Being studious about crappie behaviour

Lately, I have been tying dozens of flies and dreaming of spring fishing. This is an affliction that takes hold of me each year right about now. The only difference is the affliction is manifesting itself in a very uncharacteristic way this year.

You see, of late, I have fixated on the idea of targeting spring crappie. And why not? Crappie are one of the best tasting panfish in our waters.

Here’s the problem, though. I don’t know much about crappie fishing. If this surprises you, don’t feel too bad. Heck, it even surprised my best fishing buddy.

In fact, when I casually suggested, “I’m not a crappie fisherman,” he just looked at me and said, “Oh Steve, I beg to differ.”

Yes, he has been with me when I have caught a crappie or two, but he was being uncharacteristically kind.

The truth is I don’t know a lot about crappie fishing because, come spring, I spend most of my time chasing brook trout or wild turkeys. As a result, crappie fishing is not something I am known for – which is another sentence my best fishing buddy strongly disagreed with.

I like to think of myself as a student of fishing, however. So lately, I have been reading books and on-line articles on the subject and trying to figure out what I need in terms of fishing gear, flies, and knowledge to find and catch big crappies. Because anyone can catch small crappies. The trick is finding the big ones – also known as slabs.

That’s why, I have been studying very hard.

So hard that Jenn even asked me what I was so immersed in. At the time I was reading about crappie behaviour. And I said as much.

“Let me get this straight,” she said. “You are actually reading about understanding crappie behaviour?” “Yes,” I said.

Jenn must have remembered that time when I caught a few crappies off the town dock because she then exclaimed that, in her experience, it seemed like I knew everything a person needs to know about crappie behaviour.

“Oh, stop it,” I said, while blushing just a bit.

“I just hope you use what you learn to better yourself,” she replied

That, of course, is the idea. By the time spring arrives I will be completely up to date on the best tactics and techniques needed to find and catch big slab crappies. That’s not to say that I’m going to give up on trout and turkeys. It just means I will add one more skill to my spring fishing repertoire. Why do this, you ask?

I’ll be honest with you. I think it’s about time I lived up to all the hype.

You see for years people have wrongly assumed I am a good angler when it comes to panfish. And, like most anglers, who are wrongfully complimented, I have not corrected them once. Unlike most anglers, however, I have always been embarrassed by the this lie of omission. So, this year, I’m going to do something about it.

Yes, this year when someone points at me and says, “There’s Steve Galea. Everyone says he is a crappie angler,” I’m going to make sure they were not lying.

Which is something that my best fishing buddy says I should never worry about. But, again, he’s being too kind.