Thread: 12 ounces of fury

I've never caught one, but Tommy talks of catching them and it has me wanting to give it a try at least once. Like you, he states they are a handful once the hook is set. Thanks for sharing Ray.

My uncle told me about how much fun they were to catch. I see why now.

Nice video. That looks like a ton of fun!

Originally Posted by have-a-crappie-day

how do they fry up?

They are very good. Taste is similar to bluegill. I fillet mine, but some of the guys clean the small ones whole. Both ways are pretty good.

Guys, no secrets as far as information, we stay at Roland Martin Marina on Lake Okeechobee. The resort caters to fishermen and has adequate parking for boats and plenty of electrical outlets for charging your batteries. They have a really nice cleaning station out on the docks for guests at the resort to use. They dispose of the carcasses so you don't have to deal with that. Most of the parties down there are targeting bass with some crappie fishermen. My group started out as a Bream fishing trip in the lake and we spend at least on day doing that, but got spoiled by the Oscars.
The draw back to staying here is an hour drive down to the everglades each day. Their is a ramp for the lake right at the marina, but the everglades are further down and there are not many accommodations closer.
Hwy 27 runs south out of Clewiston (where we are) and crosses I75. We get on I75 and head north to the 2nd recreation exit. (Yes, the exits have boat ramps at them)
Once you launch, pick a canal and start dropping crickets around the lily pads and hold on. We go through 5000 crickets in a week. Yep, 5 boxes of the dudes. After catching so many I started using artificial lures and had a ball. You won't get one every cast but regular enough to keep you going. I found they absolutely slammed a 1/16 oz Rooster Tail. Just about take the rod out of your hands. They will hit jigs too and I had a ball last year using a fly rod, but a fly does not last long with them. The treble hooks on the Rooster Tail take a beating too.
There are 6 of us, we get two condos which have 2 bedrooms one with twin beds, 2 bathrooms and kitchen, LR etc. Also have a washer and dryer in them.
We cook all our meals there. We have a simple breakfast and fix sandwiches from last meal and then cook a big meal at night. The cost per person this year for us was $465 each which paid for room and meals and the 5000 crickets. Gas is the biggest other expense, 10 day license is $30.
PM me is you have specific questions about the trip. It is around 540 miles for us in Lexington area going down I95.

I would love to get into a bunch of those, wow- great report.

Ray, thanks for the info. That doesnt sound bad at all other than that loooooooooooooong ride home. It's DEFINITELY something I want to do after I retire. I think me and the wife can make an extended vacation out of a trip to the glades. I'm guessing a fiberglass boat like mine can motor in the canals safely? Thx.

OK...saved the info for a few years later. Thanks.