Big Crappie Report, Sight fishing

Thank you! What do you think if I did a catch and cook vid pike vs walleye? My friend is the master of the shore lunch ( he was northern Ontario guide) and he insists that pike are better eating than walleye.

Thank you! What do you think if I did a catch and cook vid pike vs walleye? My friend is the master of the shore lunch ( he was northern Ontario guide) and he insists that pike are better eating than walleye.

That would be a cool video!

I never used to eat pike, but someone told me it was better than walleye so I had to try.
Personally, I find pike is better because it is slightly firmer in texture. This makes it excellent for breading and deep-frying. In terms of flavor, they're pretty good, not walleye good, but extremely close. Trick is to remove as much of the dark meat under the skin as you can. After that it will taste as good as your favourite seasonings. I've been told eating pike also helps the musky populations so I've been doing my part ever since.

I eat pike. BUT for me crappie is my favourite fish to eat. Then walleye and after that is bass. Pike is last on my list, and those four fish are the only fresh water fish I eat. Your video will be fun to watch and see what happens.

Many people cannot tell the taste difference between pike and walleye.

it would be interesting video, for sure.
From the people I know and from my overall experience, vast majority still prefers walleye over pike, and my family is not an exception (and we eat both).
But don't get me wrong, pike is very good too. I like to grind pike fillets in a meat grinder and fry it like patties with butter. It's pretty delicious. When you grind the fillets there is no need to poke out Y bones from fillets as they get completely crushed in the grinder.

Very well said. A phantom ghost like fish, I like that. In the darkness of night with a full moon, and a glow stick on my bobber. No sound, just me starring at a glowing green light in the mist. Then it just disappears with no warning. A monster crappie turns the still night water to a boil. You catch the fish and cast out again, hoping you did not disturb the other twenty under the surface. That's my definition of a perfect night fishing adventure.

Haha ... gold. You should be an outdoor writer! I could see exactly what you were writing about. Felt like I was there... lol

Thank you. So I will write the screen play and you can shoot the movie. We can call it Crappiranha attack.... We will have to CGI teeth on the crappie....LOL

Haha. Sounds terrifying. It’ll be bigger than Jaws!

Has Balsam opened enough at rosedale to get a boat in and head towards Coby? I’ve never fished for crappie before but a buddy and I want to give it a go.
Is a Ned rig the best bait or?

Balsam is still ice and the water level needs to come up about a half meter or more. Crappie should start showing up in two or three weeks. Everyone has there favourite baits. I use Gary Yamamto crappie baits but they do not make them anymore so I stocked up. I also use Mr. Crappie Strike King 2 inch Jokers various colours. My favourite is the pink and yellow on a pink quarter ounce jig under a slip bobber very shallow 12 inches down when fishing in 3 feet of water.

In the spring in a boat or from shore you can see small fish feeding on small bugs and minnows that come out right after ice out. So when I see the small fish in a foot of water I cast out to where the water is 3 feet deep and that is where the big crappie are just out of sight. Also near a creek or culvert any water run off into the lake you will see crappie feeding on minnows. Shallow water heats up just enough to bring in crappie. Watch where the Osprey are diving in the lake and in those spots you will find hundreds of crappie.

More shallow fish. I don't try and catch any small fish I see because that will scare them away and scare the bigger crappie away as well. The big crappie are always a few yards away sitting in a bit deeper water. I cast out 20 or 30 yards past where I see small fish and bring the bait in slow to where I think the big crappie are hiding.

Thanks for the info, CM.

All depends on ice out, two to three weeks away. I have never seen big crappie in the shallows if there is still ice on Balsam. Only once in 2015 was I catching big crappie in the shallows while there was ice on the lake. And that was on Sturgeon where I was fishing that day. I went down in the morning and there was strong wind that day that pushed the remaining slush ice east. Somehow the fish know when to head in to the shallow waters. By the afternoon we were catching big crappie for a week straight and then they were gone again. Good luck when you get out there. Stay safe.