Crappies are hitting!

[Bowhunter57]

I've not had any luck catching anything at N.W. Ohio's, Lima Lake, but decided to give it another shot this evening. It took me most of the evening to figure out what they were hitting on, but I finally found something they liked...about an hour before dark.

I was using a 1/8oz. jig with a purple twister tail (electric blue metal flake works good too) and was just casting, using a slow retrieve. If a stike proved to be nothing, I'd hesitate for a few seconds and then continue the retrieve.

2 that were 9 1/2" and 2 that were 10 1/2". I baked them for 45 min. and then browned them on the stove top, with a little butter. Nothing like catching your own supper. Yes...I'll be going back.

 

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Bowhunter57

[streak]

Bowhunter57,
 That is some good looking crappie!
 One of my favorite fish to catch and eat!! When I lived in Louisiana and they built Toledo Bend, talk about crappe and bream fishing!! It was unbelievable!
My daddy and my two brothers would drive down from Shreveport  and arrive just before daylight and fish until around noon and have a couple of Coleman 48qt. coolers loaded down with either crappie or bream. The fishing was so good that they set up fish scaling machines along the highway at little gas stations or little general stores.
One of my favorite receipes for crappie was given to me by one of my neighbors when I lived in Houston, Texas. He was full bloodied 'Cajun"!
Take a large whole crappie and season it with your favorite seasoning then take a small jar of yellow mustard and mix it with a two or three good splashes of " Louisiana Hot Sauce"  on a large plate or bowl and cover the entire crappie  with this mixture and then roll the crappie in yellow cornmeal until it has a good coating. Take the crappie and place it into a Dutch Oven that has been preheating with peanut oil and fry until crappie rises to the top of the peanut oil and take out immediately and place on some paper towels to drain for a few seconds and then dive in!!
 

[LunaticFringeInc]

The water here finally made it to 60 degrees so the Crappie Spawn is in full swing here.  Last Sunday I managed about 15 over 12 inches, all males preping the spawning sites.  I was going after them old school style with minnows under a slip bobber and gold aberdeen wire hook.  Once the spawn is over will break out the jigging pole and hit those deep summer time crappie holes till fall.

[BUGEYE]

My all-time favorite eating fish.

[KNIFE_NUT_1981]

Nice catch! Thanks for sharing! I was doing pretty good a few weeks ago, catching 20 or more everyday for a week, until the river came up and ruined that... I plan on hitting them again this weekend in another spot, not affected by the river stage!

[deernhog]

They are up in the willows in 3'-7' of water next to the cover. Ease up and drop a minnow or jig down next to it and watch for a hit.
 

[streak]

This makes me homesick!!