Crappie fishing(?) the CHICK, 12-3

[Jmax]

Well RangerRob and I went today, it was 34 degrees and raining when we got there but we were determined to go reguardless the weather. I had to have a fix, hadn't been in a month at least and I was starting to set the hook in my dreams. The water temp was 48.6 surface.

We called outselves crappie fishing, we started with jigs in deep water and caught nothing. We move to medium depth and caught nothing, we moved shallow and started catching fish(not crappie). Four whites, a bream, a bass, three drum later we stopped crappie fishingemoBang. We changed over to bass fishing and over the next four hours boated thirteen more bass.emoSmile The bait of the day ended up being a small finese worm green pepper and red flake rigged on a small jig head. The hits seem to come reeling it very slowly with an occassional hop. Sometimes you would not even feel the hit it just got heavy or went off to the side. We missed and lost as many as we caught. For a day in December with the weather like we had today we were happy as far as catching fish. Just a little of a joke to say we went crappie fishing and never caught one. Up wolftever it was the most muddie I had ever seen it. Caught only a couple up it due I feel to the water color. Most of the bass came off the main lake where there were drop offs and/or points in the 4 to 12 foot range.
Keep them wetemoCool Jmax

 

[polo-dog]

Jmax, I did see some bait and what looked like bass activity back in Wolftever when I was fishing for catfish. I thought that if I gadn't hooked up with a cat I would have caught some bait and tried for crappies or some catfish on the main lake. If anyone is looking to cast net up some bait in the Wolftever area, let me know as I saw quite a bit of activity out there. It is great to know that the bass are still biting even with it being so cold. I have the same problem with crappie fishing as I tend to get a little bored with it unless the fish are really active. I like the constant movement and checking out new places with my electronics while bass fishing. It's just more appealing to me.

 

[Jmax]

Wanted also to let RangerRob know I enjoyed fishing with him today. Anyone needing a good second man I would say he makes a good partner.emoThumbsup Jmax

 

[Jmax]

Polo-dog I thought you might be interested to know I believe I hooked your new record cat but I was using 12 lb test and thought I was hung up. I set the hook thinking it was a crappie or bass on a double jig combo yellow/red. I even dropped the line and started trolling towards it. I had moved maybe eight feet and realized my snag had moved. It was in 22 ft and in front of a spring. I pull back and just set there for a couple seconds with the rod doubled over and applied pressure. Sure enough it moved again!!!emoEek I yelled at RangerRob this is a fish and it is big!!!! He got the net but when he did I laughed and said it is going to be a little while before we need that. I just kept on the pressure and it turn around and moved back where I had hooked it. I just followed it with the trolling motor. I could not believe with the rod doubled that it was just able to sit there, it finally started to rise and I said it is comeing up but it must have come up maybe six feet and than decided to go back down. The drag went out and it was right back down on the bottom again. I started to do the proccess again but this time he went down right off and my hook on the samll jig broke into.emoBang I sure would have liked to have seen that fish. Those are the ones that keep you going back. There is no one on the chick that has a submarine that I might have hooked that you know of is there?emoLaugh Jmax

 

[polo-dog]

Jmax, thanks for feeding my fish! Oh, that's right, they aren't my fish. Thanks to you RangerRob for feeding them, if I catch the one you guys hooked I'll return the jig to you. I don't know if you were fishing "my hole" but there are a couple of places where the flatheads can be back there this time of year. Thanks for keeping them warmed up for me.

 

[RangerRob]

Special thanx to Jmax for the invite, the fun, and the venison. Bad weather or not, we had a ball and boated a fair # of fish.

Whatever it was Jmax hooked up with back there in Wolftever, you could almost hear the orders bellowing from the conning tower ... "DIVE, DIVE, DIVE!!!" We both got a chuckle at the fact that it probably WAS polo's record cat.

I boated three on the new DJW spider jig before I broke it off ... I believe it will work just fine. I wish I had brought more than just the one. As Jmax mentioned, the rest came on Zoom finesse worms. The only color I threw was watermelon red flake and mine were T-rigged on 1/8 oz SpotStickers.

Thanks again Jmax.

RR