The fish of the week this week is crappie.
There are two types of crappie (white and black) and they are almost identical in body structure and habits. There main difference is their coloration that they derive their names from.

Crappie tend to strike quickly and immediately head for cover. So when you start to reel them in they start to dart around. I call it this because they move very erratically and very quickly. This is always a fun fight for an angler because they are very unpredictable. Depending on what kind of fishing your doing, catching them is only half the fun. The other half comes in when you fillet and fry them. There are plenty of other ways to cook fish, but frying is my favorite method.

Crappie have excellent eye sight and are very picky when it comes to food. Many people swear that you'll never catch them unless you use live minnows and very light, thin line. The line choice is true in my opinion. Crappie are spooked off by line so the best way to catch more is to have line they can't see. I don't agree with the notion that they can only be caught by live baits. I have caught basket fulls of crappie using a variety of artificial lures. Some colors that worked best for me are orange, silver, and red. These colors work on jigs, minnows, spinners, and fly style baits.

Here is a link to a website that compiles tons of great facts and examples about crappie fishing.http://www.crappie.com/johna/johna.htm

Fishing Quote of The Week: "A bad day on the lake is better than a great day at work".

Welcome to the New Year

Spring is a big time for anglers around the nation. As warm weather arrives the fish become more active and still bodies of water unfreeze. My goal this blog is to show people techniques, tackle, equipment, locations, and stores to buy from. So in an effort to get everyone prepared for the spring fishing rush here are some places where you can stock up on important tackle and websites to visit for more information on fishing techniques, tackle, laws, and more.

 

Gander Mountain can be a great place to stock up on fishing tackle, boating equipment, safety gear, and anything else you could need for the spring fishing season. They can be a bit pricey on some items but in return you get a staff with knowledge. (Tip: Try and go when they run a 60% off sale it covers nearly 3/4 of the stores inventory!)

I hope to be able to teach both newbies and veterans alike all i can about fishing. But I don't know it all so i want to connect readers with other blogs, stores, shows, and resources that can help them learn about a sport, pastime, food source, and recreational activity that I love. So for my first link please visit http://www.takemefishing.org/blog/. They have a multitude of postings about a variety of different topics that one can apply to all kinds of water related hobbies.

Fishing Quote of the Week: "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime."