Question: How often do you catch giant crappies? I'm talking 2 ½ pounds, 3, and bigger ...
My guess is not very often. Same here.
Crappies this size are a whole 'nother animal. They're freaks. Big, gold, black, white, and silvery freaks.
Wanna know where these freaks live?
Arizona.
Yep, you heard right ... Arizona, as in tumbling tumbleweeds Arizona. Specifically, Arizona's Lake Roosevelt (called “Rosey” by locals).
Only 80 miles east of Phoenix, Theodore Roosevelt Lake was once the largest manmade lake in the world. At full capacity, the lake covers more than 17,000 acres.
Massive waters. Massive fish.
Obviously, finding the fish is the real challenge on a lake this big. But crappie devotees keep posting photos of 3- and 4-pound fish taken out of Rosey on web sites like
crappie.com and the
Arizona Crappie Association's web site, a great place to go for current reports.
 |
| Arizona Angler "Jerome" And A Lake Roosevelt Slab -- 3 Pounds On The Nose |
Plus, rumor has in recent years Rosey has become the go-to location for really big crappies when fishing shows and tackle companies need quality big-fish footage ...
So, if you're headed to "The Grand Canyon State" this holiday season to see grandma—or planning a vacation to the southwest in 2012—make sure to work fishing into your itinerary. There's definitely more to Arizona than sun, sand, golf and high mountain hunts and trout.
Did we mention it's got some great bass fishing to boot? Now that's a
Whole Lotta Rosie!
Not planning on visiting the southwest any time soon? Check out a couple of our country's other trophy crappie waters ...
 |
| A Lake Grenada Giant |
Mississippi Queen
Like the classic rock ‘n’ roll anthem
Mississippi Queen , the magnolia state’s Lake Grenada rocks hot and heavy! Two-pound fish are run-of-the-mill and 3-pound-plus fish are common. Mid-February through late-May packs the biggest punch!
Razorback Slabs
Just spittin’ distance from Texarkana, Arkansas’ Millwood Reservoir is a slab factory. This old river system is chock full o' cypress knees and brush piles—perfect crappie habitat. Tournament pros routinely bring in 7 fish limits between 15 and 20 pounds!
Slack is evil; tight lines,
Web Ed. Jim
Web Ed. Jim blames his fishing addiction on poor parenting.
While most kids were involved in extracurriculars, Web Ed. Jim's folks let him skip school to ride shotgun in an old Chevy pickup across the muddy backroads of northern Minnesota, setting and checking minnow and leech traps with his dad, a bait shop owner.
Or he was simply "out fishing" the lake in front of the shop completely unattended in a little 14-foot Lund ... from the age of 9.
A survivor of all that--and more--he's currently the editor of the daily fishing eNews "Fishin' Informer," a staff writer for North American Fisherman, and a frequent contributor to NAFC's Facebook page.
You can contact North American Fishing Club Online Editor “Web Ed. Jim” Edlund at jedlund@namginc.com.