Yes, typically about an even split for this body of water. I counted 10 Black out of the 23 crappies.Nice outing Dave. I can't wait to get on the ice. Just curious, it appears that you have a mix of blacks and whites? Blacks seem to dominate here.
Crappie days are some of the best days on the ice.Sometimes a crappie day is a good day.
I wish Iowa would allow winter spearing for game fish. I've used a portable hub style but a solid wall shelter is much nicer. This was from 2021, the next morning. Lucky there was not damage and the snow was easily cleaned off.Crappie are indeed fun to catch and even better table fare. I enjoy fishing during open water but winter will find me in a dark house spearing for pike. It is a peaceful pursuit so long as you build no larger than 4'x6'.
We don't have any size restriction on Crappie, just a 25 per day limit. A crappie 14 inches or better earns you a "master angler" award. State records are; Black is 4.08lbs/ 18 inches; White is 4.56lbs/ 21.25 inches Here in my local waters a 12 incher is about as big as they get.Dave, whats the size limit on crappie up there? I believe ours is 9".
I need to dig out the photos of the 2 pre-spawn slabs I caught back in 1995, 17" & 18".
They were awful finicky this morning. I had to keep switching up between a black jig with black plastic or a white jig with a maggot. Took all morning to get 24 keepers. (topped out at 12 inches) Probably threw back that many that were too small to keep.
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This particular spot is a senior person's top choice. Unload your gear at the edge of the road, drive 100yards further to the parking lot. Walk back to your gear, walk down a 20 foot sand beach, then 80 yards on onto what is now bare ice. Community hole, sweet spot is about a 40 yard diameter. Most everybody is considerate and allows a decent amount of elbow room on the ice.I always enjoy these posts Dave, good to see you are getting out there and bringing home some good eats!