docks, I have only been using jigs this season. Esnow do you have any electronics on your two man?? If so ,what`s the unit?I just recently put a side image Lowrance HDS 7 unit on mine & it`s incredible!!
HE aka Fishbonz
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Re: Why Crappie ?
[Re: Mike Ryan]
#10861943
05/21/15 09:01 PM
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,073
Ricky Taylor
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,073 |
You've got my invite. I will be there next week and Ill shoot you a PM. Im out there about 3-4 times a week bass fishing so Im sure I have seen you. Im in a 90's model blue Ranger with a new Evinrude on it.
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Re: Why Crappie ?
[Re: Fishbonz]
#10861970
05/21/15 09:17 PM
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 380
Esnow74
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 380 |
I fish it frequently, if you're there much you will see me. I'm the guy with the little 2 man bass hunter boat chasing crappie. I have a hard time fishing brush piles in it with the big boats flying around but know of a few. I've been hitting docks lately. Maybe a trip in a more mobile boat to hit brush and docks, I have only been using jigs this season. Esnow do you have any electronics on your two man?? If so ,what`s the unit?I just recently put a side image Lowrance HDS 7 unit on mine & it`s incredible!! I bought a used HB 561 here on the forum that I use with it. I have a Lowrance mark 4dsi at my dad's that I'm thinking of putting on the 2 man.
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