Define BIG crappie please

[Ketchn]

BIG is truly in the eyes of the beholder as stated , some folks have never held a 14 inch crappie .
and for sure in lot's of spots they just never seem to grow up to larger size fish as well .
I have a pretty good idea in the spots I frequent what defines a nice one .
as far as a BIG one goes , any crappie close to the lake record is for sure a BIG crappie on that lake in these parts

[Ketchn]

Those are BIG good ones anywhere. KABOOM!!!

Nice shirt, I'm gonna need one soon enough...

the top left fish was likely over 2 lbs. and in the river a bit over 2 lbs. is the water body record

[Rojo]

Tidal River fish never reach 2 pounds here. That last fish I posted was only 1.803 pounds at over 16 inches long. Tidal river Crappie are the best eating in my opinion as they never get a chance to store fat, always swimming in some kind of current. If you get in a oxbow off the river systems you pull a Stud now & then but usually the bigger fish, fish not part of the food chain anymore, they stay out in the main rivers dining on the buffet of food washing by.

[Ketchn]

I know a spot where you can possibly ketch a black crappie over 16 inches long and it will likely only be 1.5 or so ....
that same black crappie in some other spots might be pushing 3 ....
pretty interesting for sure , the lower weight fish in one lake are built like white bass
the other fish at the next lake are built like a fat bluegill on steroids ....
both lakes seem healthy and both are large water bodies ....
my guess is that the shrimp in the larger fish lake have some play in it
the skinny fish lake is basically shrimpless

[Yak Fish]

I'd agree with Grainraiser's list. I don't keep anything under 14" unless it was injured & unlikely to survive in most bodies of water. One lake I fish doesn't seem to produce anything over 12". I've caught thousands of crappie out of that lake over the decades that I've fished there and never topped 1.25 pounds. If they're there, theyre hiding pretty well.

Jim

[TreednNC]

I'd agree with Grainraiser's list. I don't keep anything under 14" unless it was injured & unlikely to survive in most bodies of water. One lake I fish doesn't seem to produce anything over 12". I've caught thousands of crappie out of that lake over the decades that I've fished there and never topped 1.25 pounds. If they're there, theyre hiding pretty well.

Jim

Jim, I'm just the opposite. I rarely keep them over 14". I figure if they get that far, I'm going to let them go and see what they'll turn in to (hopefully). From a biology standpoint, some lakes wont produce 2lb+ fish regularly because folks won't keep smaller fish, and would rather keep bigger fish. The smaller fish get so numerous and out compete.


That said, a big crappie to me is 2lb+. There are some exceptions. Take Lake Norman NC for instance. I've caught a few 16"+ fish there. Only weighed one of them on decent scales, and it was 1.85lb. The others were long ago before I had decent scales. The cheap scales I had were cheap spring scales and they said sub 2lb. Those were still big crappie. A 16" black crappie from this lake is a long, broad fish, but these were thin.

This past winter, I caught two over 2lb out of Norman. Although I said 2lb was a big fish, both were right at 14.25". While they fit the "2lb" club, they just weren't "big" to me. I still want to catch one that is 16"+ and built like those two were.

Most of the Yadkin (river system in NC) fish in late fall through early spring hit 2lb around 15". 15" starts kind of being the "big" crappie definition for me, but I still think they're just 'nice' fish.

I caught one in Wylie on New Years Day this year that was 16 and change that fit the bill. Was 2.34 on my scales, and my scales tend to weigh 0.1-0.2lb lighter than tournament scales in that range. I had one that was 2.17 on tournament scales that was 2.06 on my scales a few days later during that tourny. Had one the following month that was 2.09 on my scales that was 2.21 "officially".

Now I'm just rambling but yeah, 2lb unless theyre built like footballs. Otherwise 15.5-16"+

[Grainraiser]

The lakes I fish have both black and white crappie but you seldom see a black over 13inches. The blacks are better fighters but it's the whites that put on the weight and grow over two pounds. Lake Fork has some monster white crappie and decent black crappies.

[REDBOAT]

To me it's 15" or bigger or 2# or more.

[JUNGLEJIMJIGS]

They are big enough if I reach for my phone to take a picture. Last couple trips I caught over 30 crappie. Pictures taken, 0. Normally catch some 14" plus crappie every year but not this year. Top crappie this year is a couple 13".

[Ketchn]

They are big enough if I reach for my phone to take a picture. Last couple trips I caught over 30 crappie. Pictures taken, 0. Normally catch some 14" plus crappie every year but not this year. Top crappie this year is a couple 13".

I typically take a quick shot of all of them , or used to , it's my fish counter ,since they get tossed back most of the time ....
lately I just pitch them if there are chips in the mix ....too much wasted time ....
you ever come down this way , we could try to cure that there 13 inch max program , it could happen ....just saying