Bull Shoals Beauty

[Kit Papermouth]

Last Saturday was the first whole Saturday I've had since November to do what I wanted to do without interuption. Got up Sat. Morning, weather was too wet and cool for me to go fishin I’d thought. Fixed a big breakfast for the family. Cleaned up my mess and finished a book I was close to finishin'. Finished a magazine I'd been readin'. Looked at my fish chronograph watch and noticed it was a 3 & 4 fish lunar day. We'll I bought the stinkin' watch to see if this lunar junk is just that....junk. So’s I decided to go fishin' anyway. Table Rock has been a big disappointment so I decided to go to Beaver Creek on Bull Shoals. I knew I wouldn’t get out on the water until about 1:30 with the drive and a couple stops to pick up some cash and some minners. Thinkin’ on the way I’ve never really ventured up the creek very far so I will not fish my spring spots until later this month or April so I could learn more about the area. Talked to Kelly the park ranger for a little bit, launched the boat, turned on the side imaging and puttered up the creek 3.5mph hanging over the bottom break of the channel and marking any objects of interest here and there. Ended up about ¾ mile up the creek and turned the puppy around and slow trolled from waypoint to waypoint, mean while casting a jig towards the shoreline. Picked up a lot of small Black Crappie and a few barely keepers tight to the brush with the minnows. Thought I really didn’t want to get home late and clean fish so I wasn’t going to keep any. Toodled on down the top edge of the channel break into a brush pile I marked from 50ft away with my side imager 2 hrs earlier. Ended up plowing my minnow rigs into it and pop, a bluegill and a Kentucky. Backed out, rebait, back in, a keeper crappie. Backed out, rebait, back in , got popped and tangled. Thought, we’ll they’re stacked in here, so I throw out the buoy, back off and cast the 1/32oz jig into this brush pile like we used to do up in Illinois. It’s still my favorite way to fish for Crappies. Pulled a couple small black crappie off the first two casts. Threw the third in and pulled a1.5 lb. white. Every two or three cast pulled either a bluegill or a crappie of the pile. Got ready to move and on my last cast I hooked this FAT MOMMA. I get excited every time I see a crappie over 2lb. in Missouri. Of course the net is in a pile of reels, but I had her hooked in the solid part of the mouth. I’ve never been big on certificates and such, but I’m sending this one in to get a White Crappie Master Angler Cert. from Dept. of Conservation. They look real nice on a wall as I figured I’m never going to get a crappie mount with the cost of taxidermy. Anyway, this one is still swimmin’ as long as she survived the ride in the livewell and a few pictures.

Caught 10 bluegill & ~25 Crappie.

Caught them from 12 ft – 22 ft tight to wood.

1/32 oz. Black and Chartruese Jig / Minnows on C& C Rig.
Water Temp 47.8 – 49

As far as the watch goes. They were tearing it up where they were stacked. Didn’t pick up very much in open water. There was a lot of dead water.

Didn’t have time to go back on Sunday so I fished Aunt’s Creek on Table Rock from 2:30 - 5:00.

Table Rock is still poor to partly poopy.

G.

[bugman]

Awesome report and an even better fish.........gotta love creek fishin this time of year!!!!

[crappieken]

Greg - these old eyes couldn't read your ruler - just how long and how heavy was your
"fat momma"? When are you going to be headed back to east central Illinois? Lake Shelbyville should be "hot" this year after two years of flooding. If you get back this way give me a "yell."

[FROSTY]

Very Nice KIT!
Was hard to tell.....is it just a little over 14 inches?

[jackb]

Great report and pics thanks!

[C N]

Awesome fish!!! Wow! That's a beauty.

[BuckCreekMike]

Looks great! I love how big their mouths get when they get above about 14". That one looks like it eat some good sized morsels.

[old fuzzy]

Awesome report and an even better fish.........gotta love creek fishin this time of year!!!!

X-2

[Jigging15]

Very nice kit.

[Radioactive]

Great report and a nice fish there! She looks a little fatter than the 15 inch pair you and I caught last weekend on the Rock