Deadstream

Took a family trip down to Mississippi to get on some big crappie.  Something I’ve been wanting to do for years.  Why have I waited so long?  It was incredible!  We arrived Friday late afternoon for check in and got settled in our cabin.  Went down to the outdoor pavilion called “The Slab Shack” for dinner.  1 inch thick strip steaks, sea salt crusted baked potatoes, coleslaw, grilled asparagus, garlic bread, key lime pie, and home maid pineapple ice cream.
Woke up early next morning for sausage biscuit sandwiches and headed for the water.  Spider rigged till about noon for some monster slabs picking up 28 keepers over 13 inches.  Had sandwiches on the boat and pizza waiting for us back at the slab shack.  Put all the fish on ice for pictures the next day.  Dinner the second night was hand cut pork chops, salad, baked beans, coleslaw, corn and onions, blackberry cobbler and homemade blackberry ice cream.  
Up early again for breakfast down at the Slab Shack of fried ham steaks and biscuits, then on the water by the crack of daylight.  Caught my largest crappie ever of 16 3/4 inches and 31 more in the 14-16 inch range.  Back to the Slab Shack by new to grill burgers and chips for lunch.  Big photo shoot of both boats of family and fish for two days of fishing.  We ended up boating 122 keepers.  After pictures, the guides went to cleaning fish.  They got that dialed in.
Final dinner was smoke ribs, coleslaw, baked beans, bread, pasta salad, cobbler and ice cream.
I will be going again!










 

I survived another year of crazy... Saturday we woke up, had some breakfast and then hit basspro for a bit to pick up a new hoodie wife bought me.  Grabbed some more soft plastics while we were there to go beat on the bass again.
Got a late start but my older two daughters still have the fish whispering down pat and the oldest hooked up on her first cast.  Followed by my middle one shortly after.  Nothing huge, but makes me proud they are catching all on their own, and fishing by feel too which for me took way longer to really get the hang of when I was young.
It was about 90 so they didn't last too long.  Wife and kids headed in and I got a few hours of quiet time to chase them on my own.  Caught a couple solid fish and saw a big ol girl that would probably go 6lbs easy in the back end of the pond.
I will say I'm starting to be a true believer in HUK gear.  I have a few fishing shirts to keep the sun off me, but I picked up their vented hoodie and it's just a great clothing item I wish I would of found sooner.  Was hot in direct sun, but had a breeze and I stayed nice and cool even with my hood up to protect my bald head lol.
My dad had 9 spots on his hands and arms burned of recently so I am trying to be more cautious when out in the sun.
Overall was a great day too spend with the wife and kiddos.  

It took a couple of days here in Maryland, but I finally got out and fished. With my travel schedule I have been trying to get in on some panfish spawning. Back in Missouri I got into some crappie. Now I hoped to get into some bluegill or readear sunfish at Tuckahoe lake like I did last year in May. I tied on a John Deere microjig that I picked up at Weaver's tackle store in Lebanon, MO the last time I fished Bennett's Spring.

Even with the 4# Pline I can cast this tiny 1/125 oz bait 20 to 25 feet. If the fish were in ths spots that I caught them last year I wouldn't have to cast much further than 25 feet. I fished the jig without a float. The first spot I tried I did not get a bite on three casts. I hoped that this wouldn't be a busted trip. I went to another spot where I had caught bluegill previously. I made a cast out between some emergent plants and the line straightened out as the jig dropped and I set the hook on a nice bluegill.

I caught a few more from that spot. Most of the fish took the bait as the jig dropped at the end of the cast. On one of the casts I did not get a bite until I jigged it a bit and got it close to the weeds and got a surprise bite, a black crappie. This was the first crappie I have caught in Maryland. Yes I do have a list of fish that I have caught in Maryland !

Once the bites slowed, I moved to another sandy spot where people put in canoes and kayaks. I had caught pumpkinseed sunfish here last year and I could see beds in the sand. As luck would have it I caught another pumpkinseed in that location. These are just beautiful fish.

I moved to the dock and caught several more nice bluegill.

Then I got a stronger fighting fish and landed my fish redear of the night. A dark male.

I could see the fish moving around the dock. I also thought that I saw a long dark shadow at the corner of the dock. Several of the bluegill were over 8 inches in length and this redear was almost 10".

I ended the night with a dozen bluegill, eight readear, a pumpkinseed, and three black crappie in 84 minutes of fishing. I made a cast up near some brush and lifted what I thought was a branch and it was a 14 to 16 inch largemouth near where I had seen the shadow. I did not get the hook set well enough and the bass swam away unharmed. It was a great night. The only thing better would have been able to share this with my daughter or some OAF friends.

 
 

I just got back from a 110 mile solo kayak trip last night on the current river.  I woke up today wanting to fish ol beave’s so I got the boys ready and headed to the lake.  I wasn’t expecting much success sense I haven’t  been on the lake all week and didn’t know what was going on.   But I was pleasantly surprised with the bite.  I had bought some crappie minnows for the boys to use and pitched them about lay downs and caught quite a few fish.  We must have caugh 20 or so but only kept 10 or so.  I wasn’t really keeping count cuz the boys had me busy helping them.  If ur into crappie this would be a good time to go.  My 9 and 7 year olds tore them up for  a few hours today.   Here’s a couple of pics.