Journal Entry Dec., 2008

Bow Hunt

While nobody knows for sure, I’ll bet there are over 400 Maine lakes and ponds that have black crappies in them. This is a one of those fish species that are called “invasives,” which basically means they don’t hail from around here. All those black crappies are the result of illegal fishing stocking by the so-called “bait bucket biologists,” people who scoff at the law and dump fish into waters where they don’t belong. These illegal introductions are just plain wrong, but that doesn’t make crappies bad fish.

The fact is that crappies are superb gamefish and Maine anglers now eagerly fish for them because they are fairly easy to catch, there are lots of them and they are delicious to eat.

Crappies feed actively all winter long, which makes them ideal for ice fishing. Small live minnows fished a foot off the bottom in 8 to 12 feet of water on tipups work great. If you want to be active while you fish, then using 1/8th and 1/16th ounce jigs is highly effective, especially if you tip the jig with a small minnow.

One of the names of the crappie is papermouth, and it’s an accurate description, so when you have one on the line, play him gently so your hook doesn’t tear out.

Once you’ve got a good mess of crappies on the ice, my advice is to filet them right away, coat them in cornmeal and fry them until just golden brown and eat with fried potatoes and onions.If that doesn’t make you a fan of crappie fishing, nothing will

Best wishes,