Specs

[Sixpack]

The Specs are running hard and fast on the lakes off of the St. Johns river here in central Fla. We boated 75 the first day and another 42 on the second day. Best eating fresh water fish there is, IMHO...

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[Lipripper]

Them are some nice looking Craopie and I agree

[Pferox]

Nice fish!  I miss those days.  We used to catch specs where some were as long as a 5 gallon bucket is high in Polk County.  I can taste them now.  Yummm.

Have you noticed that some lakes will produce larger fish for a year or two then they will get small, while another lake will have the big ones?  We ran into that our way, I think it has to do with the fishing pressure on the lake that is producing.

[coldfront]

Nice fish!  I miss those days.  We used to catch specs where some were as long as a 5 gallon bucket is high in Polk County.  I can taste them now.  Yummm.

Have you noticed that some lakes will produce larger fish for a year or two then they will get small, while another lake will have the big ones?  We ran into that our way, I think it has to do with the fishing pressure on the lake that is producing.

typically some of it is fishing pressure.. most times it has to do with spawning/growing conditions for a particular year class of fish.  Crappie are notorious for this.

[MissouriFishin]

I'm not familiar with the term "specs" referring to crappie. Is it specifically black crappie?

[Pferox]

I'm not familiar with the term "specs" referring to crappie. Is it specifically black crappie?

In Florida, we called crappie speckled perch, as far as I know black crappie are the abundant species, don't remember catching anything else either.

The "Perch" thing seems to be kind of popular in Florida, Crappie are Speckled Perch, and Tilapia are Nile Perch.  Maybe because I don't remember seeing actual perch there, but it has been a while ago.

Some of the guys still living there may be able to help out a little better.

[Lipripper]

They are called by diffrent names just depending on where your at but it's still a Crappie 

Other names for crappie are papermouths, strawberry bass, speckled bass or specks (especially in Michigan), speckled perch, calico bass (throughout New England),[3] sac-a-lait (in southern Louisiana,

[Pferox]

Don't matter what you call em, I call em GOOD EATIN"!

[Lipripper]

Don't matter what you call em, I call em GOOD EATIN"!

Me too I'm going to have to break some out of the freezer and fry them up real soon. I think I can gum them if the breading isn't to hard.

[MissouriFishin]

Thanks for the explanations guys. And crappie certainly are good eating. I had heard papermouth and even sac-a-lait (just happened to run into a cajun guy here in MO while we were both crappie fishing) but specs was a new one to me. I could have sworn I've actually heard that term used in regards to some other kind of fish. Speckled trout perhaps??

[flowerjohn]

Black crappie are abundant in our northern waters and some see them as a threat to bass and pickerel since black crappie feed voraciously on all fry. We are encouraged to keep some in an attempt to cut their numbers. Crappie along with pickerel are the best tasting freshwater fish IMO. Up here crappie are nicknamed 'slabs' since they yield a beautiful slab of thick meat along the top of the fillet. We catch them, we clean them and we eat them. Cheers. J.

[Pferox]

If you are by the coast some people use Specs or Spots to relate to spotted sea trout (the more common name).  Which isn't a trout at all, it is in the drum family, go figure.

[flowerjohn]

Thanks for the explanations guys. And crappie certainly are good eating. I had heard papermouth and even sac-a-lait (just happened to run into a cajun guy here in MO while we were both crappie fishing) but specs was a new one to me. I could have sworn I've actually heard that term used in regards to some other kind of fish. Speckled trout perhaps??

Missouri we call speckled trout specks. Also quite high on the delicious list of freshwater species. They taste great cold smoked.  J.

[Pferox]

Around here, our saltwater trout is called a sand trout.  Tastes a lot like a rainbow. 

My wife is from Montana, her and her dad fished rainbows and browns, I think she said, after having those sand trout, she got home sick.

Our Trout don't seem to freeze well unless you keep them submerged in water, so we usually eat the trout first, and the other fish later on.

[Sixpack]

Call them what you will, depending on where you happen to be standing. I think all will agree that they are some good eating...

[jonboy]

Its a white perch here in south Alabama
ROLL TIDE!!!

[Wizard]

I always heard them called Specs in S. Missouri/N. Arkansas growing up. The guys that fished for them were called "perch jerkers". Now, people tend to call them crappie and I haven't heard anyone use Specs in a long time. All small sunfish of any species were called "perch" when I was a kid.

[Yankee fan]

Call them what you will, depending on where you happen to be standing. I think all will agree that they are some good eating...

Beresford and Woodruff are usually good after the water cools off. Don't know about Woodruff this year as they sprayed it to death. Last April there was not a weed to be found there. 

[jocko]

We usually hit Dexter.

My Dad had a place in Astor and the specks were hot now thru February.  Big ones. 

Good cooler full!  Mighty tasty.

[topwaterfanatic]

 Thank you for posting this! I like fishing for Specs as well, might go soon with this great weather we are having.