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Summertime in the BelgradesContentsfor Printing Article Summaries |
Belgrade Crappie
By Mike Guarino The Belgrade Lakes Region is loaded with fish, that's no secret. Travelers come from all over to explore the waters and take in the beautiful scenery, and fishermen are treated to a bonanza of different species ranging from the voracious northern pike too the tasty white perch and everything in between. It's true that the fishing foundation here in the Belgrades was built on trout and salmon and the fishing for those species is still pretty good today, but this week I want to talk about a fish that gets very little publicity. The black crappie is the equivalent of a fishing misnomer. Few folks even know what a black crappie is — never mind what to call it. In other places in the country they are called "specs" or "paper mouths" and are a prized fish. They are known mostly for their fantastic flavor and brilliant fillets, and crappie fight hard on light spinning gear and are a blast to catch. Best of all, they are a schooling fish, so once you find them anglers can often catch quite a few. Here in the Belgrades we have excellent crappie fishing that all too often flies under the radar. East Pond, North Pond and Long Pond are all loaded with "specs". Crappie have very large mouths compared to the rest of their bodies. The huge mouth comes in handy because these pan fish are primarily minnow eaters. Our local bait shops have plenty of small minnows just right for this kind of fishing. There are a few good starting points when searching for crappie in local waters. First, remember that crappie love fallen trees. They live in the branches of submerged timber, so if you find a fallen tree, especially in a shaded cove, you just might find your dinner hiding under there. Second, it's important to keep in mind that crappie do not like sunlight. They are quite sensitive, so fishing at dusk or on an overcast day will up your odds. Third, light tackle is important. They are called paper mouths for a reason, so using big hooks and heavy line will only aid in pulling the hook from the fishes mouth. Using 4-6 pound mono and an ultra light rod is ideal. Many crappie fishermen use slip bobbers to control the depth of their minnow, or use a light jig and gently hook the minnow by the lips and cast into the structure. Lastly, the fillets on the crappie are light and tender. The best way to cook them is to lightly bread them (try using some pancake flour!) and fry them up — nothing too it! Fishing ReportLast week's heat wave really changed the surface temperature of the lakes. Water went from 59° to 70° in just a few days. It turned on some of the fish too, specifically smallmouth bass. The last week has produced some of the best smallmouth fishing I can ever remember. Male bass are on the beds everywhere and the females are not far behind. If you don't see bass on the beds, try fishing slowly just off the nearest drop off. Pressure on these fish is intense and they spook easily. Also, remember it's crucial that we put these bass back when we catch them during this spawning time of year. That way we will have even more to catch in the future. Good luck. Mike Guarino can be contacted at | ||
