Thread: Tried and True on the Tickfaw

Decided to skip out on a duck hunting trip to explore new waters.
1/19/25
Location: Tickfaw River
Low 34 Highs 44
Wind: Gale force
River conditions: low and falling
Water clarity: muddy but clear swamp water at drains and creeks coming from the swamp.
Water temp: 52 degrees
Lure: the tried and true tube jig (pearl white with pink jig head and a black and chartreuse with deathgrip jig head)
After doing a little research on Google Earth and my chart plotter. I marked about 10 drains on my gps that I felt would have deeper water ditches that would dump into the main river. Launched at Boupalous at daybreak. Started looking on live scope on the first drain and eureka! Big school of those familiar looking blobs suspended just off the bottom in 10 to 12 ft of water. Picked up a pearl white tube jig with 1/16 oz pink jig head. As soon as the jig splashed the water surface those familiar looking blobs started reacting to the falling jig. Clicked the bail and before I could make a turn on the reel handle I felt that addictive thump. Set the hook and a decent sized crappie was in the box. Plucked several from that school with the pearl white and pink rig before they became conditioned to the jig. Picked up my other rod paired with the old black and chartreuse tube jig and they immediately reacted to it. Ran most of the 10 wash outs that I had marked and caught fish all day from them. Once the school would would get conditioned to one jig i would pick up the other color and they would immediately react to it. All positioned a good ways out from the mouth of the srains in 10 to 12 ft of water. Ended the day with 40 decent sized crappie in the box with just as many throw backs. Every drain had big schools of fish, including bluegill and bass. In my opinion when the spawn kicks off, the Tickfaw should be a big producer this year.