the big crappie bite is on!!!

[arkansasnative]

my buddy always sends me pics of him and his family fishing while im stuck at work... last night he sent me one of his little brother. at first glance i thought thats a weird looking bass (what they normally fish for) but then i looked closer and it was a huge freaking crappie! his little brother caught it on a red and white crappie jig in a little 5 acre pond in a gravel pit. after it had been sittin on ice for 2 hours they weighed it at 3.8 pounds and 20 inches long! the state record is right around 4lb 7oz if i remember correctly. had he caught it earlier during spawning it would have been REALLLY close! this is the second 3lb 5oz plus crappie caught locally by someone i know personally since late march! anyways... on to the pics!

 

[breachless]

That thing is HUGE! I have never seen a crappie that big before. ****...

 

[Ictalurus]

That thing is HUGE! I have never seen a crappie that big before.

x2. I'd hang that baby above the fireplace.

 

[Loggerhead Mike]

fish of a lifetime!

 

[bassassassin8]

That thing is a SLOB crappie. Way to go! =D>

 

[BaitCaster]

Holy Crap.....pie!

 

[biggun1979]

Nice you dont catc to many like that in a life time

 

[perchin]

good grief!!!! I'll mix up some beer batter, you heat up some oil. :mrgreen:

 

[SMDave]

Dang :shock:

 

[jkbirocz]

That thing is massive, looks like it is uncomfortable being that big. That's a white crappie right?

 

[robr3004]

That sucker is HUGE!!!!

 

[arkansasnative]

That thing is massive, looks like it is uncomfortable being that big. That's a white crappie right?

i actually think it might be a very pale black crappie... if i could count the dorsal spines i would know but its hard to tell against the white shirt in the picture

 

[Codeman]

NICE! IF you guys are landing Crappie like that down there I think I may have to sneak south of the border. LOL

 

[bassassassin8]

That thing is massive, looks like it is uncomfortable being that big. That's a white crappie right?

It's a black crappie. It's just lighter for a number of possible reasons. It could be due to the water it lives in, whether its stained or clear. It could also be where the fish has spent most of its time in the water column. It would be darker if it was suspended just off the bottom or lighter if it was higher in the water column. Also, the kind of structure it spends time around will dictate coloration. If it is in open water w/ a lot of sun as it seems this fish has, it'll be lighter. Fish that hang out under matted grass, docks, around laydowns, etc will be darker. They all influence fish coloration.

Also, black crappie have 7-8 dorsal spines while whites have 5-6. Black crappie have more "spots" or horizontal black markings while white crappie have more vertical markings similar to perch if you will.

 

[dixie_boysles]

thats one big freaking crappie