Dang-It!

[WHARFRAT]

I'm 58 years old and have caught thousands of crappie, but I don't ever remember busting the 16" mark. My wife has caught 3 over 16" including a 19 incher, my son-in-law caught one over 16" about his 2nd or 3rd time out. And I've been in the boat with a few others that have caught 16's and 17's.

Saturday morning, after a night of a few too many IPA's, woke up late and didn't get the boat out, but decided to just mess around on our docks. Not much luck, but I did have one over 12" and another in the 11' range. Then I hooked what I thought was a bass, and when I finally saw it, it looked like a giant speckled platter. Easily over 16, might have been somewhere in the 17" range. Either way it was going to be a PR for me. But,,, it's a long way from the top of the dock to reach down and pick it up, and of course I didn't have a net with me. So, as I layed down and held the rod up as high as I could, as to not give her any slack, I pulled that jig right out of her mouth. AHHH!

I think I've come to the conclusion, it's just not meant to be! And I would have probably let her go anyway.

[conorsixtakc]

I'm 58 years old and have caught thousands of crappie, but I don't ever remember busting the 16" mark. My wife has caught 3 over 16" including a 19 incher, my son-in-law caught one over 16" about his 2nd or 3rd time out. And I've been in the boat with a few others that have caught 16's and 17's.

Saturday morning, after a night of a few too many IPA's, woke up late and didn't get the boat out, but decided to just mess around on our docks. Not much luck, but I did have one over 12" and another in the 11' range. Then I hooked what I thought was a bass, and when I finally saw it, it looked like a giant speckled platter. Easily over 16, might have been somewhere in the 17" range. Either way it was going to be a PR for me. But,,, it's a long way from the top of the dock to reach down and pick it up, and of course I didn't have a net with me. So, as I layed down and held the rod up as high as I could, as to not give her any slack, I pulled that jig right out of her mouth. AHHH!

I think I've come to the conclusion, it's just not meant to be! And I would have probably let her go anyway.

A six pack of Boulevard Single Wide IPA has been my go-to every first night down for the last few years, you'll realize how important fishing really is when that 5am alarm goes off a few hours after bedtime!

I wouldn't draw any conclusions, just sounds like you're due! If anything, You could always switch it up and get away from the jig game for a bit... maybe spend the early part of next year through late spring working a jerkbait in prespawn areas and along docks.

Must've had one leftover from the night before in this pic...

[Troutfishn]

I was down all week and my report is that catfishing is slow, in about 10 hours worth of drifting skipjack and live shad I managed 1 25lb flatty a 20lb blue and a few small ones. Caught 1 nice 5lb bass drifting the shad, all drifting around the 18mm. Went over to MM 3 south side of the lake at a dock that is on a point of the main channel and hit the very last boat slip at 10pm and caught 25 10-18'' crappie and a few hybrid bass in the 2-3lb range and left by 11pm. The crappie were on fire in 45ft of water suspended in 20-30ft. They are in the middle of their summer pattern I catch them in the same spot year after year no matter what the conditions. But all in all fishing was slow for me.

[nomolites]

Conor is dead on with the suspending stickbait suggestion for big crappie. You won't catch as many but the size is XL; fish points on the way into spawning banks with wind in the spring.

Mike

[nomolites]

...and I agree it is just a matter of time. You are due....

[Old plug]

I caught two at 17 " on two cast on a point at the mouth Cedar Point cove on a Rogue. They had the picture up at Ozark Outfitters for awhile. The water there was about 50 ft deep. It was a warm still spring afternoon. They must have not been more than 5 ft down. I was fishing for bass at the time. In the past I have caught crappie crappie 14-15 " long on Rogues under those conditions but it certainly is not a regular thing. Catching one was something but two stunned me. I Just sort of regard it as pure luck. Every spring now though when I am using that Rogue I am always hoping. I carry the Rogue in the boat when crappie fishing all the time. I believe those big ones love a big bait.