Pros Pointer 3: Crappies

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – There’s no question, the walleye is the most popular fish in North Dakota, but the walleye is far from the only game fish swimming in our state. In This week’s Pro’s Pointer, Johnnie Candle is talking about one of them.

“There’s a nice eating size crappie, although we are not keeping them today. Let me get this one put back and we’ll talk about them,” began Johnnie Candle, MWC World Walleye Champion & N.D. Fishing Hall of Fame Member. “Crappie are abundant throughout North Dakota. We can find them in the upper reaches of Lake Oahe, south of Bismarck, Lake Tschida to the west, Jamestown Reservoir to the east— loaded with crappies— and today we’re here at Nelson Lake, you can tell by the power plant over my shoulder. Just hammering the crappies, having a blast.”

“They’re fairly simple to catch. A plain hook, a sinker and a lively minnow below a red, white bobber is classic. It gets the kids involved, they have a lot of fun and if you want to go after them with artificials, a jig with a spinner and plastic tail— maybe a small hair jig, a small tube— usually is all it takes to catch them,” continued Candle. “And you want to remember, crappies are predators as well. Today while we were fishing for bass, we caught more than a handful of crappie on what would be traditionally referred to as a walleye style crankbait. So there’s not always about walleyes. Get out there, have fun, get the kids involved, catch a nice mess of eating-sized fish and hopefully have a crappie day! I’m Johnnie Candle and that’s this week’s Pro’s Pointer.”

Next time, Candle will show us something that’s almost entirely used by women that may be found in your boat, after you see his Pro’s Pointer one week from today.

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