Crappie Fishing

Do you like crappie fishing?  There's a lot of folks that do!  I talk to a lot of fishermen and most guys that own boats and like to fish seem to spend a lot of time chasing crappie.  I guess they do this for a couple of reasons.  I assume that the first reason is that you can catch a large number of crappie in a day.  That makes sense because typically when people go fishing, they want to actually catch fish.  Catching a bunch of fish is even more fun.  The second reason is that some folks like to eat crappie.  From what I hear, they taste great and once you find where they are located it is plausible that you could catch enough to put dinner on the table.  Free food?  Nothing wrong with that.

By now you might have realized, that crappie fishing is not exactly my cup of tea.  Don't get me wrong, if you are a hardcore crappie fishermen, the God bless you and you keep slaying the slabs!  I'm not judging here, just stating my preferences with a twist at the end.

To me, personally, crappie are a little boring.  They don't fight incredibly hard and they all look the same to me.  Sure, black crappie have different coloration than whites but sometimes even THEY look the same.  Also, I don't eat fish.  (Insert joke here).  No, I don't eat fish.  I don't care for the taste.  I don't like the texture.  I understand the irony here.  I'm a guy that runs a fishing website/blog that doesn't eat fish.  Believe me, I wish I liked fish.  I fish enough and even catch a few fish from time to time that it could save some money and put dinner on the table once in a while.  So for these two reasons, I don't keep fish unless it is for other folks.  However, here's the twist I promised.

While I still refuse to eat fish, I do make one exception to go crappie fishing at this time of year.  This is the time of year that I will actually, purposefully go fishing with the intent to catch crappie.  Why you may ask?  Well that's a great question you handsome devil or foxy lady depending on who is reading this at the current moment.  The reason I actually target crappie this time of year is because you can catch them on a fly rod!  They are shallow enough that you can use a 7-9 foot leader similar to a trout set-up.  Also, if you find one crappie, chances are, you have found A LOT of crappie and things can get crazy in a hurry.  Similarly, using a small jig under a strike indicator can be extremely productive and is a simple rig.  Finally, if you use a 4 or 5 weight rod, then a 10-12 inch crappie can actually put up a decent fight or at the very least, they feel bigger than what they are.

So here's what I am getting at.  If you like to fly fish, then get your rear out on a lake and specifically a rocky dam and catch some crappie.  If you like to crappie fish but don't own a boat, then get out there and give a fly rod a shot.  If you like to eat crappie, then go catch your supper (and maybe give a fly rod a shot if you never have).  The site of an indicator being pulled under, the sound of line being ripped off the water, and the added sensitivity of a fly rod might just get you looking forward to the end of March and beginning of April every year by adding this fishing opportunity to your schedule!  If you want proof of how much fun it can be, just see the pictures below!