Crappies are one of the best tasting fish I have ever eaten, I like them better then trout. The meat is pure white and is firm and full of good mellow flavour. Crappies are a panfish, similar to bluegill and sunfish. When I was a young man, a lot of local fishermen called crappie, ' calico bass '. Luckily for us fishermen they are considered a panfish and are not restricted in most areas, like other bass are when it comes to fishing laws. Here in Pennsylvania we are allowed to catch 50 crappies a day with no size limitations.
Crappies are ' little hellions ', they are full of energy and despite their small size they can make a normal fishing rod bend to the breaking point and cause a reels drag to become active, the energy and taste are two reasons why crappies are such a great fish to catch.
Crappies come in two types or varieties, there are black crappies and white crappies. Crappies live throughout the U.S in many ponds, lakes and streams, I guess if other panfish or even bass can thrive in the water, then crappie can also. Crappie look similar in size and shape to other panfish, except they are a lot more silver colored, with black spots, and they have upturned noses. They are actually a very nice looking fish, and the silver or shiny color shimmers in the sunlight.
Crappies can be caught year around. In the spring and fall months they move near the shore areas, and in the summer they move out in more deeper and cooler water. They are probably the most active in the early spring months when they move towards the shores to spawn, they become very aggressive and tend to bite and attack anything that is cast or moves near them or the nest, making it pretty easy to get a stringer full of crappies in a short time in the spring season. The nests look like hollowed out depressions or dishes in the mud or gravel on the bottoms of the ponds and lakes. If you walk slowly around the edges of the water, you can see these nests and often see the crappie in and near them. Once you spot one of the nests, casting your bait near it will usually produce a quick strike.
In the summer or warmer months, they often hang around stumps, trees, and other debris areas and underwater structures for shading and protection. Casting near these areas in the summer and warmer months will often be very productive for catching a mess of crappie. In the fall time of the year, they move towards the shores and become more aggressive again in their feeding and biting. This aggressive feeding and biting continues throughout the cold winter months, which makes crappie a great fish to catch while ice fishing in the winter.
The best time to catch crappies is during the daylight hours, with early morning after sunrise and in the late afternoon towards early evening hours being the best times. Crappies love minnows with a passion, and when it comes to live baits there is no better choice than a small minnow. If you don't have or cannot get live minnows, then use jigs or any such lure that looks as realistic as possible to a live minnow. But when you use an artificial minnow make sure you keep the lure pretty active, so it simulates a live minnow as much as possible, if the fake minnow just sits still, crappie have been known to look and then just pass by, they seem to prefer live minnows and bait instead of dead ones. Crappies have a abnormally soft mouth, so be aware that if you jerk your rod too hard, to set the hook, you can rip it right out of the crappies mouth, resulting in losing the fish.
There is Computer Software that is made for crappie fishing as well as catching any type of fish. After keeping a few past records of fishing trips, this software will help you to easily calculate what days will be a great fishing day ! The software is called: ' Fishing Buddy '.
Crappie fishing is popular for many reasons. Crappie fishing can be done by people of all ages and sizes. Fish like carp and bass can put up too much of a fight for children or smaller adults. Also, the equipment required to fish bass and carp costs more than that needed to catch crappie. Crappie fishing can be done with a simple, light pole. Nothing large, fancy, or expensive is needed. Crappie can also be found all over the United States in rivers, streams, and lakes. Crappie can also be caught in any season over most of the country, though in some parts they can only be found in certain seasons.
Crappie can be found in large schools around waters that offer a lot of cover during the summer and winter. During the summer and winter months you should look for places with a lot of shade and cover and fish in those areas. In the spring the crappie go to their spawning grounds which tend to be places with not much wind and decent amounts of cover. In the fall crappie tend to be very unpredictable and can be found in waters ranging from a few feet to over thirty feet, with or without cover. No matter which season it is, an inexpensive fish finder will help you locate crappie whether they are hiding or not.
There are black crappie and white crappie and you might want to alter your crappie fishing efforts depending on which type you want to catch. While they taste the same, there are some differences between them that might help you catch them easier. Black crappies are different than white crappies because they have seven or eight dorsal fins with random spotting patterns. White crappies always have six dorsal fins and their spotting patterns are arranged in vertical flows. The black crappie are found more often in cooler, slower moving waters such as large lakes and wide, slow rivers. The white crappies tend to prefer warmer water and do not care as much if the water is clear or moving.
A popular place to fish for crappie is under wooden docks. Some metal docks make too much noise when people walk on them, and this scares the crappie away. Bait that imitates minnows tends to work very well. The minnows also hang out near the docks and are the favorite food source of crappie.
Fishing for crappie can be fun for anyone and is a great way for a father to bond with a son. Since crappie fishing is fairly easy it is not hard to have fun during a day of crappie fishing since you will not go home frustrated. Crappie fish is a great way to get started fishing because it is not expensive at all. You can move to fishing for other species if you want more of a challenge.
Find out more about finding the right fishing gear by visiting http://www.fishinggeartips.com - a website that offers information on fishing including tips finding fish as well as how to choose fishing gear.
Bluegill Fishing - Learn the facts that can help you catch the trophies by Robert W. Benjamin
The bluegill is a popular game fish with many fishermen. This particular fish is known by a variety of different names such as bream, sunfish or brim. They are found throughout the continental United States in various lakes, streams and ponds.
Individuals who are interested in various fish varieties or are avid fishermen should know various factors surrounding the bluegill and some of these will be highlighted in the paragraphs below.
Bluegills prefer to stay within calm pools within their residential bodies of water. This provides a sheltered area for them and protection from predators. As for their eating habits, the bluegill enjoys meals consisting of crustaceans and bugs but will readily bite on various bait and lures thrown out by fisherman. They tend to stay close to the shore, which makes them readily accessible to individuals fishing from land. As for their approximate size, bluegills generally grow to a maximum weight of about 5 lbs.
Bluegills have one main characteristic which makes identification easier on individuals who catch them or view them in the water and that is the blue gill flap which is how the name bluegill came about. When trying to separate the male bluegills from the female bluegills, one may find that looking at their underside will help with this type of gender identification. Male bluegills have more of an orange underside whereas that area on a female bluegill is mostly yellowish in color.
Some individuals may be curious as to the best ways in which to catch bluegills. It is best to fish from the shoreline as they tend to collect around the calmer and more sheltered water areas. As for what to put on the line, a fisherman that is looking to reel in a bluegill should choose worms, crickets, artificial flies and jigs. The best type of water body to go fishing for bluegills is a pond area as this is an area where fish of this type flourish.
Bluegills are a type of fish that are quite easy to catch and tend to be easily caught along shorelines of ponds, streams and smaller lakes. This is a great type of catch for young individuals as well since they do not have to do too much in order to get a bluegill on the end of their fishing line.
There is a website that has great information on most species of freshwater fish. It has details that pertain to each species of fish such as habitat, spawning, eating habits, the best lures and baits and more, the website is called: Fishing Stringer, and can be found at this url:
http://Bluegill Fishing - Learn the facts that can help you catch the trophies by Robert W. Benjamin
The bluegill is a popular game fish with many fishermen. This particular fish is known by a variety of different names such as bream, sunfish or brim. They are found throughout the continental United States in various lakes, streams and ponds.
Individuals who are interested in various fish varieties or are avid fishermen should know various factors surrounding the bluegill and some of these will be highlighted in the paragraphs below.
Bluegills prefer to stay within calm pools within their residential bodies of water. This provides a sheltered area for them and protection from predators. As for their eating habits, the bluegill enjoys meals consisting of crustaceans and bugs but will readily bite on various bait and lures thrown out by fisherman. They tend to stay close to the shore, which makes them readily accessible to individuals fishing from land. As for their approximate size, bluegills generally grow to a maximum weight of about 5 lbs.
Bluegills have one main characteristic which makes identification easier on individuals who catch them or view them in the water and that is the blue gill flap which is how the name bluegill came about. When trying to separate the male bluegills from the female bluegills, one may find that looking at their underside will help with this type of gender identification. Male bluegills have more of an orange underside whereas that area on a female bluegill is mostly yellowish in color.
Some individuals may be curious as to the best ways in which to catch bluegills. It is best to fish from the shoreline as they tend to collect around the calmer and more sheltered water areas. As for what to put on the line, a fisherman that is looking to reel in a bluegill should choose worms, crickets, artificial flies and jigs. The best type of water body to go fishing for bluegills is a pond area as this is an area where fish of this type flourish.
Bluegills are a type of fish that are quite easy to catch and tend to be easily caught along shorelines of ponds, streams and smaller lakes. This is a great type of catch for young individuals as well since they do not have to do too much in order to get a bluegill on the end of their fishing line.
There is a website that has great information on most species of freshwater fish. It has details that pertain to each species of fish such as habitat, spawning, eating habits, the best lures and baits and more, the website is called: Fishing Stringer, and can be found at this url:
