Fishing in the rain

[Mofloatjunkie]

We put in at Delaware town yesterday about 11am. Starting fishing in front of the ramp and to my suprise we started catching white bass. They were small but a blast to catch. Caught some nice smallmouth on jigs between there and the bridge. Then another suprise... We started catching crappie. All from the same structure on bitsy tubes. Caught about a dozen or so. Some of the crappie had black stripes down the back of their head, does anybody know anything about this? After that we pretty much got poured on the rest of the trip. Had a boat fly by my canoe and barley missed me. We just about got swamped but I got the front of the canoe pointed towards the wake in time. The thing that bothered me most about that was they were drinking beer in glass bottles.

The rain did not affect the fishing. All the biggest fish of the day were caught in the rain. Biggest smallmouth was 16in. Caught countless goggle eye as well. Had a great trip, we haven't been floating in weeks. Took some pics and released all fish to be caught another day. The river is perfect boys, get out there and enjoy it!!

[fishinwrench]

A dude almost swamped you, but what REALLY sucked was that he had bottled beer.

Classic!

Nice fish man.

[slab slinger]

Crappie with black stripe...I call them Mohawk crappie. They are a hybrid crappie cross developed for pond stocking. They don't reproduce like the black/white strains. Have caught several on the James and Finley rivers. Most likely they washed out of someone's pond.

[MOPanfisher]

A quick Google search found everything from they are special, to they are normal. The information I chose to believe was from a fisheries biologist from Texas that explains them. If correct they are certainly not unique or a hybrid of any kind. I have caught them in several lakes.

http://www.bradwiegmann.com/fish-biology/39-fish-biologist/140-crappie-confusion.html

[Mofloatjunkie]

Thanks mopanfisher. Interesting article. Makes sense. I think I read something on the table rock forum about these Mohawk crappie before but I can't find it. I hope others will input on this as well.

[slab slinger]

Kentuckyangling.com claims the state stocks the Black Nose crappie anually in Dale Hollow Lake due to popularity and low spawning sucess. Says it's just a black crappie with the stripe genetic.

I was told by a MO warden the info in my first response. I asked him about them after he checked me with a hefty stringer of them wading the Finley.

Sorry about the somewhat false info guys.

[slab slinger]

www.jmmaolneandson.com has the best explanation on the hybrid crappie and black nose crappie I have found. They are a fish stocking company that breeds the hybrid crappie black/white cross and the black nose strain as well. Both crosses are used in pond stocking.