Pelicans Are Back

[LakeShelbyvilleGuide]

Can't be long now saw my first bunch of Pelicans today and had water temps at 71. We white bass fished almost the entire guide trip but we switched over to crappie a couple of times when we were close to a brush pile I thought might have some fish on it and I am glad to say we caught fish on every one and had about a dozen keepers to go along with the hundred or so white bass.

Give me a whole day and maybe throw in some live bait and I bet I can get quite a few. But for at least this week I am white bass fishing. Even with light winds today the fish were busting all around me. These fish are so shallow and the bait so thick that I can put my trolling motor on high and spook the bait and cause my own white bass jump. That is how we got fish to bite today when it got slow. Might look funny us flying along the shallows with bait jumping out of the water everywhere but it has been working. The whites just tear them up when they get spooked. Give it a try it works.

[PIGINTHEPIGPEN]

Bring on the Crappie..You can have all the whites. I hope you catch em all. Thanks for the report.

[zettler]

I saw the pelicans too this afternoon and noticed how the shad would bust the surface when I was revving the motor putting out and taking in decoys - I did fish a little off point 6 and islands but limited success...probably tried to do too much in one day?

[Pool13_Jeff]

I saw a few hundred last week up her in northern Illinois last week as well. A few years ago, one of the funniest things I've ever seen was pelicans dumping shad from their mouths to get higher up in the sky. They dumped the shad as they were flying. The shad started hitting the water and they were making a bee-line for my brother, in his boat. I was about 50 yards away, watching, laughing, and hoping they didn't come my way. He never got hit, but the look on his face was priceless.

[sdeters]

They are a big bird. I like the looks of them. We do not see that many big birds around this area.

[zettler]

They are a big bird. I like the looks of them. We do not see that many big birds around this area.

When I saw them come over the tops of the trees yesterday at me I thought they were Snow geese as they were in a somewhat V formation and were LOW.

[unknown 5]

I haven't seen any pelicans yet but I do watch the birds, they know where the bait fish are staying. My water temp was 71 today also. Not far from the magic temp. The crappie are still spotty (at least for me). But, as always, the channels are more than willing.

I will probably be hunting the rest of the week. The key to winning Championships is to have the dogs prepared to win.

[sdeters]

You did not shoot Did you Zettler. I wonder how them birds taste? I know they are not legal to shoot. Nice SLow Target. I would have a hard time taking one of them birds. I guess since we only see them for a couple a weeks out of the year they are kind of a visual eye candy for me.

[Fish Stick]

Say, uh, Cousin Walsh, I suppose it'd be the acme of foolishness to inquire if you had a hair net.

[crappieken]

sdeters - I bet they taste fishy!