Table Rock Crappie Question

[gwrightf150]

I know we normally talk Bass on this site, but I have a question. My wife and I were out Bass fishing today just for fun and she boated a 16 1/2" crappie. Biggest crappie I've ever seen. What's the average size for crappie on T.R. Is this normal? As for the Bass fishing, we caught 6 or 7 small ones, all smaller than the crappie. By the way, it's back in the same spot she caught it, just waiting to be caught again.

[Don House]

I know we normally talk Bass on this site, but I have a question. My wife and I were out Bass fishing today just for fun and she boated a 16 1/2" crappie. Biggest crappie I've ever seen. What's the average size for crappie on T.R. Is this normal? As for the Bass fishing, we caught 6 or 7 small ones, all smaller than the crappie. By the way, it's back in the same spot she caught it, just waiting to be caught again.

gwrightf150, no we have some really nice crappie on this lake, thing is no one talks about it.. Really it is time for those big females to move on up and they are all over the lake, some places better than others.. Last year I was out on a trip and after the trip I ran into Stacy King over by Big Cedar Lodge in Long Creek watched him boat over 15 crappie in the 16 -- 19 inch range, in less than 45 mins.. We do have a good population of all crappie sizes on this lake, but they really like it up the river arms like Long Creek, Kings or the James, although I have ran into some really nice ones on the main lake as well... Here are some from Spring 2005 I was holding all I could, caught around the DAM area...

Last few years have been hard at best, floods, cold weather and just a small open window for when they move up to spawn.. All in all fun to catch and they are around...

Good Fishing

Don

[gwrightf150]

Don,

Thank you for the reply. I had no idea they got this size on T.R. I know my wife had a blast reeling it in and now that I know this is common, we'll be having them for dinner next time.

[Sam]

I'll say this about Tablerock and Bull Shoals crappie, though I haven't really got onto them good this year (yet). They're unique in that they generally want BIG baits. I guess it's because shad run big in these lakes.

Out of this area I've often found that slab crappie will only bite on little-bitty lures. I'm going to a lake in SW Arkansas next week where they fish with 1/32 oz. hair jigs about 1/2 inch long - those, and minnows, are the only things that will work there. Not here - my usual crappie lure here is a 3" swimming minnow on a 1/16 or 1/8 oz. jighead though I sometimes downsize that if the bite gets tough.

Last year I brought one limit home from the Long Creek arm - they were all big but the best one was a monster 17 1/2" white crappie female. Cleaning the fish, I noticed that one really had a full stomach - just stuffed full so the fish looked real fat. I cut the stomach open, and there was a fresh shad inside rolled up in a ball. I straightened it out, and that shad was 6 3/4" long!

Generally on Tablerock and Bull Shoals, if you get to thinking your lure is too big for a crappie - it isn't!

[Doug Weston]

Ditto that on the big lures. I was bass fishing in the eagle rock area today. I caught a crappie that bit a 5" hollow belly swimbait rigged on a 1/2 oz jighead. When it bit I thought I had a 5lb bass. The fish measured a shade over 15 lnches. I'm posting from my phone so I can't add a photo but I couldn't believe it. I proceeded to catch more in that size range swimming a 4" swimbait rigged on a scrounger. It really blew my mind. I mean the crappie had that 5" swimbait completely swallowed. I think the hook on the jighead was a 5/0 hook. She had the jig in her mouth plus the bait! Not just hooked on the edge of the mouth either but close to an inch past her lips! I would have never thunk it....

Oh I got 2 keeper spots(one almost 3lbs), a dink walleye, a white, and around 8 or so dink blacks also from about 4pm till dark. Pretty good evening.

[gwrightf150]

Well everything you folks are saying fits what my wife was throwing. She was throwing about a 3" lipless crankbait. I really do appreciate all the information. I've only been fishing T.R. for about 3 years now and never tried the crappie fishing. Now that you have all shared some valuable information, we'll be trying it in the future.

[Predator1]

That all ain't no joke. I have caught them on 6" watermelon senkos with 5/0 hooks. They get hungry just like bass.

[Doug Weston]

Here is the picture of the Crappie and the Bait. Sorry for not posting earlier.