Crappie Fishing Basics

Old School Crappie Fishing Family Secrets

 

The Crappie’s Fishing Basics

Black and White Crappies have populated throughout the United States and Southern Canada largely do to major stocking efforts that started back in the late 1800’s. These fish can know be found there is a freshwater lake river or stream.if you are a beginning fisherman, this species of fish is ideal to target because of the in expense of fishing equipment you will need and of course the abundance of this fish at so many local locations. If you have young children who are interested in trying the sport of fishing than taking them crappie fishing would be the best way to perk their interest.

Fishing for crappies is really a very in-expensive way to get into the sport of fishing and even beginners will catch fish. Here’s a small list of fishing equipment you will need. Get yourself a cane pole that is over 10ft long, some 3 to 4 lb test line, some crappie hooks, and a small bobber. All these items can be found at most bait shops and at any department store. Many times when you purchase the cane pole these items will already bee rigged up for you. All these items can be purchased for under 25$ . Now you can spend a lot more and you will if you really get interested in the sport, but if you just want to try crappie fishing the cane pole option is the way to go.

You will still need to learn some basic facts about this fish before you attempt to go fishing. You need to do a little bit of reading so you know what their typical habitat is so you know where to find them. This will save you time and also keep you from getting frustrated. You need to know what their favorite foods are so you know what crappie live baits to purchase.

Get on the internet and do some simple crappie anatomy research , for example you probably did not know that the crappies eyes can not move in a position to look downward, so therefore if you bait is below them they will never see it. Also you need to know there are two types of these fish. Both species of crappie are from the sunfish family (Pomoxis annularis) and are located in North America and can live in harmony together. There is the black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) and the white crappie (Pomoxis annularis). Both these fish are found only in North America, and they belong to the sunfish family (Centrarchidae).The sunfish family also includes such fish as the largemouth bass, bluegills, and other warm water game fish. No need to worry to make special preparations to catch either the black or the white, the same crappie fishing basics will work well on either of them. To identify either of these fish here’s a few tips As a rule of thumb, black crappie are darker as the name indicates, with a irregular pattern of spots on there bodies. The lighter colored white crappie will have a distinct vertical pattern of spots on their bodies. But the easiest way to distinguish between the two is to count the number the number of dorsal fin spines. Black’s have seven to 8 spines while White’s have five or six. The blacks really like colder water so they do better in the northern parts of the hemisphere as well as fast moving streams and rivers.The whites seem to like large lakes and slow moving rivers like in the south. Both these fish can be found any where in the lower 48 states and many time are found living together and yes they do cross breed.

The average size of these fish will depend on the water conditions of any particular local area you intend to fish, but normal size catches are from ½ to 1lb. If you stick to some simple crappie fishing basic tips you may catch some fish in the 2lb plus range. A record white crappie was caught in Enid Lake Mississippi and weighed in at 5lb 2 onces. The largest black on record is 4 lb 8 ounces caught in Kerr Lake Virginia and Otoe Lake Nebraska.

Crappies feed on small fish, like your typical crappie fishing minnow and small aquatic insects and tiny crustaceans. before the crappie reaches adulthood they will feed primarily on small crustaceans and insects , while after they reach adulthood there diet will change to larger small fish like minnows. Studies have been conducted on the both the white and black adult crappies and it seems that the black will feed a great deal on insects in the spring and switch to small fish such as minnows throughout the rest of the year. The adult white’s primary meal is small fish such as minnows throughout the year.

Well that concluded my article on crappie fishing basics, Just have fun and relax, that what fishing is all about! Good Luck On your next outing!

Mark Fleagle is an Expert Author At Ezinearticles.com. and has over 30 years of fishing experience who has written 100’s of useful fishing articles. Would you like to max out your catch on your next fishing trip? Blow your fishing buddies out of the water and get your bragging rights today! Also don’t forget to get your free copy of “78 Fishing Discoveries Unleashed” http://www.oldfishinghole.com

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