05-09-2003, 01:27 AM
[font "Arial"][size 2]Black Crappie
Description
The black crappie is a silvery-green to yellowish fish with large dorsal and anal fins of almost identical shape and size. The sides are marked with black blotches which become more intense towards the back. The dorsal, anal, and caudal fins also are marked with rows of dark spots. Crappies have compressed bodies, small heads and arched backs. It has a large mouth with an upper jaw extending under the eye
The black crappie is considered an excellent game fish when taken on light tackle. They are easily caught during pre-spawning periods when the fish are congregated in large schools. Extreme care must be taken in landing these fish because their mouths are very tender. Anglers specializing in catching black crappie know that to be successful the bait must be kept constantly moving. The best baits are small Live minnows, plastic minnows, or small streamer flies cast along the outer edges of weed beds. They will also strike subsurface flies, small spinners, jigs, and tiny crankbaits. The crappie lies in weed beds in deep water during the day and bite best in early morning or toward evening. In summer, with the abundance of small fish for feed, they are more difficult to catch. Small minnows and a jig head and skirt combination are used as bait in winter and Crappies tend to suspend in midwater, so you may have to experiment to find the right depth. [/size][/font]
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Description
The black crappie is a silvery-green to yellowish fish with large dorsal and anal fins of almost identical shape and size. The sides are marked with black blotches which become more intense towards the back. The dorsal, anal, and caudal fins also are marked with rows of dark spots. Crappies have compressed bodies, small heads and arched backs. It has a large mouth with an upper jaw extending under the eye
The black crappie is considered an excellent game fish when taken on light tackle. They are easily caught during pre-spawning periods when the fish are congregated in large schools. Extreme care must be taken in landing these fish because their mouths are very tender. Anglers specializing in catching black crappie know that to be successful the bait must be kept constantly moving. The best baits are small Live minnows, plastic minnows, or small streamer flies cast along the outer edges of weed beds. They will also strike subsurface flies, small spinners, jigs, and tiny crankbaits. The crappie lies in weed beds in deep water during the day and bite best in early morning or toward evening. In summer, with the abundance of small fish for feed, they are more difficult to catch. Small minnows and a jig head and skirt combination are used as bait in winter and Crappies tend to suspend in midwater, so you may have to experiment to find the right depth. [/size][/font]
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