Bill, glad to share it! It kinda gives a whole new meaning to the term “panfish”!

The fellow in the picture is John Casey from Illinois. He has sent me other pictures of big Crappies, but this one is the largest I’ve ever seen. He caught it on a 1/32 oz jig, but he uses a size 10 hook!

Here’s a link to some other fish pictures that have been sent to me. There is even a pic taken a few years ago of one of my sons,(Brian Hester) with his first ever Smallmouth. Really makes a dad proud!

Fish Pics

Stillakid2
Thanks for the welcome! I was typing when you replied! (My typing sucks!)
I don’t have a problem with removing the fish. Should help other species, unless it removes prey.
I’m just curious about why the commercial guys were involved.

I would be glad to discuss fishing with you! I also like to hear about what folks in other areas are doing. One of the other members asked me about tips for fishing tidal waters, so maybe I’ll write an article about it.

Most of the fishing I do is in tidal rivers.

Jon, Thanks for the reply! I understand the type of fish they’re netting. We have a fair amount of such fish here too! Most folks here who fish for carp or other “trash” fish do it just for sport, and there is nothing that prevents the taking of “trash” fish like carp or suckers if a person wants to eat them. I’ve even eaten them, but it’s not a favorite of mine! Suckers are OK if fixed properly.

I could understand anglers fighting the taking of gamefish. I wouldn’t stand for it either! There has been an on going battle here between commercial interests & recreational anglers, primarily over Striped Bass.

As far as I know the only netting of “trash” fish here, is done by the DNR when doing fish counts, or sometimes in the few lakes we have the DNR will remove such fish if they feel they’re causing a problem with more desirable species.
We had the famous Snakehead incident here, not too far from where I live, but that was a different situation.

I’ve never heard of any commercial taking of such fish here.

My question is, what are the fish used for? Do they net them just to get rid of some of them and throw them away somewhere or do they have a use for them? Commercial guys don’t usually net fish without some pay involved!

Neat pics, and interesting!

I don’t mean to sound stupid, but over here in MD that’s not the type of fish the commercial guys are after. Plus, commercial netting here is not looked upon favorably by the recreational angler.

What do they do with the fish they keep?

It sounds like the commercial guys & the rec guys get along in your area! Whats the deal?

Steve, thanks! That jig I use is just so simple, but it works great! Those type rubber legs have always worked well for me on flies, so I guess it makes sense on a jig.

I don’t make my own plastics either, or never got into making crankbaits. I’ve been tying flies for about 37 years, and making other tackle for a little less time. I don’t use small panfish tubes much, but do use the larger bass sizes. Most of the time, when I use plastics for panfish, it’s a 1″ to 3″ curltail grub in several colors, Chartreuse, white, & black seem to work most days, but I also like clear with silver, pearl or gold glitter, smoke, pink, salt & pepper, or green pumpkin.

Here’s a picture of a 3 lb monster Crappie that my friend John Casey caught on one of those jigs. He’s the guy I mentioned that had sent it to me in my first post, and he catches some real monsters on them. I don’t know who came up with the idea but it really does work fine.

If you do any kind of tying then they’re real easy to make.

I fish some tidal rivers in MD for Crappies, and would like to know if you folks use blade baits, or spoons for them?
I also have good success with a simple jig that has a chenille body & round rubber legs & tail.

I use a variety of lures, but seldom use bait, just prefer not to bother with it. I sometimes get skunked, but don’t worry a lot about it, I can usually find something to catch, even if it’s small ones. The waters are fairly shallow, and when the tide is moving the fish have to move too, but they don’t go far. We don’t have much ice, so the conditions are similar all year except for water temps & clarity.

Another lure I like is a spoon with a dressed trailer hook, and use it throughout the year. It’s nothing more than a willow blade with a hook soldered to it, and a slightly smaller trailer hook dressed with marabou, or pearl flashabou. I cast it or jig it.

I’m mostly jigging around pads & wood, brushy overhangs an along riprap edges. I use an ultra light rod for casting, and an old 8 ft fiberglass fly rod & spinning reel for jigging. The fly rod just gives me more reach, and I don’t use it for much else anyway.

Do you folks use anything like these lures, and if so what kind of success do you have?

The reason I’m asking, a friend of mine in IL sent the jig to me, I tie them for him since he don’t tie, and he’s caught several Crappies over 2 lbs, and even some over 3 lbs on that type jig, but he doesn’t seem to have much luck with the spoons. He likes an all black 1/32 oz jig with fl green rubber legs & tail. I do well with the same color, and also all chartreuse, or all white.

Any thoughts?

Here’s pictures of the jigs & spoons I use.

I agree with carpgirl, and those little packs can sometimes be gotten for free from camera shops. If you can’t get freebies, the crystals sold in fly shops for drying out flies is the same thing. They usually come in a small plastic container, and you can make your own packs using coffee filter paper or nylon hosiery, and some super glue.

Riverfan, sure, I would be glad to.

OK, thanks for the navigation lesson!
I sent you a reply, & hope it helps!

Blue Fleck, thanks for the welcome! I found this site by doing a search for fishing forums! This looks like a great place with lots of participation & knowledge!

I agree with you about hearing from outside! I like to hear what folks in other places are doing to catch fish! I think sometimes fishing ideas get a little stale when everyone is doing the same thing in a particular area. I’m always looking for something different & new ideas, although I still rely on what’s worked for me in the past!

I’ve recently become interested in Walleyes, but we don’t have a lot of them here. I’ve not yet caught any so am trying to do some homework to improve my chances.

I also fish for bass & Stripers, as well as panfish & catfish and it looks like there’s a lot of good info here about all of them. (Smallmouths & Stripers are my two favorites!) I mainly fish rivers like the Potomac & Susquehanna, and the Chesapeake Bay & tidal tributaries.

I make a lot of my own tackle & tie flies, and have been doing so for about 37 years. I hope I can contribute something in return for the info I receive.

Thanks again for the warm welcome! Tight lines!

I’m also new here, but have used the swimming technique for many years. My preference is for jigs tied with hair, especially those with rabbit strip tails, but I’ll also use rubber or silicone skirted jigs with plastic trailers & grubs at times, mostly in tidal waters around pads & wood. A heavily skirted jig with 6″ lizard works great sometimes swimming it fast thru the pads & over grasses in the tidal rivers I fish.

I use hair jigs year round, I feel the action is better, but they do seem to work better in colder waters for most people. Hair jigs don’t push a lot of water, so I feel it’s just a matter of water clarity, since many waters clear up when they get cold & algaes & such die off. Bass, as well as other species can see them better in cold, clear waters. As water clarity drops I switch to other baits that push a lot of water, & create a lot of commotion.

I also use a wide assortment of colors & combinations, but use 3 more than all others, black, white & chartreuse. These are my starting colors most of the time for just about any type lure I decide to use, then I adapt from there. Again I feel it’s because the fish see these better, under the majority of “normal” water conditions in my area.

As far as colors like pink go, I also have used pink with good success, but am not sure why it works. Black & pink, olive & pink, brown & pink, or purple & pink combinations have worked for me. I believe it has something to do with contrast of the colors against each other & against the surroundings. Again the fish can see it better. It may also resemble some natural prey, as I’ve seen soft shell craws that looked pink to me.

I use 1/8 oz jigs most of the time in rivers & streams, but will go up to as large as 1 or 2 oz for heavy grasses or pads in the tidal rivers, although lighter weights of 3/8 to 3/4 oz usually work fine.

Here’s a link to some of the hair jigs & colors I use.

http://www.chesapeakefly.com/hairjig.htm