Posts Tagged ‘fishing’

What Are Crappies?

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What are Crappie? Besides being one of the best tasting and fun to fish for they are a member of the sunfish family. The sunfish family includes bass, bluegill and redear sunfish. They can be found throughout North America and due to the fight they give on light tackle have become increasingly popular.

There are two species of Crappie the Black Crappie and the White Crappie. They are most easily identified by the number of spiny dorsal fin rays. The black crappie has 7 or 8 spiny dorsal fin rays, while the white crappie only has 5 or 6. The black crappie is distinguished by irregularly spaced black blotches or spots. On the White Crappie these spots tend to form vertical bars.

Black Crappie like clear water and can usually be found in ponds, reservoirs and slow moving rivers. White Crappie are more tolerant of the water conditions and can be found in muddier waters. Both crappie like structure and will congregate around areas with abundant aquatic vegetation, brush piles or other types of cover.

The world record Black Crappie is 6 lbs – 0 oz. The world record White Crappie is 5 lbs – 3 oz. You are much more likely to catch them in the ¼ to 1 lb size but because they are a school fish once you have found one there are many more where that one came from.

The spring spawning period is when a lot of anglers like to focus on crappie but in truth they can be caught all year long. The spawning period for both is when the water temperature is between 58-68 degrees. Black crappie nests are frequently found in gravel or in soft, muddy river or lake bottoms. White crappie nests are often located near structures such as brush piles, stumps or rock outcrops.

How to Bank Fish for Crappie

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Bank fishing for Crappie is much easier than you might think. You do not need a boat to catch these delicious black and white fish. There are more places to fish than you probably imagined. On most lakes and reservoirs across the country there are man made piers and docks that provide excellent crappie fishing opportunities. If you don’t know where they are located your local bait shop should be able to point you in the right direction.

Crappie can be caught at anytime of day but when fishing from a pier I think night time is the best. I have a crappie light that sits right on the water. You can purchase this at any sporting goods store. The first thing I do once it gets dark is to lower this light until it is right on top of the water. The reason I do this is to attract bugs and small underwater creatures to the light. This in turn attracts baitfish that feed off of these bugs and creatures. That, in turn attracts the larger fish, including crappie to feed on the baitfish.

Crappies love minnows. You will need a minnow bucket and a couple of dozen of live minnows for bait. Jigs will work as well but if jigs are what you want to use make sure you bring a variety of colors and types as you will have to experiment some to find out what they are biting. I will repeat Crappies love minnows and you will not lose valuable time finding the right lure.

The best way to rig your minnow is to take a #8 hook and run the hook through the minnow’s lips. When you are crappie fishing the minnow must be alive and swimming around to attract the crappie. Hooking it through the lips keeps the minnow alive for a very long time, and presents it in a completely natural manner. If the minnow is hooked in a manner which doesn't keep it alive long, you're just wasting the money you spent on bait.

Place a bobber on your line and start fishing. If you don’t catch one right away change the depth of the hook. Once you have hooked one and reeled it in go right back to the same spot there are more where that first one came from.

Crappie Fishing Tips for the Toledo Bend Lake Area

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When it comes to crappie fishing, Toledo Bend Lake, Crappie fishing requires only a little knowledge and a few tips to maximize your catch! This reservoir is well known for its great crappie fishing.

It is located on the Sabine River, which falls in Sabine, Newton, and Shelby counties, and falls on the Louisiana-Texas line. It does not matter if you are a resident of Texas or Louisiana, as long as you hold a valid fishing license from either state or are exempt because of age, you are allowed to fish legally on either side of the lake.

There are a few state specific regulations for crappie fishing in Lake Toledo Bend, though. In the Texas side of the lake, the daily fishing limit is fifty black or white crappie, or any combination of both. You can have no more than fifty crappie in your possession. There is a minimum length of ten inches each for crappie if you are fishing anywhere from March to November, but the months of December through February, there is no minimum length for crappie and all of them caught must be kept.

If, however, you are fishing for crappie on the lake with a Louisiana license, the regulations will differ. It is important to remember that if you are in possession of fish on the Texas side of the lake, no matter which state license you hold, your catch much conform to Texas regulations no matter on which side the fish were caught.

When fishing for crappie on Lake Toledo Bend, you will find the fishing good year round, but for peak times, are always during the spawn, which occurs during the spring. During this time of year, pay special attention to the shallows where there are plenty of brushy vegetated areas. Jigs and minnows will be great choices for bait during this time.

At other times of the year, before or after spawning, pay close attention to deeper water areas that offer lots of brushy areas in which the crappie can shelter and feed. Look also near creek channels.

As always, the time of year in which you are fishing will determine so much about how and where you fish. The following break down of seasonal differences in where you will be able to locate the prime crappie rich areas on Toledo Bend Lake will help you maximize your catch potential.

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