For the first time on this blog, this article is not about business ! It is about our third love and passion ... FISHING ! The fish called a "crappie" is a native favorite of mine and is spawning right now in your local lakes, ponds and rivers. When these fish spawn, they feed very aggressively. With a little knowledge, even the casual fisherman can have a blast catching fish and have just as good a time at the dinner table. Some people have issues with keeping spawning females, because of the eggs they are about to lay. I think it highly depends on the health of the fishery and the fishing pressure put on it. The limits the state puts up are regardless of time of year and have worked well on some publicly managed waters. If this gives you a personal issue, well ... don't keep em ! Or, just be selective and look for the darker colored males. Typically they have a much darker area just under their gills than the brighter females, and many times the females are engorged with eggs and you can tell by the bulge. Either way ... when larger than hand size, they are delectable when cooked in a variety of your favorite ways (i can give you recipes) .
I believe the best way to catch these tasty fish is the traditional minnow and bobber technique. This time of year, you can find them in anywhere from 2-5' of water, which is how you set your depth. Slip bobbers are best, and I will go into detail with the rig in a video soon. But crappie can also be caught plentifully on jigs, as well. From time to time, they actually prefer a jig. Roadrunners, crappie jigs with spinners and just plain old jig heads with a skirted tube all work well. As far as the minnow goes, small or medium work best and I usually hook them in the back, close to the tail for a lively swimming action. Some nose hook, I think when they are biting it doesn't matter ! Sometimes I "double" hook them when they are really biting to preserve minnows. I usually take 6-10 dozen with me and many times use them all ! I never want to run out of bait when they are really biting ! When you buy small minnow say at Green Top, they are only $1.19 per dozen, so not bad. An aerator is a must to keep them alive.
This kind of fishing is what can hook kids for life and I take kids every chance I get ... to see the smile on their faces and the joy and accomplishment is priceless ! Just the other day I watched a two year old precious little girl just beam with the excitement of reeling in a crappie ! It was great. I would love to help turn on as many as possible who have the desire.
Many times, fishing can be much more than just catching some fish. It many times puts you in a serene environment in nature, bearing witness to small marvels you would have never seen had you not gone. To me, fishing is like therapy. No matter what the stress of the day with work or whatever you may be going through ... when I am out on the water, most times it is just where am I going to cast next ? What fish will tug on my line next ? When the fish just aren't biting ... take advantage and just relax. But if you listen to some tips and ask some questions you may get like me ... and have no time to relax ! One way or another, I am going to figure out how to catch some fish ! I will be following soon with some more info on my fishing page on my website ...
so please feel free to follow along and throw questions on the comments below and I will do my best to answer them. I am well versed in most species of freshwater fish and know the james river very well. I have trophies of 6 different freshwater species and 23 in all. I tell you this not to gloat ... but for credential purposes ! And of course ... any of you fishermen/boaters out there need graphics or letters for your boat ... we can do that, too ! Thanks for stopping by !!!
