Catch a Crappie: Fishing Tips for These Freshwater Creatures

If you've ever eaten crappie then you realize why people try to catch them. The only problem with crappies is that they have very thin and fragile lips. If the hook gets stuck in their lips and you try and set the hook, the fish will get away. The fishes lips simply tear away and the fish get's off the hook. Crappies can be found in any body of water including: ponds, rivers, and lakes. They are freshwater fish. There are two different types of crappies which are known as the black crappie and the white crappie. It's somewhat difficult to tell the two apart, but the patterns and fins are different.

Crappies will eat any small fish and plenty of insects. They will eat whatever is available. The best thing to catch a crappie with is a small minnow. Pick areas which have hiding places such as banks and trees. It's really surprising that we can catch crappies because they are very inactive during the daylight. At night the fish move out farther into deeper water and feed.

When you are fishing for crappie you will need to set the hook but you do not have to rip the fishes lips off. Gently set the hook with a little tug to the left or right. Crappie is very good to eat and can be cooked in many different ways including frying and boiling. I would suggest keeping the crappie you catch and if you only catch one you can let it go later. This might not be a possibility though because crappie are very hard to keep alive.

The majority of the crappies that you catch will be found floating lifeless on the top of the water. If you catch a crappie make sure to be very gentle with the fish and keep it in the water as much as possible. Actually catching a crappie is somewhat hard because you cannot set the hook in a gentle fashion. Usually when people feel a fish on the line they will tug on the pole as hard as they can. This will leave you fishless.

If you catch a crappie and plan on letting it go, make sure to hold the fish upright in the water for as long as it takes for the fish to swim away on its own. Never throw the fish back into the water because it will most likely die soon after. Crappie are very delicate fish and they need to released gently.

Crappies will bite on anything that looks like a small insect or small fish. I have had the best luck with small leaf worms and small minnows. I wouldn't suggest buying fathead minnows because you will catch mostly smallmouth and largemouth bass.