rsimms, Chickamauga, Crappie, March 25, 2015, Tennfisher

[rsimms]

Oh what a difference a day (or two) makes.

After having "Great" to "Good" trips all last week, thru <a href=http://www.chattanoogafishingforum.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=83450&posts=7>Monday</a>, I was really looking forward to getting out with Howard Yarbrough (Tennfisher) today. We've been trying to make a trip happen for a while and today was finally the day.

Ruh Roh! emoAngry

I saw the handwriting on the wall when a friend struggled Tuesday. I've got one area where I can catch 9-inch fish by the bucket loads, but the keepers have vamoosed on us. Me and Howard struggled, hit several spots, including the exact same place I fished with great results Monday. But exactly 48 hours later, it was a ghost town. My fish & bite has gone South.

We did managed a dozen solid keepers, but it is obviously time for me to change strategies... just about the time freezing weather is moving in.

I am exceedingly embarrassed that I did not take a single photo today emoRedface ... I suppose that's a clear indicator of how lackluster our bite was. Of course it also means this is nothing but a fish tale.

But it was a great day on the water with a great partner. emoThanks And that means life is good and gettin' better every day!

 

[drumking]

Sorry that you guys had a poor day. Howard is a great guy. You are so correct. This is just a fishing tale. Sounds like "cat" time for Rsimms. emoPoke emoBigsmile emoGeezer

 

[Cottontop]

Fished lower Guntersville from 6:30 am til 4:30 pm with similar results. Guess they weren't hungry today.

 

[tennfisher]

It began with an omen when I managed to misplace my truck keys while loading up to meet Richard. 10 minutes of frantic searching failed to determine where I dropped them, and I didn't find them until after I got back home this afternoon. But I had a terrific time in spite of the slow bite. I learned long ago that I don't have to bring home a plethora of fish or game to have a successful trip. The 12 keeper crappie that I brought home were 10 and 2 in favor of the fairer sex, with a pan-sized channel catfish kicker. Also caught one of Drumking's pets which was released to grow up. Richard exhibited the patience of Job in explaining the what and the why, which is really what I wanted on this trip as much as the fish. Thanks Richard, for an excellent trip.

Tennfisher

 

[MrWiskers]

We struggled finding keepers yesterday afternoon as well. But we did find a million 8-9.75" fish. Boated 80 in 3 hours (actually 77 of them came off one dock in about an hour). The fish are not where they were and at not where they are going yet.

 

[ChattYakkin]

I bet I trolled 5-6 miles in my kayak in one creek yesterday with the same results: couldn't find keepers. I caught a few 9 inch fish but nothing like normal. What i could find was white and yellow bass by the hundreds. Fished a few docks that yielded nothing. I guess i just wasn't in the right area, but i can't run ten miles down river so there isn't much I could do except for keep on trolling. I did wind up catching a 5 pound bass on a 1/16th oz road runner, though. All in all, could have been much worse.

 

[cuonthelake]

I still like the days you still catch a few, but you learn a lot about why you don't load the boat! emoBigsmile

 

[Tsuga]

Tennfisher and fished together a few times some decades ago when we worked together. It seems that something unusual happened on each trip. We laughed at the funny things and he always found a way to overcome any problems.

 

[Crappie Reaper]

A day on the water is better than a day at work.
I'll trade you rsimms. Lol

 

[tennfisher]

Tsuga - 3/26/2015 8:51 AM

Tennfisher and fished together a few times some decades ago when we worked together. It seems that something unusual happened on each trip. We laughed at the funny things and he always found a way to overcome any problems.

You just can't get past that snake in the boat can you Gene? emoBigsmile

Tennfisher

 

[rsimms]

I must add this since I promised Tennfisher I would "tell on myself."

I'd had to pull a trolling motor battery to start my engine earlier this week. I ran electronics too many days without enough engine-running time to charge the battery.

But, when I put the TM battery back in, I realized I wasn't sure how to hook up 24-volt wiring. emoConfused

And sure enough, I did it wrong and TM had no power. emoDoh

On first re-hookup I knew I'd done it wrong. TM powered but I could easily tell I was only getting 12-volts out of it.

On second try, we were pretty sure we'd figured it out, but to confirm Tennfisher called a fellow professor (Physics) to confirm. emoThanks

Oh yea, we also had to use Tennfisher's i-Pilot Remote since mine quit charging. We both learned how to "Learn" different i-Pilot Remotes to control different motors.

BTW, my remote was a mere one-month out of warranty. On first effort the Minn Kota Customer Support Rep I reached wasn't going to help my out. But on second effort, I found my way up one level in the chain of command and "Dave" overnighted me a new remote and charging cable. Turns out the problem was with the charging cable, not the remote. But I paid them for the new one (discounted) so now I am all good to go with a backup remote.

And I continue to be a BIG believer in Minn Kota! emoDance

 

[Tsuga]

You just can't get past that snake in the boat can you Gene?

Tennfisher

Tennfisher is talking about the time were anchored under Wolftever Bridge, past midnight, and decided to call it a night as the stripe (or anything else) were not cooperating. It was dark. When reaching into the water for a "loop of rope" at the surface to pull up the anchor, the loop turned out to be a slimy dead snake. When we later got back to the boat ramp we discovered the battery of his car was dead and of course everyone in the nearby campground was asleep. Tennfisher only had a pair of pliers to swap batteries, but he took the boat battery out, put it into the car, and away we went. It was an interesting night that will not be forgotten. It would be nice to more "interesting" nights that turn out just fine like that night. It is a good memory with a good person.

 

[Buoy-Master]

I went yesterday after work. 8 crappie and only 3 were keepers. We picked flats, bridges, brush, blowdowns and docks apart. Notta!

 

[rusty50576]

24v can be tricky and so can the onboard chargers for them. The one in my boat got hot and melted no matter which way you hooked it up