Old School Crappie Fishing Family Secrets
Crappie 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.
The crappie’s numbers are abundant and the action is good. To start fishing for crappie is really inexpensive. 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$ . Of course if you get really interested in crappie fishing you will need to invest in some better equipment, but why bother until you get the fishing bug.
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.
You also need to know what they look like. For instance, if you are new to fishing for this species you need to know that the there are two types of crappie. 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). The white and the black crappie are both part of the sunfish family (Centrarchidae) which consists of for example bluegills, largemouth bass and other warm water game fish. These fish are found only in the north American hemisphere, from Sothern Ontario into Mexico. 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. Here’s a few identification tips: As a rule of thumb, black crappie are darker as the name indicates, with a irregular pattern of spots on there bodies. White crappie are lighter in color and have a defined vertical pattern of spots. Here’s another way of identifying the two crappies. Count the number of splines on the dorsal fin. If the count is between 7 and 8 the fish is a black crappie, if the count is between 5 and 6 then you have a white crappie. Black crappie thrive better in colder, clear water and can be found as far north as I said in the first paragraph in southern Canada. White crappie seem to like large lakes, and slow moving rivers of the south. To be honest through there Is no real separation because these fish can be found together in all the lower 48 states and into Mexico. And they do cross breed so there are a lot of cross breeds.
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. The largest white crappie on record was caught in Enid Lake Mississippi, and was recorded to be 5lb and 2 ounces. There is a tie for the record black crappie, a 4lb 8once black was caught at both Kerr Lake Virginia and Otoe Lake Nebraska.
The crappie’s food supply is made up mainly of crappie minnows , insects and small 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. There have been some biology studies that support the fact that black adult crappie tend to eat more insects in the spring and crappie minnows throughout other seasons of 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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