Christmas Eve Crappies

[MIfishinGuy]

i was on a LAKE in OAKLAND county. trying out my new shanty and generally just messing around before i had to go do the christmas thing with my family, my first hole i drilled right over a 35" bowfin. couldn't get him to bite or even spook him, so i proceded to drill more holes right over him until he left. then i got on the gills pretty good until a huge pike swam thru, then some one came with a power auger. :rant:

so i moved over about 100 yards and got on them again, had a 20 inch bass swim thru, then a 16 inch crappie swam thru, then these guys,

http://pic19.picturetrail.com/VOL1081/3716134/7662679/294788628.jpg

there 12 inchers but hey they taste the same or better, really nice slabs anyways. i also got a few 8 inch gills, and i kept a few more a little over 6 to round out the meal.

right after i got on these guys i had to leave to pick up my little bro, i know there was more down there, so i might head back wed.

ice was anywhere from 4-6 inches anywhere on the lake, nice solid ice, i fell on it a few times, didn't even crack or make a sound.

[DrEw8716]

[a 35" bowfin.
a 20 inch bass [/quote]

Wow 35" on the button huh...without even measuring it???

[badfrog_5]

[a 35" bowfin.
a 20 inch bass

Wow 35" on the button huh...without even measuring it???[/quote]

HEY ITS CHRISTMAS!! HE WAS USING HIS CHRISTMAS TAPE MESUR. LOL

[Duck-Hunter]

I caught a ton of crappie on christmas eve also.

[stillfish]

State record of a bowfin is 28'' half inches, but it sounds like you had fun catching those specks and blugills good job...

[Splitshot]

And it matters why? Glad you had a good day MIfishinGuy.

[dobes]

For those unfamiliar a bowfin is a dogfish . I caught one on houghton lake about ten years back that I wish I would have measured seeing that the record is 28" , would have if I knew the record size . I would have came close if not beat it . It was over 10 plus lbs . Biggest one anyone had ever seen . Have to say I was dissappointed when I landed it and saw what it was .

[Final Cast]

State record of a bowfin is 28'' half inches, but it sounds like you had fun catching those specks and blugills good job...

No, the state record bowfin for MI is 35-inches and 14lbs. I've caught bowfin close to 28-inches before. I know some people who caught them up to 30-inches. Also, a 20-inch bass is not that rare either.

[stillfish]

I apologize on that state record,:bloos: to look at some of them at the D.n.r web site could have been a 35" bowfin, alot of master anglers were in the 30" class. Has anyone ever caught one through the ice...

[muddman55]

Crystal Lake Montcalm Co. has waaaaaaay too many dogfish, was fishing ice in the cove off the old launch area a few years back and saw a bunch of logs on the ice, checked it out to find 8 dogs 2-3ft. someone had speared and left on the ice:(. Read an article acouple years back that said they are edible and similar to pike, also recommended release instead of killing them[like we did in the old days] as they are important preditors and everyone takes gamefish preds as soon as they are legal. made sense to me so I now release them. they do fight like crazy. Don

[MIfishinGuy]

wow sorry guys it was just a guess, it looked to be a yard long and i was only in about 6 ft of water so all these fish were pretty close.

anyways i went back and i got some bigger crappies, ill post pics with them laying on A RULER!!! :)