Maine crappie

[oldfox]

Here in Maine black crappie are considered an invasive species, and no law or limit on them. In the past few years more and more people are fishing for them then ever before, but not to any great extent..YET! I have fished for them for about 9 years now, and they have become my main target. My buddy and I release all that we catch during the Spring spawn, which is going on at the present. The last 2 trips out have produced 530 crappie, with a size range from 8 to 14 inches...it has been non stop action... During the fall and winter we do keep and freeze up some.

We have been fishing water that is moderate to lightly stained. My buddy uses nothing but 1/16 minnow head with a 1 3/4" Orange and Chartreuse tube. Hard to convince him to change to jigs Since starting my tying, I am using only what I tie. I thought you all may like to see a few that have been doing the best for me. It certainly means more when you catch them on something you tie yourself. Good luck to all of you this season.....

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[Ron Don]

Dang that sounds like a workout! Great jigs and congrats on the catch!

 

[CrappieHappy]

wow, thats alot of fish.... nice jigs!

 

[Jig Man]

Nice jigs... And I used to fish a couple places that have no size or number limits and you can fill the freezer pretty quick...

 

[Fatman]

Nice tie, I'm surprised you don't keep some of the smaller ones so they don't overpopulate your waters.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Geez, I thought crappie were a warm water species.

Are there only crappie biting or do you get other species bycatch?

Are the fish better eating in the fall & winter?

 

[oldfox]

Thanks for the comments guys..

(Fatman)...I keep quite a few during the Fall and Winter, but only the 9 to 10 inch ones.. The pond is quite large, with many tributaries (750 acres), so it will support a large population..

(Hawnjigs)...We catch largemouths, pickerel, pike, yellow and white perch, sunfish and an occasional hornpout (catfish) To me the fish are better eating during the cold months....the meat is much firmer..

 

[Radtexan]

Here in Maine black crappie are considered an invasive species, and no law or limit on them.

That is surprising OF,,why do you think that is ????

SOme great looking jigs,and very impressive catch's...GLad to hear crappie are good that far NE..

 

[ScottV]

Those are some great looking jigs oldfox. I can see why you're catching so many. "Invasive Species", somebody don't know a good thing when they see it. I'm glad you recognize the black crappie as the treasure it is.

 

[oldfox]

(Radtexan)...Maine fisheries have always been managed for their cold water game fish (salmon, trout). Black crappie and northern pike are considered invasive, and provide to much competition for the cold water species. I think Maine is making a huge mistake by not managing the crappie and pike, but that's just my opinion...time will tell..

(ScottV)...You are right on Scott..I consider fishing for crappie one of my best fishing experiences, and I was brought up as a die hard cold water fisherman. And least we forget their tasty fillets

 

[oldfox]

Just an update... Out today for 6 hours... Great day (no wind, finally!!) Between the two of us we landed 206.. A couple of pickerel, 4 yellows and a couple of LM small bass.. The water temp is still only 54 degrees, and the majority of the males have turned black. Could they/have they spawned by now with this cold of a water temp?? What temp do they spawn in the south...usually it has to be at least 60 degrees up here...
Anyways, what worked today was buddy's orange and chartreuse tubes, and these new ones I tried. The squirrel tails better than the O/C ones

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