The Shellcrackers

Comment

Comment by LedHed on October 3, 2011 at 4:48pm

We have been catching REs in 15 - 20 FOW slow trolling jigs with a cricket. They are fall feeding on several hatches going on. Water temp is 73F to 75F. Lots of fun and nice size fish.

Comment by 10.5" RES Sharon on October 3, 2011 at 7:55am

I put 50 res in my pond 2 years ago. Never caught one yet. Either they died, or they are getting enough to eat. Anyone have any clues on how to catch them? (tried fishing the bottom) The water I put them in is only about 2' deep now.

Comment by Vic Tankersley on October 3, 2011 at 7:50am

Has anyone ever trolled for shellcrackers..it will work right now . They are in shallow again in some lakes filling up on larve that is hatching out. Don't know if it's Cadice flies or Damsel but the crackers are heavey feeding on them..Water temp is low 70's

Comment by Vic Tankersley on September 7, 2011 at 8:04am

Water temp has came down and Friday is only about 20% chance of rain....I will have to go and worm fish for shellcrackers in the watershed.......

Comment by Greg Wade on September 3, 2011 at 3:00pm

Great discussion.....

 

The past couple years I've found the male crackers to be bigger in length than the females. Most all of those fish were caught during the spawn, so the females were fat and full of eggs, but the males were larger overall.

 

It could just be the bodies of water I'm fishing and the timing of the spawn, which has more males on the nest at the time? But the females generally run a little smaller for me.

 

I'd be curious to know more about their feeding habits during the spawn, for each gender. But I agree with Jim, that you need to use a stealth-like approach due to their skittish nature and fish for them differently than gills.

 

I also tend to catch them in a little deeper water than Gills, and around different bottom structure.

 

 

Comment by Jim Gronaw on September 3, 2011 at 5:30am

Same here...more big female crackers and about 60/40 on big male gills to big female gills. I don't have near the experience with crackers as do many of you all out there...they are actually an introduced specie to Maryland waters. But I know this...they are skittish on the beds, great at guarding and tougher to catch on lures than are bluegills around here.

Comment by Bruce Condello on September 3, 2011 at 5:20am

That's a great question. I've wondered that myself. My personal experience is the same as yours. Bigger females. But with bluegill you will find more 10-inch+ males. Anybody else?

Comment by Troy Dorman on September 3, 2011 at 4:45am

Shellcracker question, which gets bigger, the female or the male?? In my favorite lake, it seems like I'm catching 10inch males but females up to 12inches. I'm thinking because the males guard the nest, they don't get a chance to survive as long as a female does. Those suckers get plucked off of the nest every spring.

 

I would assume the male should get bigger though, if he gets lucky enough to avoid getting plucked when on guard duty. But I've also heard that the biggest shellcracker in a lake don't actually guard the nest.

Comment by Vic Tankersley on August 9, 2011 at 5:50am

I think there are several in here from the watershed here in Anniston.  They were Yummy man Yummy

Comment by Vic Tankersley on August 9, 2011 at 5:49am

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