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First Three-Pounder Of The Year

Arkie John

Active member
3pounderOnBoard.jpg

I know there's no scale to this photo, but ain't she a beaut???

3pounder1.jpg

Here's the ole' boy himself and the 3 lb 1 oz black crappie.


I caught her on ultralite tackle; a 14' Wally Marshall rod and 6 lb test Hi Vis. It's about to get right. I'm goin in the morning early to see if I can catch a few before I get blown off the lake. Winds are tough right now (it's March).

Linda: Get yore stuff and meet me at the lake bank. :D <><

aj
 
i did not even know those lil rascals got that big! Gotta be proud of a trophy like that:thumbup:
 
Great catch AJ,

Around here we are between ice fishing, which I will not do (I figure I've taken enough chances in my life and walking on frozen water is not for me!) the first Stripers moving in for the season.

During this month with its crazy weather about the only thing I might catch is a cold!

Cupajo
 
I have NEVER seen one that big. I have caught a heck of a bunch of them over the years but nothing like that. We would catch them in the winter and early spring as the meat sorta seemed to get mushy in the summer, I don't know, it might have been a wives tale.

Man you get into a big school of those slabsides and you could get enough to swamp a canoe!

I would sure love to get into a mess of those babies!!
 
it might have been broken by now but it was over 5 lbs, if I remember right and didn't even look like a crappie. What a monster. It was gotten in the south too.

I was fishing for bass on a lake near Delan Fla early one spring and they were catching stringers full of 2 lb black crappie and I was amazed. We have the blacks but most we catch are the whites
 
that's a beauty, Man I miss crappie fish with light tackle and jigs, that was a blast to do.I think I need to go back to Toledo Bend again.
 
n/t
 
n/t
 
Arkansas' state record is 4 lb 9 oz and 4 lb 7 oz for Blacks and Whites respectively.

Personally, I've never seen a 4-pounder, but us kids caught many, many 2-3 lb crappie growing up fishing the beautiful Ouachita and places like that. I'm hoping I can do some real damage this Spring and if so, well I'll be calling Tom, Linda and any our forum friends, for backup. :D

aj
 
Plus, they're just a beautiful species and the fight like there is no tomorrow. Now I babied this one because once I saw how big she was, I didn't want to pull the hook from her. They have paper-thin mouths. But I fought that puppy for 3 1/2 minutes and she took a lot of 6 lb line before she finally gave up.

aj
 
...there are some quality fish to be caught here right before the spawn. I think it's gonna be a good year. In year's past, Tom and I have always leaned toward the black bass and fished them MUCH. But this year our crappie tackle boxes and gear is in the best shape ever and with the pontoon rig, well, we hope to slay 'em.

aj
 
...that will make them mushy when they freeze. This past year I started using the ziploc vaccuum bags with a hand pump. It is simple and effective. No water at all, just clean fillets vaccuum sealed. The result is nice, firm meat that, when eaten, will make you stand up and slap Aunt Jimima!!


Yup, in the next few weeks they will amass for the spawn and I hope to slay 'em without mercy. :D

aj
 
...on a PLATE!! :lol: She was 16 1/2 inches long. With me not having money to throw at the taxidermist, I will wait 'til if and when I catch tha 17-incher. That will be longest and hopefully heaviest crappie ever and then...THEN I will bite bullet and have her mounted. If it happens, the forum will know donchaknow. :crazy:

aj
 
...This is a Black Crappie. The White Crappie have a series of specks on their sides arranged in five or six generally vertical stripes or bars. They are pretty, as well.

I didn't go today because of the wind. When I get up and the wind chimes are goin' crazy, I figure it's the good Lord sayin' "Use that noodle I gave you, John, and go back to BED." So I did. I really LIKES this retirement livin' stuff. :)

aj
 
I used to fish for them a lot here in CT. They were fun in the summer with a fly rod and popper. We fished this one pond called Powers Lake and it had decent crappie fishing in it. I don't think I ever ate one. Just like catching them but released them. I really enjoy fresh water fishing but never ate that many of them. Salt water fish caught my attention for food fish. Mostly flounder, codfish, Yellow fin, Swords when we could find them and smelt in the winter time. Most of my fresh water fishing was flyrod in summer and ice fishing in winter for perch and pickerel. The big pickerel were good eating but boney. Caught a lot of large mouth bass in summer also with spoons on spinning rod that were really fun to catch. Usually for them we used the red daredevils.... Biggest one I caught was 8lbs 4 oz in the reservoir. I had it mounted but no longer have it here. My son George has it as his place with his fish. They started a Walleye program at his lake about 5 years ago to control the perch and they are starting to get good size now. He says they really taste great, but I have not tried them yet. Perhaps this is the summer for it with him and my grandson. I have him my fresh water boat as he has a dock right at his house. Funny, I have bought a fishing license since I was age 16 here in CT. When I turned 65, they gave me a free lifetime one and I have not used it yet. Your crappie fish, got my interest up again, and fishing starts here in April.

Thanks for post.

George-CT

UPDATE.... Was just thinking about the crappie again. I took a fellow Ironworker that was working up this way years back crappie fishing. He was from Tenn. After we caught one, he tied a short piece of mono on it throught the fin and a bobber. He let it swim around with it. I asked him why. He said if they like our crappie in Tenn, they are school fish and will go back to the rest of them and we can really have a ball. And it worked..... He said where he came from that was a poor mans electronic fish detector. I had a Hummingbird one on the boat, we never even turned it on. Fact I still have it. It was one of the first ones out then like it with Lcd and ran on 6 volt lantern batteries. Still works..As my son tried it out last year with his son. I was up to Cabla;s about 4 weeks ago and they have abig fresh water tank there for fish and they were giving a demo on a underwater camera. It was pretty neat and thought that would be fun to mess around with in the water....
 
n/t
 
VERY impressed, that bass is truely a beautiful catch, but that crappie..................I hope you will have him mounted!!! I would wet my pants if I caught one that big!!!!!! ILY, Sis!
 
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