Speckled Perch

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Bait fishing: article 84
crappies are often mentioned by local fisherman with names such as calico bass, speckled perch, speckled bass, white perch, pole crappie, strawberry bass, and papermouths. The name paper mouth is very fitting for the crappie. This nick name is very fitting of a crappie that is caught while bait fishing because there mouths are paper thin and the hook can pull out very easy so you need to be very careful to not over do it when you set the hook. This fact alone makes it very difficult to land a large calico bass.

Both White and black crappie strawberry bass look very similar but there are a few different identification marks. Both white crappie and black crappie have dark – olive or golden or brownish backs. The white speckled perch look much lighter then the black pole crappie when caught while bait fishing. During the spawn it is hard to tell male white and black crappie apart because the male whit crappie will darken like the black crappie during the spawning period.

One easy way to tell the white speckled bass from the black crappie is by counting the number of spines located at the dorsal fin. White  papermouth will have 5 to 7 spines, while  the black speckled perch will have 7 to 8 spines. The white white perch will have a have a shorter distance between the dorsal fin first spine to a point between the eyes, then the black strawberry bass. The white crappie takes a more “s” or
hump shape then the black pole crappie where the back rises from the head. The black speckled perch has a more round shape.

Both white speckled bass and black white perch, are built for speed and maneuverability. They move in cover very easily because of their thin bodies. In cover you catch crappies while bait fishing fairly easy if you use the right crappie baits. The white papermouth and the black speckled perch are not the only speices of crappie. For years white and black speckled perch have been cross breeding to make a very stable hybrid papermouth population. Also many hybrids have been raised in captivity for stocking. They have
been stocked in new habitat locations throughout the Untied States to create new speckled bass habitat areas.

We hope the information in this article about Calico Bass. We wish you the best of luck on your next fishing trip!

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crappie fishing rigs

 Click Here To See Old School Crappie Fishing Secrets From 12 Backcountry Crappie Masters!

The crappies are often mentioned by local fisherman with names such as calico bass, speckled perch, speckled bass, white perch, pole crappie, strawberry bass, and paper mouth in many parts of the country is a very adaptable fish species. Right after the speckled perch are done spawning they may be inactive for about 2 weeks regaining their strength from the strenuous spawn. They will still hit crappie baits while bait fishing but they will not chase artificial crappie baits during this time. During this period a good crappie live bait selection such as a crappie minnow, shiner, or a small crayfish might be a better crappie bait to use. You can fish these crappie live baits with a fixed or slip bobber crappie fishing rig. You may want to choose the slip bobber rig because it is easier to adjust your depth until you find the paper mouth’s right depth and start catching crappie.

The speckled bass will move into the post spawn period after about two weeks. They will start to feed aggressively when they move into the post spawn period because they need build up new energy levels to match there increase activity levels as there metabolism increases. This is a great time to use multiple types of crappie baits to catch crappie.

During the post spawn period females will move to the edges of adjacent flats that are close to deep water, and in deeper lakes or reservoirs males will sometimes linger around shallow cover like brush piles and small weed clumps. A good way to go crappie fishing in these areas is by using crappie jigs tipped with live baits such as crappie minnows, shiners, fathead minnows or small crayfish. In shallow lakes these are primary areas that strawberry bass will head too. Many times in shallow lakes using crappie jigs with a plastic grub and tipped with a wax worm will catch crappie.

In deeper lakes and reservoirs calico bass will head for deep weed lines or a near drop off into deep water. It’s very common to find the suspended at about 5 to 15 feet deep. Many crappie anglers will drift fish or troll over these locations with multiple crappie fishing rigs that have crappie jigs with soft plastic grubs or curly tails set at different depths. Sometimes setting up a crappie pole or two, set up with a live crappie bait such as a crappie minnow, shiner, or a small crayfish works well too.

Once you start catching crappie consistently at a certain depth and crappie bait, change your other crappie poles to the same bait and re-fish the area until you stop catching crappie.

I want to thank you for reading my article about Fathead Minnows. Have a great day and the the best of luck to you on your next fishing trip

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crappie fishing techniques

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crappies are often mentioned by local fisherman with names such as calico bass, speckled perch, speckled bass, white perch, pole crappie, strawberry bass and papermouth. This fish species is a migrational by nature and tends to follow the natural forage. When you are bait fishing for crappie you need to take into account the seasonal habits and locations. In addition to selecting the crappie baits you need to understand where the calico bass will be located during the season of the year you are crappie fishing.

To catch crappie while bait fishing it is not enough to just select a good crappie bait. You nee to understand the papermouth’s diet and activity levels and behavior. Their is no set calendar for the changing seasons when you are targeting speckled perch. Actually the changing of the seasons is dicated by the needs of the strawberry bass. The changes of physical seasons forces the the crappie to change their habits because they will need to seek the type of habitat that allows them to still locate a good abundant food source.

The bottom line is that white perch change their habits, feeding patterns and location to seek out an abundant food source, and in many respects is the driving force of their annual migrations from one area to another. So you probably are smart folks and figured out already that you much change your crappie fishing techniques with the changing seasons too. You will be have to be making changes to your crappie bait and crappie fishing rig selections with the change of seasons when you are bait fishing for crappie.

We all wish we could change our crappie fishing style by looking at the calendar but unfortunately it just doesn’t work that way. The typical changes we see on land with the change of the seasons such as from winter to spring, from spring to summer, summer to fall , and fall to winter are not the same under the water. Under the water changes are dictated by the length of daylight which is known as the photo period. Animals from small microorganisms such as zooplankton all the way up to the fiercest of game fish react to these changes. The change in the length of daylight will cause paper mouth to migrate, spawn, and to change their feeding habits.

There are a few crappie fishing calendars that can be purchased that identify specific details of what when and where for crappie fishing seasonal changes. The best one I have come across is published by in-Fisherman and is designed to identify seasonal changes based on the fishing activity levels and seasonal needs of the speckled bass.

We hope the information in this article about Papermouth. Have a great day!

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crappie fishing

Click Here To See Old School Crappie Fishing Secrets From 12 Backcountry Crappie Masters!

For the past couple of decades crappie fishing has been every bit as popular than bait fishing for largemouth bass. crappies are often mentioned by local fisherman with names such as calico bass,speckled perch,speckled bass, white perch, pole crappies, strawberry bass, and papermouth. Actually when crappie fisherman are combined as a total with other pan fish anglers they out number bass fisherman by over one million.

There have been recent studies that have been conducted exclusively with the crappie species that have that have provided crappie bait fishing anglers with a better understanding of how crappies spawn, what factors dictate crappie migrations, and how they select their forage. The crappie species is an amazing fish and has been transplanted to areas not native to their natural habitat and they have flourished. This stocking process has been going on for nearly seventy years know and has worked especially well in western states such as California, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, And Nevada. In these states crappie populations have flourished and their habitat is expanding in these areas.

Some of theses new crappie waters such as California’s Lake Success it is not uncommon to catch 3lb crappies while bait fishing. Amazingly all of these new crappie waters are far from the crappie species natural habitat range, but still show a phenomenal grow rate. This just shows us how adaptable the species of fish really is. The crappie is a sleak adaptable and easy to stock fish species.

The white crappie, and the black crappie’s which are also commonly called calico bass, white perch, speckled perch, speckled bass, pole crappies, strawberry bass, and the papermouth. Their native habitat areas have traditionally been from Florida in the south , up the east cost over to the Midwest and into the southern tips of some Canadian provinces. I today’s world the white and black crappie species as well as hybrids inhabit portions of all the lower 48 states. Do primarily to extensive stocking in the South West and North West the crappie has become one of the most popular game fish that is targeted by millions of crappie fisherman today when bait fishing. The crappie is one of the most sought after fish to go bait fishing for and crappie fishing has become multi-billion dollar business. It’s no wonder because near every large population of people there is sure to be reliable crappie waters near by.

Well that concludes my article about artificial crappie baits. Have a great day!

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large mouth bass

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Largemouth bass have a very large habitat range from southern Canada all the wall through Mexico and into Central America and Cuba. The largemouth bass is considered America’s favorite gamefish and for good reasons. This fish is one outstanding fighting fish when you get them hooked on your line, once you catch one he breaks water and tries to spit your bass bait you will be hooked too!

You will find largemouth bass in weedy natural lakes and reservoirs, sluggish streams and ponds, or gravel pits. Any waters within the largemouth’s preferred temperature range of 68 degrees to 78 degrees farenheight, that have plenty woody cover and good weed cover, and do not freeze out during the winter.

Large mouth bass are not picky feeders you can can concentrate your largemouth bass bait fishing efforts using live baits such as small fish, crayfish, larva aquatic insects, small manuals, salamanders, frogs, nightcrawlers, leeches, snails, and very small snakes. Or you can go bait fishing for largemouth bass artificial baits that are available to the bass fisherman on the market today.

To catch largemouth bass in the spring head to shallow mud bottom bays in natural lakes. To catch large mouth bass in the spring in man made lakes go to back ends of shallow brushy creek arms. To catch the largemouth bass in the spring in rivers head to shallow dead end sloughs and other backwater off the main river.

To catch bass during the large mouth bass spawning period in natural lakes head for protected bays and shore lines with a firm bottom. To catch bass during the spawn in man made lakes head to backwater areas that have a firm bottom. In rivers head to shallow dead end sloughs and backwater areas off the main river channel. To catch largemouth bass during the summer and fall head to weedless points, humps that have weedy and rocky cover and that slope gradually into deeper water in natural lakes. Also sloped bays where there is dense overhead cover will hold bass because the cover keeps the sunlight out and the water temperature will be cooler. In man made lakes head the back end of creek arms. In rivers head sloughs with current, deep backwaters, and side channels in backwaters.

To catch bass while bait fishing in natural lakes during late fall and into winter check humps, points, and other structure that slope drastically to deep water. Also check inside turns and shallow flats during warm days. In man made lake head to main lake points, and any main river channel during late fall and winter. To catch large mouth bass in rivers during the late fall and winter head deep water areas off the main river channel, and near warm water discharge areas such as power plant.

I have had a great time writing this article we hope you enjoyed our information about bait fishing. We wish you the best of luck on your next fishing trip!

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catfish spawning

Click Here To See Old School Catfish Fishing Secrets From 12 Backcountry Catfishing Masters!

The process of classifying catfish lakes is no exact sceince but general guidelines are used to help you locate such catfish types like channel catfish, blue catfish, and flathead catfish at different seasons of the year. The classifying process is not an exact science because there is not a lot of scientific data that has been collected about catfish like other game fish species. Fortunately there is some data that has be collected about the channel catfish, and we will use some of that history as reference for our article today. Our article today will focus on the different types of catfish lakes.

There are three parts to classify catfish waters. When you classify catfish waters for bait fishing you compare the type of lake, structure, the lakes location, and seasonal movements of a particular species of catfish such as channel catfish, blue catfish, and flathead catfish. If this sounds like a bit of work it is. To be a very good catfish angler it does take a bit of practice and trial and error just like any other sport. For example your best pro athletes spend hours in the weight room and with conditioning to get ready for the next season. The ones that prepare the best perform the best, it’s no different with fishing for catfish, or any other fish species for that mater.

Before we start on the different lake classifications lets talk briefly about the idea water temperatures for channel catfish, blue catfish and flat head catfish. This information is vital when you are preparing to identify ideal bait fishing for catfish waters. The ideal temperature range for all catfish is between 75degrees to 80 degrees. When the water temperature rises to 75degree all catfish will start their spawning. This will occurs at different times, depending where the catfish waters are located. Typical spawning periods for Florida are the months, of April, May and June. The catfish spawning times for Alabama and Georgia are May and June. In Texas and Oklahoma catfish spawn between May and June. In Kentucky and Tennessee the spawn will happen between June and July. In Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa The spawn of catfish will occur in June and July. In Ohio The cats will spawn over a three month period between July to early August. In Minnesota and Wisconsin you can expect the spawn to be between July to early August also. Manitoba Canada will have a spawn of catfish between July and August.

The following information about the types of catfish lakes is to be used as a guide only so you can classify your local cat fish hole and lakes around you. There are no two lakes that are exactly alike but fortunately lakes do fall into three basic categories which are oligotrophic (young lakes), mesotrophic (middle aged lakes), and eutrophic (old lakes). Some lakes such as oligotrophic lakes will not hold any catfish and can be eliminated them from you catfish lake classification list. Understanding the idea temperature range for catfish is a key factor when you start to learn the catfish water classification for bait fishing. All baseline data will be developed based on knowing this information first. Catfish will react differently when the water temperature moves below or above their ideal temperature and you will be predicting their movements and feeding patterns based on this information.

To classify a lake into one of the three lake classifications listed in the last paragraph there are some specific factors you need to consider such as how many game fish there are compared to the number of bait fish, the amount and type of aquatic vegetation, and other critical structure habitat factors. This information will be used in combination of seasonal movements to determine where catfish will be located and what type of catfish bait to use when you go bait fishing for your particular species of catfish.

I have had a great time writing this article we hope you enjoyed our information about Blue Catfish. We wish you the best of luck on your next fishing trip!

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bait fishing

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the crappie is one of the most sought after game fish in America and they have been named odd names such as calico bass, speckled perch, speckled bass, white perch, pole crappies, strawberry bass, and paper mouth. To determine the age of a calico bass You catch while you are bait fishing is not an exact science but there is a way to calculate your pole crappies caught with a variety of different crappie baits. Age and growth rates for crappie caught while bait fishing can be attributed too two factors which are the environment and genetics.

In our article today we are going to discuss the method of determining the age of calico bass. The next time you catch a crappie while bait fishing take a look at it’s scales. You can determine the age of any crappie you catch if you learn to read it’s scales. The theory behind reading scales to determine age is based upon assuming that the scales grow proportionately to a fishes length, and this relationship nearly always holds true.

During the slow or no growth periods such as in the cold water winter months the rings or what is called the circuli will be narrowly spaced. Fast growth periods will generate a widely spaced circuli. Year marks called annuli show clearly if you use a magnifying glass for inspection. To take a measurement, you want to measure from the center of the scale called the focus which is horizontally located at the bottom of the scale. The focus point looks like a circle and is your starting point for your measurement. You measure from the outer circumference of the focus and start counting the annuli until you come to the furthest most outer. Annuli. Count each annuli as 1 year.

There are some calico bass that scale counting is not accurate. For example in warm climates such as Florida counting scales will not work because of the accelerated growth rate. In warm climates it is better to read the otoliths bone. This is a extremely accurate way to determine the age of a calico bass but is much more difficult because the bone must be dissected to determine the age. You may need to use the otoliths bone also when there is a extremely slow growth rate.

I want to thank you for reading my article about Pole Crappies. Have a great day and the the best of luck to you on your next fishing trip

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top live baits

Click Here To See Old School Crappie Fishing Secrets From 12 Backcountry Crappie Masters!

Most people think that the crappie jig catches the most and the biggest crappies, but contrary to popular belief it is live bait that has caught the most and also that largest trophy slab crappie over the years. According to studies and statistics that have been kept and the studies that have been done since the early 1970’s crappie live bait has come out the winner for catching the most and biggest crappie. It is key to know the crappie or called other names such as calico bass,speckled bass,speckled perch,white perch,pole crappie,stawberry bass, and papermouth. The best live baits that have caught the most and biggest crappie are such crappie baits as crappie, minnows, crappie shiners, waxworms, small gizzard shad, small threadfin shad, and earthworms. These crappie live baits were used in combination with slip float fishing rigs, crappie jigs, worm harnesses, crappie spinner baits and crappie ice jigs. Crappie spinner baits were tipped with crappie minnows, shiners, and night crawlers. Crappie jigs were tipped with crappie minnows, shiners and nightcrawlers to catch crappie. Worm harnesses were used using small earth worms or pieces of night crawlers. Top live baits that have produced award winning crappie catches are large crappie minnows, shiners, waxworms, fathead minnows , small gizzard shad, small threadfin shad, leaches, earthworms, creek chubs, and herring. These live baits were used with jig head and spinner bait combinations.

The best artificial crappie baits used to catch crappies were in the size range of 1/16oz to 1/2oz. The crappie artificial bait types varied greatly. Crappie jigs in the size range of 1/16oz to 3/8oz tipped with a plastic grub or other soft plastics in combination with a crappie jig head of a variety of colors caught a good number of award crappies too. If the jigs were tipped with wax worms the number crappies caught increased even more. Plain crappie jig heads of a number of colors tipped with crappie minnows or shiners were a producer when bait fishing for crappie also.

Over the years there are a few crappie fishing jig head and soft plastic combos that have consistently caught large numbers of crappies. A jig head painted different colors in the size range of 1/16 oz to 1/8 oz tipped with a Mister Twister curly tail is the top producer of crappie catches of all times. Mepps crappie spinner baits and small floating rapalas have also been top producers of large award winning crappies. When you combine these artificial crappie lures with crappie live bait they have produced even more consistently.

I want to thank you for reading my article about Suspended Crappie. Have a great day and the the best of luck to you on your next fishing trip

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bait fish

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There are 10’s of thousands of catfish anglers who seek catfish baits that will put them ahead of their competition. Well to find the best cat fish bait you need to understand how different species of catfish such as channel catfish and blue catfish make decisions on what they want to eat.

Catfish have over 175,000 taste buds all over their bodies. They also have multiple barbels around their mouths that ate used to taste and smell their food. Catfish also hear sounds at a much higher frequency then other game fish. Catfish and bait fish minnows hear better then even game fish like the mighty large mouth bass. The reason their hearing is so incredible is because they have  weberian ossicles, which are bony structures that connect the swim bladder to the inner ear. There is also research that suggests that catfish have what all fisherman refer to as the “sixth sense”. This sixth sense is found un very few animals. The six sense allows the catfish to detect weak electrical fields produced by living organisms, as well as some non living sources. This sense helps them detect prey in muddy or cloudy waters, and is why they can detect your catfish fish bait at night so easily. Catfish are extremely sensitive fish and if you can learn how to attract catfish with catfish bait that stirs there senses you will be amazed how much you can increase your catch of catfish.

If you really want to increase your chances of having multiple catfish attack your catfish bait then you need to learn  the art of chumming. Chumming for catfish can be delivered in a variety of methods, but the main reason it is used is to arouse the catfish’s sense of smell. Catfish like to roam for food so if you can get them to congregate around your chum location you will catch multiple catfish if you use the right catfish bait. There are a number of things you can use for chum but one of the best I have used with great success is all types of catfish guts and blood. When you are getting your cut bait together keep all the guts and blood and put it in plastic bags and tie them off. Next place them in a mesh bag and lower it to the bottom. Drop one catfish bait as close to the chumming bag as you can , and the other fishing rigs approximately 10ft away from the bag.

Well that concludes my article about Cut Bait. Have a great day!

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crappie bait

Click Here To See Old School Crappie Fishing Secrets From 12 Backcountry Crappie Masters!

The crappie is one of the most sought after gamefish from both beginner and expert fisherman and goes by many aliases such as calico bass,speckled bass,white perch,pole crappie,strawberry bass, and papermouth. The speckled bass feed on a variety of different food sources but their primary food chain includes small crappie bait fish such as fathead minnows, small aquatic insects, such as damselfly larva,or dragon fly larva, and crustaceans such as small crayfish. The calico bass will be close by if you can locate one of these food choices they are feeding on and then imitate your bait fishing crappie bait to match as natural as possible. The closer you can match your crappie bait fishing selection to there natural food source the better luck you will have.

Calico Bass will feed on a variety of bait fish through out the year. The species of bait fish that the papermouth feed on depends on a variety of different factors such as the season of the year and the area of the country you are fishing. For example if you are bait fishing for papermouth in a farm pond in the spring and early summer you would probably use small sunfish fry to fish as a live bait or a artificial bait presentation. Small sunfish fry are typically abundant in farm ponds at the time of your and white perch love to feed on them when they are available. Or for example for example if you were fishing in southern waters and the area of water you are fishing on has large populations of threadfin or gizzard shad then you would locate the shad schools to go bait fishing for crappie.

White Perch are opportunists and will adapt to the food source that is available to them. For example if there is a new hatch of mayfly larva in the water that you are fishing a good bait fishing selection would be live mayflies or a mayfly larva imitation because chance are any crappie or other game fish in the area will feeding on the mayfly larva.

Know most fisherman think to use crustaceans for crappie bait but the truth be told small crustaceans such as small crayfish under 2″ in length make a large portion of the crappies daily diet. Another bait fish that is seldom used for papermouth are small goldfish and when traditional bait fish selection are not working sometimes fishing with small gold fish will be the answer. Unlike other non traditional crappie baits such as threadfin and gizzard shad that need to be caught in the wild, goldfish are sold at just about any bait shop throughout the united states.

I want to thank you for reading my article about Gizzard Shad. Have a great day!

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