Crappie at their best

[oldfox]

The spawn has started here in Maine. My buddy and I tried a pond known for it's big crappie, and we were not disappointed. We fished from 7AM to 10:30AM and caught a total of 106 fish (1 5# bass, 2 14" white perch, 103 crappie)40 of the crappie were 15" and up to 16 1/2". Most fish were caught on orange/chartruse and rootbeer colored jigs.
We released all fish except for these that ended up in the deep fryer. That's framing square at the bottom of the picture is showing the 16" leg of the square. One of the best crappie trips ever!
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[Fatman]

Old fox Very nice and congrats on a great outing!!!!!!!!! You guys gonna get whacked by this Nor-easter coming in???

 

[oldfox]

Old fox Very nice and congrats on a great outing!!!!!!!!! You guys gonna get whacked by this Nor-easter coming in???

Looks like heavy rain Doug...we need some rain, the woods are like a tinderbox! Just showers at the moment..

 

[Ron Don]

Wow what a trip!

 

[ScottV]

Wow, those are some nice crappie. They have a nice color to them, darker than the blacks we have down here. Congrats

 

[JSC]

Days like that can spoil you
Good Catch

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

I'm jealous, I wish I had a pond like that here somewhere,I'd be in heaven. You had a great day,some killer slabs for sure.

 

[Jig Man]

great fish... must be very clear water!

 

[Hawnjigs]

Geez, I thought big slabs were a Southern thang. Were you floating or banking and what kind of structure was holding such exceptional size & #s?

 

[Fatman]

I'd love to see some of the ponds here in Vermont stocked with some crappie - sure would be alot more places for kids to fish for something other than trout.

 

[LedHed]

Good to hear from you old fox – better reading your awesome fish report. Congrats and thnx for sharing.

 

[CrappieHappy]

Sounds like a great trip! Nice looking fish, congrats on your outing!!

 

[oldfox]

To answer some of your questions:

Jigman - Most ponds are very clear up here. This pond was also..

Hawnjigs - Structure here was basically large boulders and rocks..very little wood.

Doc Crappie - As you said, most up here are trout and salmon fishermen. I used to be the same, until I discovered crappie It is catching on with a few, but still not the fish of choice. Maine Fisheies and wildlife consider them an invasive species, hence, no limit on them.

LedHed - Good to be back..had a few back problems this winter, so no ice fishing. Glad to get back to tying and some Spring fishing!

Thank you all for the comments

 

[Radtexan]

Some great color OF...and what size !!!

 

[noel sanchez]

nice fishing trip cant wait for socal spawn to go off

 

[Doc Crappie]

Main has a secrete they are keeping from people, they have some huge slab crappies and are not telling...... nice catch