Anglers in some regions classify a 13-incher as a slab, while others use the term for fish surpassing 15 inches. South of the Mason-Dixon line, where the waters are fertile and the growing season is longer, 2-pound southern crappies take slab honors.
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Where is the best place to crappie fish?
- No. 7 Kentucky Lake, Tennessee/Kentucky.
- No. 6 Santee Cooper, South Carolina.
- No. 5 Lake Fork, Texas.
- No. 4 Alabama River, Alabama.
- No. 3 Arkabutla, Sardis and Enid Lakes, Mississippi.
- No. 2 Lake Washington, Mississippi.
- No. 1 Grenada Lake, Mississippi.
- *** Why the South Dominates Trophy Crappie Fishing ***
What lake has the most crappie?
Top here is Grenada Lake, a shallow, 36,000-acre Corps of Engineers impoundment 82 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee on I-55. It produces more trophy crappie than any other fishery in the country. Big fish are so common the local tourism board has nicknamed the lake “Home of the 3-Pound Crappie.”
What is the best month for crappie fishing?
Crappie can be caught year round, but the best time is during the spring spawning season when the fish are in shallow water and relatively easy to locate. Crappie often congregate in groups; if one is caught, more are usually present.
What time of day is best for crappie fishing?
In the case of crappie, the best time to catch them is during their feeding time, which is most frequently between the hours of midnight and 2 am. Additionally, during dawn and dusk can be good times to catch them, with many of them also feeding during these twilight hours.
What’s the best crappie bait?
Jigs and minnows are often the best baits when fishing for crappie. Because of the diverse diets of crappie, they can be caught in many different ways, making them an excellent species for almost any angler to experience using their favorite technique.
Where are the biggest crappie?
It’s official, Lionel Ferguson’s 5-pound, 7-ounce black crappie is the new IGFA All-Tackle world record! Caught on May 15, 2018 in Richeison Pond, in Loudon County.
What is the crappie Capital of the World?
Chief among them is Alabama’s Weiss Lake, which is known by many as the “Crappie Capital of the World.” Although Weiss has experienced a couple down years in productivity, it’s still kicking out 2 and 3 pound fish to anglers longlining crankbaits or live bait along channel bends and points.
What crappie gets bigger white or black?
One way to tell the difference between white and black crappies is by their size & body shape. Black Crappie tend to grow larger than white crappie overall. They are usually thicker and more dense than White Crappie.
What color hook is best for crappie?
A Quick Summary. As you can see, we generally recommend gold, bronze, and red Aberdeen hooks in sizes #1, #2, and #4 for crappie. They offer the characteristics most anglers need, most of the time, when chasing spring slabs.
How deep should I fish for crappie?
Crappie like to spawn in areas of shallow water, usually around 2-to-4 feet deep, with cover such as brush, flooded timber or weeds, and with easy access to deeper water.
How old is a 14 inch crappie?
At fourteen inches, the typical black crappie weighs 1.7 pounds and will be 14.3 years old. A 14-inch white crappie will be 1.4 pounds and 9.1 years old.
Do you use a bobber for crappie?
Where do crappie eat overnight?
Although usually in shallow waters, lighted docks and marinas are also first-rate night-fishing spots. Overhead lights attract flying insects and baitfish, and many dock owners place crappie-attracting brushpiles nearby.
What is the best weather for crappie fishing?
A good rule of thumb is to fish shallow during spring and fall, then fish deep during summer and winter. However, a string of warm days in January can send fish into water less than 5 feet deep, while a strong cold front in April can send them to the depths for a few days.
Why do crappie stop biting?
If the crappie stop biting, try adjusting your depth. They may have simply moved either deeper or shallower to follow the shad. If changing the depth doesn’t work, then maybe try moving to another similar area of the pond or lake and see if you can relocate the school.
What is the best size hook for crappie fishing?
An Aberdeen #2, 4, or 6 hook makes one of the best hooks for crappie fishing. It’s long shank and light-wire style make it the perfect choice for crappie.
How long should a crappie rod be?
At times it will catch you some of the biggest fish around. The 13-foot to 15-foot rods seem to be all the rage but honestly I like a 10 or 12-footer. Not to much to fight with and still can keep back off the fish a few feet.
What colors do crappie see?
Just like people, they have both rods and cones in their eyes, so they are able to see contrasting whites and blacks in low light, but also recognize color when enough light is available.
How old is a 10 inch crappie?
Fingerling crappie that are stocked as 3 to 4 inches in the fall will grow to 7 to 9 inches in a year. Depending on the food supply, these could be 10 inches by year two and large enough to enter the catch.
What size crappie is worth keeping?
Keeping the 9-10″ fish is usually better for a fishery than keeping just the biggest you catch because there is more meat on them… I hate it when people criticize others for keeping 8-9″ crappies but then they put an 8″ male bluegill in their bucket. More meat on an 8-9in crappie and it wont hurt the fishery at all.
How do you catch big crappie instead of the little ones?
- Fish Open Water, Too. Cold-water crappies often hold on deep cover and structure, making them difficult to pinpoint.
- Toss Giant Jigs.
- Try Bass-Size Lures.
- Tap the Tailwaters.
- Fish the Storms.
Why is crappie fishing so popular?
Finding Them. One of the reasons crappie are so popular is because they’re easy to catch. The hardest part is finding them, and even that is easier during the spring when they head to shallow water to spawn. The best spring crappie fishing usually occurs when the water temperature is in the high 50s to low 70s.
Which tastes better crappie or bluegill?
Most anglers agree that Bluegill taste slightly better. They have more fIavor and their flesh is firmer and flakier. Crappie, on the other hand, have a soft meat which some people find bland.
Is a 2 lb crappie big?
While the average size of crappie is somewhere between 8 and 12 inches and 1/4 and 1lb, they can reach a maximum length of about 20 inches and a maximum weight of a little over 5lb. Crappie with a length of 13-15 inches and a weight of 1.5 to 2lb are generally considered trophy fish.