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Black Crappie Popular with Anglers in the Know

January 29, 2008 - This weekend a number of anglers questioned me about black crappie, so I thought I would write about this relative newcomer to the state of Maine.

The black crappie is native to the Great Lakes area, and its range stretches south to the Gulf of Mexico. Crappies were first introduced in Maine at Virginia Lake in 1921, at the head-water lake of the Sebago Lake watershed. In 1969, black crappies were accidentally stocked in the Sebasticook River drainage when they were intermixed with a shipment of largemouth bass from a federal hatchery. They have further expanded their range and now are found in at least 64 waters throughout the state.

Spawning takes place in the spring and is similar to that of our native sunfishes. A small dish-like depression is made on a sandy area within heavy vegetative cover. Once the eggs are laid the male guards the nest until the fry emerge and disperse. Young crappies feed on insects and switch over to a mostly fish diet as they grow larger.

The typical black crappie in Maine is between six and 11 inches, although larger individuals are fairly common. The state record is 3.25 pounds. Crappies are a schooling fish and when actively feeding they may provide for some very fast fishing. The best time to catch them is in the morning and late evening when they typically feed. Most anglers prefer to jig for crappies using small jigs and rubber grubs often tipped with a small minnow. Black crappies also can be caught at night by suspending a light over the hole while jigging.

For those who haven't tried crappie fishing give it a try. Not only can it be a fun species to catch, but when it's filleted and fried it is very tasty.

James Lucas, Fisheries Bioiogist, Sidney

WESTERN MOUNTAINS -- Ice conditions were good on most waters last weekend. Most of the previous week's water and slush on the ice had frozen to create safer conditions and easier traveling. The ice thickness on the smaller waters in the northwestem corner of the state was at six-to-eight inches. The larger waters still are a problem, so ice travelers need to use some caution. Slushy conditions likely will retum after a few more snow events.

Overall, this year's winter fishing season is off to a great start. The first couple of weeks in the year produced some fast action. Here are some of the regional highlights: At Pleasant Pond, Caratunk: We have so far interviewed 185 anglers. They've caught 140 legal lake trout and a 15-inch brook trout. Two of the togue were over 30 inches long and weighed more than 10 pounds. At Porter Lake, New Vineyard: We have interviewed 141 anglers that caught 97 salmon up to 18 inches in length. Seventeen lake trout also were caught with the largest being 22 inches long. At Clearwater Pond, Industry: Fifteen salmon have been sampled that average 17.3 inches in length and 1 pound, 13 ounces in weight. The largest salmon was over 19 inches long. At Oaks Pond, Skowhegan: In two days of fishing the 32 anglers we interviewed caught a 17-inch rainbow trout and 34 splake, averaging 15.6 inches in length. Wentworth Pond, Solon: Seventyfive anglers that were interviewed caught 37 legal splake and 16 brook trout. Average lengths are 13.7 inches for splake and 13.0 inches for brook trout. The largest fish were a 16-inch splake and a 14-inch brookie. We also have received good fishing reports for brook trout and brown trout at Wesserunsett Lake in Madison. Wyman Lake in Moscow is producing good numbers of salmon, splake and brook trout.

David Howan. Fisheries Biologist Specialist. Strong.

SOURCE: MORNING SENTINEL

DATE: 01-16-2008


Lakes: Pleasant Pond, Wyman Lake
Regions: Rangeley, Moosehead, Embden, Jackman


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