Crappie Today

[Baron]

I know it seems Triffle but today I realized a special goal. Its been a year on this June 3rd since I started pursuing panfish with a fly rod. I've had some success and some disappointments. Earlier this week I caught my first Black Crappy (tiny little fishy).


Today I Scored better. numerous Crappie and Perch, several over 12". I prefer to eat panfish and the only trout I keep are ones that are badly hooked.



Thanks to a White Wooly Bugger I'll be eating well for a while after this:

 

[Dave_W]

Nice job!

There are few better eating fish than perch and crappies.

 

[JerryC]

Nice stringer, Baron. A bit jealous. I'm sitting here listening to my church's ZOOM service. We cancelled our trip to the Poconos this week otherwise I'd be sitting in a boat tossing flies on Shohola. Maybe in late June. How do you cook them? I usually fillet them, dip them in an egg wash and dredge them in fine flour and fine corn meal seasoned with salt and pepper

 

[Baron]

Well its a first for crappie but I did fillet them as I did the perch. There seems to be allot of waste when filleting them. If I keep progressing with my skills I may learn to scale them and cook

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nsprJ-lEeY

On the farm, as a kid with bluegills, I'd scale them with a knife and shoot scales all over the porch. Then off with the head, out with the internals and under the broiler with seasoning. 2 or three per person.

 

[Baron]

How close can you work Crappy.
Yesterday I was casting into some stumps btwn 40 and 50' away( I was at my limit). Spectacularly long casts and I pulled allot of fish out of those stumps.
As an experiment I moved closer to save a fly which I had hooked on a stump. It was right where I had been catching those nice slabs. Once free I began fishing a 15' radius and only caught Pumkinseed. The Crappy were either gone or didn't like my presence and would not bite.
Is it typical to use social distancing for Crappy? Could I move up to 25 or 30'. The weeds are still on the bottom at this lake and I'm sure they could see me when really close.
How far do you normally cast for Panfish?

 

[Van_Cleaver]

Tonight I had my best eve. ever on my local lake landing (and releasing) over 30 crappie on my fly rod. The bite was from about 6:15 on and I didn't even bother fishing til dark. More than enough fun for me and already had a nice dinner (crappie ,perch and gills) waiting at home and already cooked. A flashy jig style fly was all I needed. BTW filleting is the way to go. Practice makes perfect; a super sharp fillet knife being a huge asset. Numerous helpful videos on youtube.

 

[Baron]

Hi Van,
Congrats on your good fortune. this time of the year is so magical when it all comes together.
I fillet pretty well but I always mis a little tic where the ribs end and the back begins. There is not denying that it is a simple to do and with sharp tools its even better but this fish is just big enough that the amount left on the remains is a good bit. I was using a pink booby and was catching fish but switched to a white wooly and did even better.

 

[Van_Cleaver]

Crappie have kind of a square rib cage but I fillet them as I do gills and go around the ribs. Practice makes perfect and I have done a lot more of them from ice fishing than open water. I stop keeping pan fish as the water warms up and you're right about it being magic when it all comes together.

As for distance there are just too many variables to make any hard and fast rules. I was shore fishing and caught some as far as 40' but got a lot working the fly with my rod tip down to the side and broad strips. Many were a rod length away which resulted in some misses. Anyway happy fishing and enjoy it while it lasts. It's been a weird year weather wise but typically the crappie won't be in tight for more than a couple weeks. Tight lines!

 

[Baron]

That dang square ribcage surprised me.

Why stop keeping when the weather warms, have trouble chilling them until you get home?

I definitely have issues anchoring with accuracy and will be working to improve that.

 

[Baron]

Van, I find that absolutely razor sharp knives help. What I do is open them with the Stiff Victorinox army pocket knife. Once down to the ribs I switch to a very sharp fillet knife.
Then I Clorox then both.

 

[Van_Cleaver]

I don't think most pan fish are as firm and tasty when the water get really warm, but that's just my opinion. Also like to release most of the big females spawners this time of year. Released a 15" crappie about two weeks ago; PB on the fly rod for me.

 

[RLeep2]

>>How close can you work Crappy.
(snip..)
How far do you normally cast for Panfish? >

Unless the panfish in your part of the world see so many guys they've began acting like trout, your distance from the fish should make little if any difference. They are nigh unto impossible to spook.
It's possible that your school/pod of crappie moved just enough while you were getting closet to them to make it seem like they were gone or turned off by your movement. But this is very unlikely, at least with any gills/crappie I've ever fished over..

 

[Baron]

I was so excited to catch my first crappy that I just kept them all. This will end once I have a few more in the freezer. Aren't they done spawning though. I'll look it up.

I'm glad they aren't so shy as I plan to track them down almost Tenkara style once the weeds begin to fill in.

Many years ago my uncle used to fish in some of the bayou areas of Florida and he caught allot of champion sized Pumpkinseeds long poling in the grasses.

 

[Van_Cleaver]

They are really late spawning here. I've only kept a few and they all had eggs still as of a few days ago. Pretty easy to tell as most of the larger fish will be females. This is a very late year though due to the cold weather in May.

 

[Baron]

Its amazing. I caught four large Bluegills and Pumpkinseeds yesterday, along with a crappy, a huge perch and some hammer handles.
It was surprising to catch the biggest bluegill in open water with no apparent structure. middle of lake 4-5' deep.
New to fly fishing I find it amazing how some fish recognize food and strike. This open water fish took a size 16 bloodworm.

 

[Baron]

Big Big Big step today. I realize that you members always do this but today is the first day of my boating/fishing life that I will not be taking any bait or spinning gear........just two fly rods, old jobbers. Been a year next week that I began fly fishing. Right arm in a cast, I learned to FF left handed. Then I built the drift boat with one good hand.
Sort of a rite-of-passage.

 

[Baron]

4 Gills, 1 nice Crappy in the freezer.
one large Bass released.....