Crappie Fishing Louisiana or East Texas

     It's that time of year ( January) when the Crappie fishing is heating up in North Louisiana and East Texas.  Whether you call them Crappie, Sacalait, or White Perch...they are all the same to me....and I love catching and eating them.

     I had the pleaure of eating some freshly caught crappie filets that my friend Jorge caught recently on the north side of Cross Lake in Shreveport, LA.  The Crappie were in 3-4 feet of water near the bank and he caught them on crappie jigs.  In the next few weeks, crappie will be all near the banks of local lakes.  Big crappie too.

     Crappie is a delicate fleshed fish and my very favorite freshwater species. Not only are they fun to catch, they are great for grilling using my grilled redfish recipe or frying, using my Cajun fried bream recipe.  If you havent yet tried freshly grilled Louisiana Crappie, you need to.  It's a real treat !  The flavor is very delicate and the flesh is as flakey as you'll ever find on this tasty fish.  That's why it's one of my personal favorites.

     When fishing for crappie, or white perch as some call them...pay close attention to the fact that they have very tender mouths.  As with crappie meat, their mouths are delicate too....so don't place too much pressure on your line when reeling them in.  A big sow crappie will fight harder than a bass, so set your reel's drag very light.  Use 2- 6 lb test fishing line, a very tiny swivel and either a crappie jig or a live minnow.  I use a small Shimano ultra-lite spinning reel and either a 5 foot Castaway or Shimano graphite rod with a very sensitive rod tip for catching big crappie.  They pick up the bait very gently at times...so watch your line for that "tick" and dont set the hook hard.  Just raise your rod tip and begin reeling.

     At other times, crappie will slam your bait like a speckled trout.  But you still need to be careful while reeling them in, due to their fragile mouths.  They dont call them "papermouth" for nothing. I fillet my crappie, as I do all the fish I catch and keep.  Others like to scale them and fry them whole.

     The lime juice I use on grilled crappie is a perfect complement to this delicate fish and I can never get enough to eat when crappie is on the menu.   So this weekend, head out to your local Academy Sports center or Bass Pro shop, pick up an assortment of crappie jigs and head for the lake !

     Take a few home and grill them Cajun style and of course, add some cajun grilled veggies.

You'll be glad you did.

Until next time,

~Froggy~

Part time Louisiana food critic and beach bum in training.