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Let's Talk Specks

400K views 3K replies 294 participants last post by  stickman1978 
#1 ·
Fellas ... Spring is about to show up. I hunt the allusive Crappie year around. There are places where guys are fishing open water and catching good fish now. What's your personal best Crappie ? What set up is your " go to " when Crappie fishing. Caught an 18 inch in 1989 ... no pictures ... it's true none the less. Always looking to improve and remain teachable when it comes to Crappie fishing. Biggest through the ice this year is 15 1/2 . ( posted in the Genn. County ice thread ) My best fish have come on minnows though I've slammed'em on tubes and twister styled baits as well. What's your best fish ? You favor plastics or meat ( minnows ... waxies ) Feel free to post pictures ... discuss strategies ... or just talk Slabb Crappies :) Looking forward to your posts. Tight Lines ! Cropido aka Ben Out ! :coolgleam
 
#2 · (Edited)
They also call them specks where I grew up on the Florida line and they are my Moms favorite fish to eat. I like perch myself!

Down there I've caught them that would measure from my fingertips to my elbow but its been a while since I caught anything over maybe 16" here or down south on vacation.

I like hooking the minnows by the tail so they jerk more and draw fish but I've caught them with tubes, flies and most anything else. I've been using Alabama rigs the last season and a half and experimenting with that. My recent purchase of the iPilot system for my boat should put the final touches on that tactic and its showing great promise already.

Anyway, specks are great fun and good to eat. Nice thread and I'm looking forward to some new ideas from the other members and waiting for the ice to leave.
 
#3 ·
Good post,would like to learn something from this one. Chased em 20 years ago always in the spawn, channels and timber, but always heard of guys catching 3-4 weeks previous to that.Where and how?I've always had luck on minnow and bobber or jig and bobber...if I could get shiners that was a bonus.
 
#4 ·
I've heard of them being called " Sacolait " in the south. Have a friend who drop shots them while fishing close to me. Seen him pull out some dandy " teener " Crappie. While I'm nailing 'em on bobbers up high ... he fishes the bottom and does well though waaaay too slow for me when the are on the warm up/feed bag early after ice out. The Floridian warmer climates grows some monsters as their metabolisims never slow down as much as the north. Tight Lines ! Cropido Out ! :coolgleam
 
#6 ·
I lived down there for 6 years fished the big O twice a week most weeks but I was after gills,sacolait were fairly easy to catch,mostly with jigs in the heavy weeds,probably would have fished them more if the gills hadn't been so easy,I love those big slab gills
 
#7 ·
Personal best was 17.5 from an east Texas private lake. I was jigging an 1/8 oz. beatle spin in 20 fow. Boy was i surprised when i saw it wasnt another bass. Next day her twin hit a crayfish crank. Both released. 😳😳. Pic in photo album somewhere??? Ill look for it. Right after ice out and bfore the water warms,its hard to beat a small tube n minnow combo. I like to hit the areas where i was catching them ice fishing. If their aggressive ill try the fly rod wth a sinking line n various streamers. Pink n white being the go to pattern. Come on warm weather!!! Shrubby


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#13 ·
There are many good ways to target crappie, I believe the best bait is the one you have the most confidence in.

For me I do ok catching crappie using plastics, I even switch over to hard water fishing using plastic, yes there are times when live bait works better.

I have friends that cast, bobber fish, troll (longline) and even slow troll (spider rig) and they all put fish in the bucket.

Some good crankbaits you might want to try out are Bandit's, I've tried them but they work better with lakes that hold shad, some of the people I've fished with down south do really well using them.
 
#14 ·
I like sight fishing them in structure during the spawn. Flipping white tubes so I can see bait. I only get a small window when conditions are perfect but when you're on them it doesn't take long. They generally don't see the freezer...

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#946 ·
for some reason I just never targeted crappie. only caught them on occasion while fishing gills. think this summer I'll target them as I do realize how tasty they are. and over the years I have collected a vast number of recipe for all sorts of pan fish, everything from batter dipped and fried, to fish tacos, to fishcake sandwiches. will be retiring in 39 days , so have plenty of weekday time to fish now, without those pesky pleasure boaters around.
 
#16 ·
Spring and fall I fish a lot of crankbaits, best have been F7s, bandit, and the absolute best are crappie maxxs(if you don't own these go buy a couple you'll thank me) summer I like to cast and troll small tubes and white twister. This is all based on what body of water I'm fishing though some lakes I can't buy a fish on big cranks.
 
#17 ·
You guys are on a roll :) I've gotten a few running Hot N Tots at H/Res. fishing for Walleye. They are usually larger fish and always caught by accident. Trolling weedlines ( long lining ) with small twisters 32nd oz tipped with waxies can be deadly. I use this method to locate the school of feeders then back off and slip bob minnows. This is a tried and true method as there are always " feeding fish ". The trick is finding the willing school. Bright colors are more the ticket in my experience chartruse ... hot pink ... white and cobos of the same. Gonna tag that record this year guys. I believe that there is a record in the system I fish a lot. The shad poulation is massive ... as such ... they eat like pigs. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experiences fellas. Tight Lines !!! Cropido aka Ben Out :coolgleam
 
#18 ·
I knew this was gonna be a good thread. Hopefully some bozo won't come screw it up!

Aging myself I guess, we would use cane poles when I was growing up down south. We'd use ones 16-18' and drop minnows and crickets next to the cypress stumps. We'd get 2-3 or more and paddle the boat to the next stump. I keep a collapsible 18' bream buster in the rod locker on my boat. Its still fun to pluck specks out of lilly pads if you don't have and timber...
 
#19 ·
I target the creeks off of main lakes especially with downed trees minnow bobber small jig white or pink.... My largest would be 15.5 had a neighbor bring one over to my dad's one year not sure what it measured but it was in a 5 gallon bucket head first and the tail was almost to the top he caught out of a small farm pond. Hey angry angler I'm pretty sure I know where you caught that pile of fish I fish there also lol you more that likely caught that mess around the walleye opener?
 
#20 · (Edited)
So ... it's time to enjoy the fruits of some of those trips I've made over the hard water. 14 fillets thawing on the way to the skillet. What's some of your tasty ways to eat pan fish ? Gonna get some KFC cole slaw ... " fry up some onion taters ... and deep fry some fillets in " Wifey's " secret corn meal batter and seasoning. I like corn on the cobb when it's availible ( fresh ). Has anyone ever used that batter called " slap ya mamma "? :lol: Crazy I know ... but it's one of if not the best corn meal batters I've ever had. It's a Cajun styled batter for fish.They sell it locally @ Donlans Fish Market on Corunna Rd. Hot ... mild ... and warm is how it comes. It's gotta be goods with a name like that. Wash it down with a cold Fruit Punch Poweraid and I'm good to go. Google that fish batter. You'see what I'm saying. Tight Lines and good eating fellas. Share a bit of how you like to prepare those Crappie/Gills/Perch. Cropido aka Ben Out. :coolgleam
 
#23 ·
Thanks for the heads up on the cranks. Gotta make a Bass Pro Shop run here pretty quick. Time to re-spool my jigging reels for the Detroit River. That's a good excuse to make the trip. No doubt I'll pick up some of the " Bandits ". Soon it'll be ice out and giant Crappie snapping. Tight Lines and good fishing Guys. Cropido aka Ben Out !!! :coolgleam
 
#24 ·
You guys are getting me motivated today. Just threw a mallard in the crock pot. I guess it's time to get all my stuff out and re- organize! I love tear drops tipped with a minnow under a slip bobber. Same types of areas, I do love a small beetle spinner as well. I might have to try a couple of those crappie maxx this year too!
 
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