58 Fish and Game Warden. [Bull. No. 1. 



times when minnows were scarce small young sunfish were 

 taken quite extensively. We have never found a young crappie 

 in the stomach of any of the specimens of crappie examined. 

 So far as I know they are not cannibalistic in their nature 

 and it is fair to presume that they will not eat their own kind, 

 at least in waters where it is possible for them to get other 

 food. 



Specimens taken from creeks and small rivers show a still 

 smaller percentage of fish food, the amount scarcely reaching 

 ten per cent of the total mass of food consumed. 



The crappies eat great numbers of crustaceans and insects 

 of both land and water varieties. The amount of vegetable 

 food taken is small, except with some of the young fish. In 

 examining a lot of over one hundred young fish from three 

 to five inches in length in the zoological laboratory at the 

 State University, a considerable amount of vegetable matter 

 was found mixed with the insect and crustacean food ma- 

 terials, and occasionally, even in these small specimens, a little 

 minnow was found in the food mass. 



THE CRAPPIE as A GAME FISH- 



The crappie is scarcely classed as a game fish among real 

 anglers, yet it makes rather a quick move when it takes the 

 hook but does not put up fight enough to free itself from the 

 hook and get away to suit the sportsmen, at least those who 

 have been accustomed to fish for trout and Black bass. Yet 

 the crappie is a fine fish to take with a light tackle, and what 

 it lacks in dash and splash is in a good measure made up by 

 the beautiful picture of silver and green that is presented to 

 the fisherman as soon as the captive is lifted from the water. 

 There are hundreds of fishermen, and "anglers" too, who enjoy 

 fishing for crappie. The crappie will frequently take an 

 artificial lure, rising to a fly or dashing after a small spoon 

 when these tricks are skillfully handled and properly cast 

 upon the water. However, the best bait for a novice or un- 

 skilled crappie fisherman is a grasshopper, a young crayfish, 

 or a small minnow from one to three inches long. Such expert 

 crappie fishermen as George A. Clark, of Tope^:a, and W. I. 

 Hoadley, of Lawrence, catch crappies with artificial lures such 

 as flies and small spoons; however, with these gentlemen the 

 lure or bait does not count for so much as thr skill displayed 

 in handling the rod and line combined with a knowledge of 

 the habits of the fish. 



When a minnow is used for Vjait it should be carefully 

 strung under the back fin on a small, thin, stout hook so that 

 it will hang in a horizontal position when dropped into the 

 water. By a small hook I mean one that measures not over 

 two- three- or four-eighths of an inch from the point straight 

 across to the shank. The wire of the hook should be fine, the 

 strength being furnished by the quality of the material. 



