finally found the crappies

[Guest]

i've been on vacation for 9 days.....fished my butt off on this one lake earlier...the water was cold ...the warm weather we've been having sure made the difference...took my canoe out this morning at 10:00...paddled by the reeds ....tied into some nice bull blugills...no crappies....drifted out deeper... my first crappie was on...i caught this first crappie about 175 yards from the reed line out in deeper water(about 8 feet)...as soon as my 1/32 ounce white jig neared the bottom ...boom! ...a crappie!...what a great feeling after a long winter!...all the crappies i caught were out deeper ...none in the reeds...was somewhat overcast... very little wind...just a great day on the water!...the crappie gods were with me today!....

[Ely Lake Expert]

Jon, I just found them today by my house. I found them anywhere from 4 to 10 feet. Nice crappies, 10-13 inches. I will be fishing tommorow. good luck if you do.

Ely lake expert

[Guest]

Early last week the Crappies were in that 8-12 ft of water in Central MN (St. Cloud). This was true on most lakes except the really clear ones, which were obviously cooler and a little behind the other lakes. This week I have found fish in the 3-5 ft of water in the warmer lakes. That means one thing, yep, Spawn. Good fishing!! Things were much different in the Park Rapids area, quite a bit behind the St. Cloud area.ScottS

[Guest]

scotts....yes the crappies i caught sunday ..were all females full of eggs ....not one male......they were about, as i said, close too 200 yards out in lake yet....but these warm temps we've been getting sure are getting things back to normal...just a little later this year...also going to look for those "bull"blue gills...love em on a super ultralight....they''ll be more receptive this weekend for sure....caught a couple of those gills sunday mixwd in with the crappies....one of the gills was 9 1/2"....what a beauty!....good fishing.......jon

[Guest]

Was out last night pulling in slab crappies. All were black females, not a single male, full of eggs. They were close to shore, about 5-8 feet of water.

[JVinny]

Wher were you fishing? I know not to ask the name of the lake, but what area or city? Any info would be great.

[Guest]

If the Crappies you were catching were BLACK in color, they were MALES. Females do NOT change color.

Males stay on the beds during the spawn, females move back out to the staging areas after they drop their eggs.

PCG

[This message has been edited by Pro Crappie Guide (edited 06-10-2002).]

[Guest]

JVinny,

This forum is for fishermen helping other fishermen in the persuit of happiness. The lake is Little Lake in Chisago.

They were black females, full of eggs. You've got to get one to know.

Good fishing

[JVinny]

Thanks for the info BASSHUNTER.I just did't want to be pushy.

[Guest]

Yes, I would believe it was a Black Crappie, full of eggs.

However, MALE black Crappies turn a distinctive dark black color through the gill plates and fins while they are nesting the eggs. Females DO NOT.

PCG

[Guest]

Crappies are a type of fish who changes color to match their surroundings. Most fish are light on the bottom, to match the sky, and darker on the top, to match the bottom of lakes and rivers. Predatory fish are

[Guest]

just got back from a trip up to voyageurs park...5 of us camped on grassy bay of sand point lake...had fantastic crappie fishing!...fish were out 200 yards from shore in 15-20 feet of water..water was like glass 2 hours before dark...some crappies started to surface...put on a white 1/32 ounce feather jig...dropped it to the bottom...raised it a few cranks...BAM!...we caught fish like this for 5 days!...always 150-to 200 yards out in the deeper water...these were all females...not one male ...(i canoed into a small "cove",sand bottom...about 3' deep...single males were protecting the beds...these were smaller fish)...stayed out in the deeper water and got into the bigger females...these crappies ranged from 10"-14"!...the bigger ones were pushing 2 pounds!...I never used live bait to get these crappies(even though we had minnows along)...i prefered the white jig ...fantastic crappie fishing to say the least...had some great shore lunches of deep fried crappies!...will be going back next year ...same time ...thanks and great fishing...jon