Crappie Season Arrives

Crappie season starts early in Florida when the first azalias bloom, about a month ahead of the fish we used to catch in Texas reservoirs. However, the crappie in our favorite lake east of Gainesville, Newnan’s Lake, haven’t quite got their act together. We had cold weather in January, but the lake’s dark water should be warming faster than most lakes, in this Florida sun. When these fish do turn on in shallow water, they’ll be lurking everywhere, even (this year) up in the cypress trees, where rainwater has collected, thanks to El Nino and the rain we get from every cold front.

However. These fish still haven’t turned on like they should, where in the previous two springs I have caught and released up to 72 of these tasty fish during a busy afternoon. Today we caught only three in the afternoon, after making many casts. Last week on two trips, I caught eight and then six on short afternoon trips, enough for fried crappie dinners. Which is better than it sounds. Ate them hot on the back porch, still steaming, coated in cornmeal and red pepper Cajun spice. For those who haven’t tried it, crappie is the best freshwater fish in the southern half of North America.

Today, Josh Dickinson, pictured above, took his three crappie home for dinner. As a bonus we collected four dozen tangerines hanging low from a neighbor’s tree over the lake—-without getting out or tipping over our canoe. Such is life in Florida.

Tomorrow I’ll scout and fish Lochloosa Lake, which is 20 miles farther away, but producing limits (25 per angler) of crappie for some anglers. And the fish are bigger in that lake…

Stay tuned.