crappie Archives - Page 24 of 26 - Mississippi Sportsman

Crappie Time TV show host Ronnie Capps claims regardless of how you get to the wading flats, you’ll still be limited to the amount of gear you can carry.

Best crappie wade-fishing equipment

March 1, 2013 Phillip Gentry

Whether you decide to chase spawning crappie on foot, from an ATV or paddle after them in a kayak, each tactic limits the angler to only what he or she can reasonably carry. […]

John Harrison used the conditions to his advantage nailing seven slabs over 2 pounds each during the MCC’s Sardis Reservoir tournament.

Sardis crappie are fat and healthy

March 1, 2013 Paul Johnson

Learned something new the other day while preparing for a crappie tournament to be held on Sardis Reservoir. I learned the meaning of the term “turbidity level.” Look, I was at the top of my vocabulary class when I was in grade school a hundred years or so ago, and I knew the word turbid. […]

If the wind will allow it, this would be a great weekend to catch black crappie under the piers at Eagle Lake, where fishing shallow in deep water produces for anglers like David Thornton, who lives on the lake.

Approaching front won’t help poor fishing conditions

February 15, 2013 Bobby Cleveland

Last weekend’s rains and this week’s cooler temperatures have slowed what was rapidly becoming an early spring for Mississippi fishermen, and another big delay is rapidly approaching.

A cold front forecast to drop lows below freezing Friday and Saturday nights in most of Mississippi will make finding bass and crappie more difficult.

And that’s not the worst news. […]

MCC Tournament Director Terry Stewart and his 80-something father Don won the December “fisherman’s choice” event.

Same lake, different story

February 1, 2013 Paul Johnson

Since my last report here, the Magnolia Crappie Club has held two tournaments at Chotard and Eagle lakes. These unusual “fisherman’s choice” crappie tournaments were held in early December and early January.

In fact, last month’s “As Big As They Grow” crappie column was based on what I expected to happen in that early December tournament. As I recall, I predicted that the tournament would be won pulling crankbaits at Chotard. […]

The goal of the Magnolia crappie program is not to create a super crappie, but to put more fish in angler’s creels.

In search of the Magnolia crappie — Why MDWFP biologists created a third species of this popular panfish

February 1, 2013 Phillip Gentry

A day at work for the fisheries biologist at the MDWFP North Mississippi Fish Hatchery near Enid begins with flipping on the lights. […]

Magnolia crappie are a hybrid between the two prevailing species of crappie — a female white crappie and male black crappie.

Where to find Magnolia crappie

February 1, 2013 Phillip Gentry

According to Tom Holman, MDWFP’s Fish Hatcheries Program coordinator, Magnolia crappie have been stocked in 12 of the ’s 19 state lakes since 2007. […]

Anglers looking to catch one of Mississippi’s home-grown crappie can skip the big lakes and look to state lakes and Community Assisted Ponds to catch a Magnolia crappie.

Lake Claude Bennett: Your best shot at a Magnolia crappie

February 1, 2013 Phillip Gentry

All of Mississippi’s state lakes are designed to provide ample bank-fishing access. But one of the better locations for bank fishing is Lake Claude Bennett in Jasper County. […]

Magnolia crappie share similar traits with both white and black crappie, but only about 60% retain the easily identified black stripe.

How to distinguish a Magnolia crappie

February 1, 2013 Phillip Gentry

Many novice crappie anglers have a hard time distinguishing between a black crappie and a white crappie, so adding a third species to the mix can be a bit confusing. […]

A Little Bit Sideways

January 30, 2013 Phillip Gentry

The brightly colored floats dipped and bobbed in the bright winter sun, but gave no indication of the scene that was unfolding below the surface of the water. […]

Black, white crappie similar, different

January 24, 2013 Hal Schramm

Crappie, sac-a-lait, papermouth, white perch, specks or calico bass — call them what you will, the Magnolia State can rightfully boast some of the best crappie fishing in the U.S., and the best time for crappie fishing is nearly upon us. […]

Changes proposed for Sardis crappie size and creel limits

January 22, 2013 Bobby Cleveland

Crappie fishermen at one of Mississippi’s best perch-jerking holes would be able to take home a higher percentage of the crappie they catch, but they won’t be able to take home as many each day under a regulation change proposed last week by state wildlife officials.

The size limit at Sardis Reservoir will drop from a 12-inch minimum to a 10-inch minimum, but the daily limit will be reduced from 20 per person per day to 15 per person. The boat limit, with three or more anglers, will fall from 50 per day to 40 per day. […]

Brian Battle and Shelton Culpepper quietly caught the two-man limit (100 crappie) before 1 p.m. on the winter pattern at Chotard.

Cold crappie won’t hit crankbaits?

January 21, 2013 Paul Johnson

Let me tell you from first-hand experience the winter crappie pattern is on over at Chotard. Seems that every winter season on this beautiful, hidden-away crappie paradise located north of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River, there is a day or two where the fishing is so outstanding that it is hard to describe.

New Year’s Eve was a day with a couple of things dead-set against it — namely a very high and rapidly rising river stage. Plus, to beat all, it was the day of the dreaded full moon! And, if you’ve ever read any of my stuff, you know my personal feelings about the full moon phase and how I think (make that thought) it detrimentally influences the crappie bite.

Now, I’ve said many times here that I personally don’t think the rising river keeps Chotard white perch from biting. Just because the river is rising doesn’t mean they stop eating. Well, brother, they ate on this magical day. […]