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Panfish Fishing |
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Crappies
are one of the best tasting fish
I have ever eaten, I like them
better then most other fish. The
meat is pure white and is firm
and full of good mellow flavor.
Crappies are a panfish, similar
to bluegill and sunfish. Most
people start fishing for them as
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 Florida we are
allowed to catch 25 crappies in
most locations.
Crappies 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
very active, the energy and taste are two reasons why crappies are such a great fish
to catch and are so popular to
catch.
Crappies come in two types or
varieties, there are black
crappies which are in Florida and white crappies.
Crappies live throughout the U.S
in many ponds, lakes and
streams, 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.
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.
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
state of Florida in rivers,
streams, and lakes. Crappie can
also be caught in any season
over most of the state, though
in some areas they can be
harder to catch in certain seasons.
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.
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 the equipment is not expensive at all.
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