Muskrat, Chickamauga, crappie, 3-12-15, Deb

[Muskrat]

A fishing trip for Debbie and myself today in the pontoon that had some highs...and lows. The high...the crappie bite was very good. The low...I lost one of the larger crappie I've ever had on my line less than a foot from the net. We bounced around the lake at first and then found pay dirt around 1:30 pm. We found a lot of good size crappie in about 2-5 feet of water. A lot of shad and even crappie surfacing in one small muddy area around a red clay point. I'm not sure if the bait fish were trying to hide in the muddy water or the crappie were in there trying to ambush them. I guess a little of both.

We caught all of our crappie and some big yellow bass on BG Bluegrass Baby Shad on 1/32. oz. Road Runner jig heads and almost every one were keepers. Nice healthy fish...many with eggs. We had our hooks pushed out from my "lesson" I learned from Drumking a few years ago and everything was going great. I had just caught a nice keeper and then I get a good "thump". I can tell it's a big fish but it got on the other side of the pontoon and when I got it up and from under it I turned my hands just enough to where it got off...right at the net. We were both speechless at first and then questions like...did you see that ? Um...yeah, I sure did. Debbie said...it was a monster. I said...yeah, I know. I believed it weighed somewhere in the 2.5 maybe 2.8 lb. range but I'm pretty sure it wasn't 3 lbs. ...at least I'm trying to convince myself that it wasn't ! I did the woulda - coulda - shoulda thing for awhile and realized some things that were going against me. Being in the pontoon...a smaller than normal Okuma Avenger reel I was using...and the Road Runner jig heads that have very small hooks. I've got hundreds of sickle hooks of all sizes and that's what I'm going to be using from now on.

Fishing is all about the memories you make and not everything goes as well as you could hope sometimes. A couple of pics. We had a few larger ones that we just tossed quickly because the bite was so good. All fish were released including the one that figured out how to do it on it's own.

 

[Kingfish]

Good grief. I am as frustrated as you losing a big one at the boat...I know you will get it in the boat the next time. Congrats on a fine day of catching. emoThumbsup

 

[Javelin33]

Awesome day. I hate those roadrunner heads. I've tried to find some with sickle hooks in them.

 

[the Wolftever Kid]

This gives you a glimpse of what is possible!

 

[JimP]

Congrats on a good day, the one that gets away always hurts ya. What is the "pushed" lesson you referred to if you don't mind me asking.

 

[cuonthelake]

I bet you tossed and turned about that one all night emoBang ...there will be more to come, our lake is showing some good size and number right now, and thats a great thing! emoBigsmile

 

[Gator]

Great trip. Great pics too. Sorry about losing the big one.

 

[EricM]

emoBigsmile emoThumbsup emoThumbsup

 

[Muskrat]

JimP - 3/13/2015 6:50 AM

Congrats on a good day, the one that gets away always hurts ya. What is the "pushed" lesson you referred to if you don't mind me asking.

Jim - I just say "push" because when you say pull your hook out it sounds like it would be hard to catch a fish that way emoLaugh. You can push or pull the hook to where it's almost straight out. You'll probably even think it's too straight...but it's not. I made a report from the creek a few years ago about losing fish on a 1/32 oz. and DK gave me the great advice. I went back the next day and caught about the same number of fish but got about every crappie in the boat that trip. The 1/16 oz. Road Runner hooks are decent size but the 1/32 oz. is just too risky trying to land a big crappie.

 

[Muskrat]

cuonthelake - 3/13/2015 7:31 AM

I bet you tossed and turned about that one all night emoBang ...there will be more to come, our lake is showing some good size and number right now, and thats a great thing! emoBigsmile

I sure have Candi. I just can't stop thinking about it. The last thing before I went to sleep...and that took forever. I'm sure I had a nightmare about it...and then the first thing I thought about when I woke up this morning. I've just been shaking my head and mumbling..."I can't believe I lost that fish...I can't believe I lost that fish". I know you will get yours soon.

 

[polo-dog]

Thanks for the report Jeff! Great looking fish!

 

[drumking]

Muskrat - 3/13/2015 12:18 PM

cuonthelake - 3/13/2015 7:31 AM

I bet you tossed and turned about that one all night emoBang ...there will be more to come, our lake is showing some good size and number right now, and thats a great thing! emoBigsmile

I sure have Candi. I just can't stop thinking about it. The last thing before I went to sleep...and that took forever. I'm sure I had a nightmare about it...and then the first thing I thought about when I woke up this morning. I've just been shaking my head and mumbling..."I can't believe I lost that fish...I can't believe I lost that fish". I know you will get yours soon.

If it is any consolation to you, Jeff, I lost the biggest crappie that I have ever seen back in the late 80's while fishing a CBA bass tournament. I was using a 1/4 oz jig and had cast over an extended point on the cast before and caught a keeper bass. Put it in the well and made the same cast. Jig hit the bottom, I jumped it off the bottom and "thump", fish on. I casually said to my partner, I have another bass on and was really looking off to the side when I got the fish next to the boat. I looked down to see what had to be 3.5 to 4.0 lb black crappie, turn over on its side, watch the jig fall out, and see the fish of a lifetime turn and swim back to the bottom. I have never forgotten the spot, the fight, or the fish. Hopefully, you will catch bigger crappie in the future and make you forget about this one. emoBigsmile emoGeezer

 

[Muskrat]

Thanks Dickey. Wow...I could see how a fish that size would be etched in your mind forever. Things happen that we just don't have much control over sometimes and I just need to get back out there and try to catch another and learn from my mistakes. I've caught a 2.6 pound white crappie and that's why I had something to judge by because they were similar in length except this fish would almost cover up a dinner plate it was so wide !

 

[tp44]

Good that you had a fun day on the water, but sorry the "one" slipped away. I think about all fisherpersons (note the non-gender) have lost what they think would be the "one". I was fortunate to get my crappie, but lost the monster bass at the net.

 

[Tenncrapie]

Even the best has them big ones get away. Candi and I watched a pro last year loose a 3lb plus to a sorry net man. It happens. Good post good pix. Stay after them.

 

[jignworm]