Tuxedo Cracker........5/30/2020

Comment

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on June 3, 2020 at 11:42am

You could be on to something Troy.......very few of the shellcrackers I catch have a distinct ear tab....either red or orange....many of them even appear just plain white........

Comment by Troy Dorman on June 3, 2020 at 4:07am

I "think" the tannic water that Jeff fishes sometimes robs the big male redear of the very prominent cherry ear tab we associate with these fish...I know the ones I catch here on Ky and Barkley display prominent red flaps on their ear and this is not tannic water. 

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on June 2, 2020 at 5:12pm

Thanks Jeff! It's interesting that you say possibly a hybrid.......I caught some big shellcrackers with what appeared to be a white ear tab or absence of red or orange.......Yep......the fish coming out of Havasu have been incredible.......I lived near Santee Cooper , South Carolina back in the 80s where alot of two pound class Redear and a few three to four pound class were caught....I never dreamed of seeing what we have in Havasu......it;s really neat though because I'm addicted to panfish.......

Comment by Jeff Soto on June 2, 2020 at 3:54pm

Oh beautiful fish Jeff!  Have you caught any others with that vertical barring?  Those stripes look a lot like the double bars that Bluegills have.  Maybe a hybrid?  And yes, they are the drag pullers! Imagine a 4 or 5 pounder, like those Havasu brutes! And some guys use 2 lb test down there!

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on May 31, 2020 at 2:53pm

Agree Troy......catch quality bluegill that I can lip and have no problems......a cracker is not easy to lip either.....you can sense how they crush little clams and stuff.....really strong mouths........

Comment by Troy Dorman on May 31, 2020 at 1:36pm

They are tremendously powerful fish...I guess because they're bodies get thick??