Headed out for a 5 night camping fishing trip. stopped at Bridgemasters in Lake Wales and got a poound of minners. It's my life's ambition to become an old fart who can always catch crappie without minnows but I'm not ready yet so I'm hanging on to that pacifier for a bit longer. Some how I picked up 4 Bagleys bang-a-lures and a popping frog and could not put them down so they made it to the cash register with me. Got to Lake Monroe Park and campground Christmas Eve around 4 pm. I never fished this lake before. It's a little windy, I'm itching to dunk some minners so I set up to night fish by the us 17 bridge. I anchor just outside the channel and start setting out my poles. I catch one nice slab just as it gets dark. I'm thinking with all my lights going I'll do pretty good tonight. Well that one fish was the one and only for the night. I take Christmas day off from fishing and hang out with wife. The next morning I'm thinking it might be windy on the lake so I decided to fish down River that morning. Wife and I head out I decided to bass fish first thing and wife wanted to fish with minnows. I'm using one of my knew bang-a-lures and catch a 17" bass and then a big slab crappie on the 5" lure in the pads. A bit later I thought since I got that crappie in the pads then that might be the spot so I pull out my jig rod and start to work. Nothing but redbreast and shellcracker. It's still overcast and fairly early so we switch to pushing minnows in the channel. We ended up with 10 keepers by 1pm. A few were good size most were medium to borderline keepers.

I came up on an good looking area called Butchers Blend , saw fish on the sonar along with some structure, I mark the spot and decide to come back and night fish that spot.

We get back to camp I cleaned the fish rest up and head back to that spot after dinner. I set up poles with minners and sit. I get 1 drag ripping catfish in 3 hours. I decided to pull up anchor and troll the channel. I catch 1 dink near some pads. I headed back towards camp and stop at the bridge again, the wind was calm so I anchor just off the train trussel. I get another catfish. Then I see 2 men walking down the train tracks, it's a cop and a firefighter. They stop as they get near me and asked me if I saw a man fall from the bridge. That was a strange question, I was expecting to hear them tell me that I was not allowed to fish there They did not offer any details they just asked how long I had been at that spot. It was a little after 11pm when this happens. When I get back to camp there are cops at the park gate and EMT s in the day area of the park with flashing lights. When I get to the RV I bturn on the TV and here that I4 was shut down due to a man going off the bridge. So l realize I'm out at fishing in what is called the death zone and down comes a man off the bridge. Must be the Lord's way of welcoming me to Lake Monroe.

The next morning I headed out to the river channel at first light and push minnows. They bit till about noon the day before so I figured I would do well starting earlier than the day before. It was foggy the day before but no fog this morning and I get 10 before the sun gets high enough to shut off the bite.

I thinking, where are the crappie bunched up at ?. They are full of roe but can't get any numbers in the pads. I've heard good things about Lake Woodruff. I look at the map, boy you have to want to get to that lake. I drive down to the boat ramp on hwy 44 by the KOA to check it out thinking I'll night fish that lake tomorrow night, surely I'll catch em there. Well, it starts raining before I get back to camp with no end in sight. Maybe it's not a good idea to fish this remote lake with this weather.

So Saturday am the wind is calm and I head out in lake Monroe. By temp light comes on. It must be a sensor it ain't had time to get hot. I continued out with my troll motors and push minnows around markers 4 and 6. I catch about 10 dinks and one nice slab. While I'm out there a see what appears to be a father and about a six year old son. I hear the young boy hollering and see a dip net swirling all around. About 3 minutes later I see about 4 lb catfish come up in the net. The young boy starts jumping around celebrating, pumping his arms, jumping up and down. How cool to see a little so excited.

So I head back in and have this evening to fish with a temp light issue on my boat. Maybe I'll bass fish in the river with the troll motor.

I gave my fish to some homeless people camping next to us so I have no choice but to go catch some more.

Merry Christmas Happy New year's !!!!!!

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