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At the smaller sizes, crappie are considered a panfish. They are fun to catch and taste amazing when fried. Once the crappie reach approximately 13 + inches long, they are considered a ‘slab’ by serious anglers.
Slabs have a little bit different habits and feed on different forage. The average crappie is ½ – 1 pound and 5-12 inches long. But they are capable of growing much larger. That my friends is what we are exploring today, the BIG crappie!
We will look at a couple of the top lakes have an abundance of slab, we will find out what the largest crappie on record is, and what you need to pursue and catch the big one.
Be sure to visit my resources page for recommended gear.
The Biggest Crappie
The biggest crappie on record as of May 2018, was snagged in Tennessee and weighed 5.46 pounds. It as a black crappie caught in a pond on Point Rock, East Tennessee. In March of 2017, the record crappie for the state of Illinois was caught.
The hybrid crappie weighed in at 4 pounds 8.8 ounces. In Oklahoma in 2016 1 man caught the 2 biggest on record for that state. One weighed in at 4.22 lbs and was just under 12 inches and the second one was 3.08 pounds.
If you would like to find a way to make some money by fishing and writing about it or making videos about it like I am doing here, check out the guys that can teach you how to do it here.
“I don’t want to sit at the head table anymore.
I want to go fishing,” George Bush
What Is A Slab Crappie?
Let’s now explore and explain the ‘slab’ crappie a little better for those of you that have never heard the term before. Crappies are considered a slab if they are 14 to 16 inches or larger and weight 4+ pounds. There are not really any special techniques or tricks used to catch the slab.
Just as with regular sized crappie, you can fish from the shore, a boat, on a dock, or in a cove. There is no special pole, line, or lure that needs to be purchased for the catching of the oversized crappie.
You can use live bait, lures, jigs, and everything in between. Some anglers have their own tips to provide, that helped them catch their big slab. They successfully used hair jigs, swimbaits, and finesse plastics. If you are fishing from a river bank, their tips are:
“You know when they have a fishing show on TV?
They catch the fish and then let it go.
They don’t want to eat the fish, t
hey just want to make it late for something,” Mitch Hedberg
- 6 foot light weight spinning line
- 4 pound test line
- Jig
- Bobber
You can be extremely productive with this very simple set-up, as long as the river is mostly clear and allows you to view the crappie as they swim by.
Recommended jigs for slab crappie is a chartreuse color, high quality soft rubber, and a weighted head. This makes the jig swim ‘naturally’ under water, as the crappies live prey would.
Make sure you plan your crappie fishing trip during the summer months because the slabs love the warmer water and they will be close to the shore, for ease of access if you don’t have a boat. If you fish in deep water, you will have an even better chance of catching a slab crappie.
States with Big Crappies
Besides the record crappie we mentioned earlier, some states where the biggest crappie have been caught; Texas, Illinois, Florida, and Oklahoma.
We are going to take a peak at a few of the Giant Crappie Lakes. In order to catch a giant crappie, the area has to have the perfect habitat; fertility, tons of forage, and plenty of cover and fishermen who are willing to allow the forage to grow.
“It is to be observed that ‘angling’ is the name
given to fishing by people who can’t fish,” Stephen Leacock
Big Crappies are Slab Crappies
The first lake on your list is:
Grenada Lake, Mississippi: 97,427 acre of which 35,000 acres are in water during fishing season. Grenada has about 48 miles of shoreline. This lake is known for 3+ pound crappie.
To maximize your chances on Grenada you should use brightly colored lures, fish shallow, and make sure your lures produce some kind of noise or vibration.
A couple of other tips for Grenada Lake;
- Crappie will suspend 2-3 feet down over 4-5 foot deep water
- Crappie will move from pre-spawn areas to shallower water between mid-March and mid-April
- Marinate your jigs and baits in a scent for a few hours to ensure it lasts for more than 1 or two casts.
Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee: this lake was formed in 1811 and 1812. The average depth is only 5 feet with the maximum being 12 feet. All 15,000 acres is full of vegetation, timber and stumps.
This gives the crappie tons of forage and cover. There are approximately 52 species of fish in Reelfoot including bream, large-mouth bass, catfish and crappie. The daily limit for crappie is 30, so you can have a feast!
The crappie will be hiding around the submerged logs and stumps. Because this lake isn’t as deep as most, you have to be careful if you are in a boat. Go slow to avoid hitting the underwater stumps.
“I only make movies to finance my fishing,” Lee Marvin
Lake of the Woods, Ontario: This is stated as being one of the hottest spots to find slab crappie (big crappies). The lake system borders Minnesota and Ontario. Boasting 65,000 miles of shoreline with 14,500 islands gives you one of the best crappie fishing places in the world.
Lake of the Woods is also a prime spot to ice fish for slab crappie. The maximum depth is 210 feet with the area being 1,679 miles long. Some of the islands are the area are:
- Oak Island
- Penasse Island
- Copeland Island
- Brush Island
So there we have it folks. What the crappie is called, by most anglers, if it is over a certain length and weight, where you can catch a ‘slab’, how to catch a ‘slab’ and 4 of the biggest ones on record over the last 3 years.
As long as you have the drive, determination, and patience you could add your next crappie/slab to the list of record breaking fish that were caught.
Remember to try to plan your trip in the summer months, as the bigger crappie like warm water. Whether or not you have a boat is not a deciding factor as to whether or not you will catch a slab. They are found near the shore and they are found in the deeper water.
“The best fisherman I know try not to
make the same mistakes over and over again;
instead they strive to make new and interesting mistakes
and to remember what they learned
from them,” John Gierach
Practice and see what lures, live bait, jig, or swimbait works for the area you are fishing in. Make sure you check the rules, regulations and fishing reports for the area that you will be fishing. This will give you prime weather forecast and time of day to catch them, in that area.
Fishing Safely
Also, always remember all of your safety equipment if you are taking your own boat. You want everyone to be safe. Keep in the back of your mind, that anywhere you choose to fish, you can always hire a fishing guide.
This will produce the prime ‘slab’ fish and the maximum amount that you can catch because the fishing guides in the area know all the hot spots, best lures, best time of day, optimum water and weather conditions. So if you can spare some extra expense, go for it!!
Here is a Crappie Fishing Resources Checklist
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