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Crappies soon


gil

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With ice out happening as we speak, it won't be long before the crappies start hitting! I use a lot of tube jigs under a slip float ,in a lot of different colors. One of my faves is a #10 RATSO in chartruse it's a killer. I rarely use live bait. What's your go to bait or lure for these tasty critters! Heres hoping for some real CRAPPIE weather soon. :Gonefishing:

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I was up at Lake Seymour yesterday the ice is almost gone. I imagine with the rain and warm temps this weekend there won't be anything left by Tuesday. I use the same setup, a 1/32 oz jig head with a 1.5" micro tube (white with blue, black, and gold flecks). It was pretty successfull on Seymour and Pigeon last summer. I tried 4lb mono and fluoro, but didn't really notice a difference in the number of hits. I'm gonna stick with mono this year.

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I have yet to catch decent numbers of ice out Crappie. So far I've got the big bluegill dialed in, but the big schools of crappie have evaded me. I have had some great success catching them on micro crank baits in late summer and early fall. Late in the season I find they tend to group up on the larger weed clumps that are still around once the cover starts dying off. They're easy targets, and are feeding heavy before they start their annoying suspending winter patterns.

 

Cheers,

Ryan

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What's your go to bait or lure for these tasty critters!

 

Get some Fin S Shads.... 1.5 inch size.... made by lunker city. Ice shad or arkansas shiner color, or find your own color that works well in your area. Your tubes will pretty much collect dust after you try these baits. I have never used live bait for crappie. And I have not used a tube for 6-7 years at least.

 

Bring on the spring crappie !!!

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I have yet to catch decent numbers of ice out Crappie. So far I've got the big bluegill dialed in, but the big schools of crappie have evaded me. I have had some great success catching them on micro crank baits in late summer and early fall. Late in the season I find they tend to group up on the larger weed clumps that are still around once the cover starts dying off. They're easy targets, and are feeding heavy before they start their annoying suspending winter patterns.

 

Cheers,

Ryan

 

Hey Ryan in a week or 2 I will get ya into some ice out crappy there not big slabs but they are perfect eating size I know a small lake that's loaded with them last spring I caught more than I could count I a couple hours I will give ya a call when I get the boat ready to go.

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Hey Ryan in a week or 2 I will get ya into some ice out crappy there not big slabs but they are perfect eating size I know a small lake that's loaded with them last spring I caught more than I could count I a couple hours I will give ya a call when I get the boat ready to go.

 

Sounds like a man-date to me buddy! :lol: I'm in!

 

Cheers,

Ryan

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Remember to check the new regulations for different areas...lots of changes to daily limits...30 only in zone 17 (Kawarthas)

 

Good Point Beans... I still thing 30 per person is a little high anyways! haha I took home 12 big bluegill, combined them with fries and salad and fed 6 adults... Then I was able to go out and catch some more the next weekend! Just my opinion though...

 

Cheers,

Ryan

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Ah Urban, I guess not everyone is able to catch the limit even with that, and then you have people like me that would like more than 1 feed after a trip.

 

My ideal would be to have about 5 meals from 1 fishing trip every once in a while. And the rest of the trips could be 1 or 2 meals. I guess I just like to eat crappie a lot.

 

I'm actually cool with the 30. I'm pretty happy they took out the no limit. What is the number you have in mind?

 

What does everyone else think?

Edited by EC1
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I thought they wanted the carppies out of the Kawarthas? I thought I heard that somewhere.

 

Nasty rumor started by pickerel fishermen... :lol:

 

Crappie are here to stay in the Kawarthas...

 

Ryan reminded me of the first time I targeted crappie up here with Lew and Meely (yep...you heard right...Lew)...We wanted some to have with our lunch and all we were catching that morning was bull bluegills...

 

I suggested we keep some if we wanted a taste of fish with our chicken, steak, Kolbassa, salad etc...(that Meely sure puts on a spread...he is more than a g'weech maker)...they thought I was nuts but after tasting bluegills they changed their minds...

 

LunchatMeelyManor.jpg

 

We did get into the crappies in the afternoon...

 

CrappieBeans1.jpg

Edited by Beans
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Ah Urban, I guess not everyone is able to catch the limit even with that, and then you have people like me that would like more than 1 feed after a trip.

 

My ideal would be to have about 5 meals from 1 fishing trip every once in a while. And the rest of the trips could be 1 or 2 meals. I guess I just like to eat crappie a lot.

 

I'm actually cool with the 30. I'm pretty happy they took out the no limit. What is the number you have in mind?

 

What does everyone else think?

 

I see where you're coming from EC1 - I've just seen first hand what it's like down here in port rowan, when 3 guys go out in their boat for perch, keep their limit of 150 perch... clean them, give half of them away, eat some then go back for several consecutive weekends or even days and keep another 150, then 150 more.... They don't even care how small they are.... I don't care what anybody says, that can't be good for the fishery. And in my opinion, this is likely a contributing factor as to why the perch fishing in the bay has been terrible the past few winters.

 

The problem with a high limit isn't from guys like you, who will harvest their limit, put some in the freezer, then maybe target another species, or leave the crappies be until you need to restock the freezer. It's the people who abuse the limits, keeping fish even though they've got a full freezer, or even selling them illegally... it happens down here!

 

At the end of the day it's just personal preference though right. I know if I kept 30 crappie it'd likely last me a whole year. But for somebody like yourself, that clearly isn't the case, and who can blame you, they are tasty little critters.

 

If there was a 15 fish limit, it wouldn't bother me, that's 30 fillets. But I live 8 minutes away from amazing panfish water.... so maybe I'm just spoiled! :lol:

 

As much as we anglers love to knock the biologists who come up with these limits, we have to put some faith in that they know what they're doing, and that it's what's best for our fishery.

 

So get out there and get you're 30 fish limit, but make sure to post pictures for us all....or it'll just be another fish tale! haha

 

Good luck out there guys, and be safe. The water is still pretty damn cold after ice-out.

 

Cheers,

Ryan

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Nasty rumor started by pickerel fishermen... :lol:

 

Crappie are here to stay in the Kawarthas...

 

Ryan reminded me of the first time I targeted crappie up here with Lew and Meely (yep...you heard right...Lew)...We wanted some to have with our lunch and all we were catching that morning was bull bluegills...

 

I suggested we keep some if we wanted a taste of fish with our chicken, steak, Kolbassa, salad etc...(that Meely sure puts on a spread...he is more than a g'weech maker)...they thought I was nuts but after tasting bluegills they changed their minds...

 

LunchatMeelyManor.jpg

 

We did get into the crappies in the afternoon...

 

CrappieBeans1.jpg

 

Beans I'll take the fight and the meat from a big bluegill over big crappies any day. Bluegill out-fight crappie 2 to 1 easy and the big ones aren't as skinny as them crappies..... they have a little more mean on their shoulders. mmmmmmmm only a couple weeks away for me!

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The problem with a high limit isn't from guys like you, who will harvest their limit, put some in the freezer, then maybe target another species, or leave the crappies be until you need to restock the freezer. It's the people who abuse the limits, keeping fish even though they've got a full freezer, or even selling them illegally... it happens down here!

 

Ryan

 

A few years ago we used to fish crappie at Rice Lake (no limit) in the evenings in the fall and there was an army of people taking home coolers full night after night...we used to give them ours until we found out they were selling them...After that you should have heard them crying when we tossed back big slabs about (1 1/2 lbrs)..."I'll take it...I'll take it"..."Naw...too small...too small" :lol:

 

Not too sure if it was illigel for them to sell the crappie but they wern't selling anymore of ours...

Edited by Beans
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Get some Fin S Shads.... 1.5 inch size.... made by lunker city. Ice shad or arkansas shiner color, or find your own color that works well in your area. Your tubes will pretty much collect dust after you try these baits. I have never used live bait for crappie. And I have not used a tube for 6-7 years at least.

 

Bring on the spring crappie !!!

I'm gonna give those baits a try this season. I have never caught a single crappie ;) Thanks for the advice Steve
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I'm gonna give those baits a try this season. I have never caught a single crappie ;) Thanks for the advice Steve

 

 

Hey I've watched you put a big hurt on the Slabs using your Tony's specials...as Beansie calls them. HEHE...you will get buried in PM's now.

 

But this winter I did clean the tackle shoppe in Innisfil out of my secret colour that they don't make anymore so I should be able to at least catch as many as you this spring. Should have seen the look on the kids face when I took all 11 bags they had left :P

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Beans I'll take the fight and the meat from a big bluegill over big crappies any day. Bluegill out-fight crappie 2 to 1 easy and the big ones aren't as skinny as them crappies..... they have a little more mean on their shoulders. mmmmmmmm only a couple weeks away for me!

 

 

I fish crappie for the fun of it. The few I keep I generally give to friends or family or use in my fish chowder, mainly because taste wise they are my least favourite panfish. Nobody gets my bluegill fillets though, unless you come to my house and eat them with me. Much better table fare in my opinion. And I also agree ounce for ounce nothing beats the scrap you get from a big gill on your line. If I could get 14-15 inch Bluegills I'd be in heaven.

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I fish crappie for the fun of it. The few I keep I generally give to friends or family or use in my fish chowder, mainly because taste wise they are my least favourite panfish. Nobody gets my bluegill fillets though, unless you come to my house and eat them with me. Much better table fare in my opinion. And I also agree ounce for ounce nothing beats the scrap you get from a big gill on your line. If I could get 14-15 inch Bluegills I'd be in heaven.

 

Give me a couple weeks and I'll give you a bleugill report that'll make you sick to your stomach! ;)

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