I went out to the Big Ditch at the south lock with my fishing buddy in his motorized canoe a day or two ago and we did pretty good on the bream and LMB for the middle of winter. Surface fished most of the day with poppers and pushers.
Late yesterday afternoon I got one 9 inch Speck on a #8 Fluorescent Green Crappie Candy at the pond with the floating line on the 5wt. Normally I use the #8 Yellow Chartreuse Crappie Candy. The Specks were holding a little farther out in the pond this time. A fellow that fishes around there chatted with me and informed me of two more ponds that I didn’t know were there way back on the hiking and bike trails. So I did a little hiking :D. I found the two ponds that are smaller than the one I have been fishing but worth the effort so I may try them some time.
9 inch Pond Speck on a #8 Fluorescent Green Crappie Candy
Here is a different twist on the Crappie Candy as I have been toying with woven flies lately. I haven’t tried it yet but I think it looks promising. A #10 black/yellow chartreuse Woven Crappie Candy.
Nice weave Dixie. I do some woven flies and have had some success with them. Here in TX. the crappie are sized by the fish commission at 10" and up to take home, so we do catch a lot under sized. A friend caught one last year that was 9 1/2" long which he didn’t measure and got stopped by the warden and got a $125.00 fine. Pays to have a crappie measuring tool on board.
Hobo
That’s a steep fine :shock:. We don’t have state wide slot limits on Specks yet. But there is a 25 per person per day state wide bag limit. There are slot limits on some specific waters where it is specified.
One Texas lake I know has special crappie regulations.
Lake Fork has special regulations for crappie and bass. Here is the crappie regulation from Texas Parks & Wildlife:
During the months of December, January and February, there is no minimum length limit on crappie. Daily bag is 25 in any combination of black and white crappie, and all crappie caught must be retained (culling is not permitted.). In other months, crappie are subject to a 10-inch minimum length limit and a daily bag of 25.
I didn’t know that. Lake Fork is at least 150 miles away and about 5 & 1/2 hour drive one way for me. I fish mostly Stillhouse, Belton Lakes and the Colorado River.
Hobo
25 a day? :shock: Our statewide limit is 10! And that’s total in possession. No size limit on most lakes, but on the larger ones in my area it’s entirely possible to take a limit of 10-13 inch fish.
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