4-22 Thru 4-27

[Bittle]

Took the annual fishing trip to Table Rock lake with my roommates from college. We always laugh because it never fails that the weather always goes to crap when we plan fishing trips. Here is the report.

4-22

I went down a day early and decided to try and find fish before my buddies arrived. I put in a Bridgeport, barely, and headed up the james. I drove all the way up to the bridge in Galena and started throwing swimming minnows. Hooked a small LM, then a couple sow whites. Rain moved in and I was a long way from the truck. I put my rain gear on and decided to fish it out. Started flipping just before the rain came and the bite turned on. At one point I guess I caught 10 fish on 10 casts. Small males and females, good eaters. Rain got too heavy so I ducked under Railey Creek bridge to wait it out. Rain moved and so did I. Fished my way back to the truck throwing a spinnerbait in some areas. Caught one small spot in the brush near the Cape Fair Bridge.

That night my dad and brother decided to try the whites out. We put in at Galena bridge and again threw some swimming minnows. We ended up with 5 keepers. I did catch a huge female, probably close to 5 pounds. Saw several people catching but the fish were scattered up there. I hooked about a 30 pound paddlefish on 4lb line. It was fun for awhile but the hook pulled before I could even get close to landing it.

All the fish cleaned still had eggs. Some were real bloody, some where not.

4-23

Got up early to try the white bass. Went outside and forgot to plug the trolling motor battery into the charger. No fishing that morning. That evening one of my friends arrived so we headed back to Galena. Ended up with 4 small whites and two sows. Saw people catching quite a few fish on rebels and Vibraspins. The people down there were keeping everything. No matter how big they were. And believe me, some where not worth filleting. Water had turned dirty from the rains the day before which had the bite down a bit.

4-24

Got up and headed back to Galena. Didn't catch much that morning, probably 4-5 that kept. Water was really dingy and lots of debris. Fish still had eggs.

That afternoon my other friend arrived. We loaded the boat and headed to Cape Fair. Put in at Bridgeport and set up 6 trot lines in the area. We tried fishing for bass and throwing lures for crappie, but no luck.

4-25

Got up and headed to check the lines. First line we had two fish, a small channel and about a 12 pound channel. My buddy tried to swing it into the boat and the larger channel had other plans. Spun off and away he went. We ended up with 4 Catfish, 3 channels and about a 3-4 pound flathead. Fished some more trying to find something to tug on a line but only found a couple small bass. Like 6 inchers. Dunked minnows in some trees but couldn't find the crappie.

4-26

Again checked the lines and found another 3-4 catfish on the lines. Nothing huge but good eaters. Returned home early for breakfast and a nap. Afternoon rolled around and decided to set a couple more lines. Grabbed some goldfish and headed back out. Found one small channel while rebaiting the lines. I then decided I was going to try to find the crappie. We had some minnows so I went to a proven spot for me. Dropped the minnow and bang. Crappie within 10 seconds. A nice 12 incher. Flipped minnows around for awhile and didn't catch another one there. Started draggin minnows around the outside edge of the treeline and my buddy hooked another 12 inch crappie. Drug the minnows toward another good spot and dropped my minnow next to a tree. Bang another 11-12 inch crappie. It was getting late so we decided to head in for dinner. During dinner I decided to try some night fishing under the lights. Good thing I did. We ended up with 9 crappie and 4 white bass. A very pleaseant evening, no wind and great friends and fish. I caught a huge 15 inch crappie with a bucket mouth. Had a blast. We left at 130am because we were heading home the next day and had to sleep before driving.

I finally found the fish but couldn't believe how deep they were. Caught most of out fish in 25-35 feet still. I would have guess that they would have moved up and would be in the brush spawning by now. They all were full of eggs. The whites and catfish had eggs in them also.

4-27

We got up and ran out lines again catching another 4 fish with a decent 4 pound channel and 4 pound flathead. Even caught a 12 inch crappie on the trot line that morning. Picked up our lines and headed home.

Wasn't the best fishing ever but we had a good time anyway. The night fishing picked our spirits up nicely. That and we then knew we had a few crappie fillets to take home. Hopefully the crappie will move up some and start spawning. Water temps were anywhere from 64-67.5 degrees. Not sure what they are waiting on but who knows.

I have pictures but it may be awhile before I can get it attached.

Good luck.

[KansasBoy13]

Sounds like a really great time with the boys...Every guy should get to have a week or weekend like that at least once a year