Home Forums Fishing Freshwater The one that never got away

Caught my best ever sacalait yesterday. 2lbs even. Notice the chunk out of it's back, it's healed over. Probably a cormorant. We had a good day 66 total fishing in Lake Ramsey. We were dragging Road Runners on the bottom in 10 ft. of water. It's been an awesome year we have fished 23 days (started Jan 9th) and have a total of 619 fish so far. Can't get enough of these puppies!

That's a lovely crappie (sacalait) good sir. I think the record is almost double that, but a "deuce" is nothing to sneeze at anywhere. Ours never get that big, and we consider a 10-incher to be a decent size.

Nice catch! They won't turn on here for six or seven weeks given decent weather. It's been a cold and snowy winter so far, so it might be a bit longer for us this year.

I forgot to add that. Our crappie season doesn't start until mid to late April, peaking right at Mother's Day. The lake I fish most often has a 10 fish limit, so there's no way to fill a freezer with those delicious fillets. Fortunately, that same lake has walleye, channel cats, wipers (hybrid stripers), and both large and smallmouth bass. You have not lived until you have a five-pound wiper hit a crappie jig on four-pound test. Your drag will sing and your kayak will develop a roostertail!

Cooler full of good eating there

The lake that we fish is private and there is no limit. The state limit on public waters is 50 fish per day. I have been blessed to be able to fish there. The bite will end soon usually the end of February. But it has been a ritual for us. I have 17 bags frozen with about 20 fillets in each. Enough to last until next year.

Ummmmmmm 619 so far? Pretty much wiping them out, aren't you?
Don't mean to be insulting but we call guys that do that,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,um,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,fish-hogs?

Not by any means. The state creel limit is 50 fish per person per day. If we were to use those limits we would have caught 2300 fish. People not familiar with the incredible fishery here in Louisiana can not fathom the amount of fish this area holds. We might well be considered fish hogs where you come from but down here we're just considered anglers. You're not that far come check out the wonderful fishing. I'd be honored to have you as my guest.

They appear to be quite cyclic in both size and numbers. Severl years back Oregon experienced a multi year wet period and many closed basins (areas that don't drain) suddenly filled and held water for 5 or 6 years. In prior years they were just dry lake beds, so there were no fish present. Within a year or two of being stocked, they generated 18 to 24 inch crappie. Now they're all back to being minnie salt flats again.

I'm not really sure a couple fishermen could wipe out a lake full of crappie . They breed like crazy , one reason a lot of states have a 50 fish limit.

24-inch crappie, huh? So what did they do with those new world record fish? Because the longest ones recorded taped just over 19 inches. Or is the truth being stretched along with those crappie?

Don't know that anyone was interested in record books. They were massive with only one or two needed to cover the bottom of a cooler. I was a non believer, until a neighbor stopped by for show and tell.