Cold, Rainy Day Turned Out OK

Started out the day checking out some duck blinds for sacalait on a small, local lake since it the first split of duck season closed last weekend. Couldn't find a single fish, so I pulled my boat out of the water, made about a 40 minute drive, and went check out another spot in the basin. Although, I didn't catch a bunch, I caught some really nice-sized ones (3 were 14"). They were all suspended a little off of submerged stumps in about 4' of water, and the water temperature was 48-50 degrees (coldest I've seen so far this winter). Caught them all under a slip bobber with a nickel 1/64 trout magnet jig. They were a little more aggressive yesterday and slammed the cork down pretty hard. Since they were a nice size, decided to blacken them, cook a small crawfish etouffee' on the side, and put the etouffee' on top of the fillets. Topped it off with some air fryer potatoes. This is probably my favorite way to cook them!

Some good catches, a great plate of food!!!

Some really fat slabs and the finished product looks delicious. Colder water crappie fillets are firmer and taste better than any other time of year.

I enjoyed seeing what you did with them more than the catching! Yum for sure! A real feast!
Bob

Man you making me hungry for some Cajun style crappie! Nice catch.


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What slip bobber and line do you use to get a 1/64 to pass through.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Crappie.com mobile app

I use the Thill Pro Series Unweighted Slip Bobber (it's the smaller/thinner version of Thill's slip bobbers). They have a brass fitting that lines the inside of the bobber that allows the line to slip though easier than other slip bobbers. Mono or fluorocarbon line passes through easily, but braid, because it has no line memory, sometimes is a little harder to pass through (especially, if the line is wet). I also put a light split shot weight about 8-10 inches above the jig because 1/64 oz is not heavy enough to make the cork sit upright in the water. I use the little yarn stopper and small bead on top of the bobber that comes with them, and it slides through the line guides pretty easily. You can actually buy the yarn stopper/bead setups separately in bulk. I'm at work right now, but if I get a chance over the next day or two, I'll take a picture of the setup and post it on here.

Good job on blackening those filets, Mine always want to fall apart on me,
Any advise on your technique ?

MO

Thank you, sir. Don't think there is anything special. I just try not to overdo them. I think it also helped once I stopped using the cheaper non-stick skillets and bought a much better one that is made of stainless steel and a raised cast iron composite. It's an awesome skillet. I try to stay healthy and start with extra virgin olive oil and only a little pat of butter for flavor. When I get ready to flip them, I spray olive oil on the fillets before I flip them. For seasoning, I use a combination of the Louisiana brand blackening seasoning and the Youtube guy, Stalecracker's, Cajun 2 Step seasoning (great flavor and really low in Sodium). Using those two together gives them a really good flavor.

Awesome post! Thanks Oh and I’m now officially hungry…

mmmmmm YUM .....you lose my number ? :biggrin
KABOOM