Well, so far so good. I've still got a few kinks (and tangles) to work out, but its better than when I first dipped it in the water. Perhaps I will look into production--but first, I'll have to test it on a broader scale.
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Well, so far so good. I've still got a few kinks (and tangles) to work out, but its better than when I first dipped it in the water. Perhaps I will look into production--but first, I'll have to test it on a broader scale.
Give us a hint. Whats it look like?
Saturday in a "Raleigh Parks" lake:
6:45am-6:45pm (best fishing...uhhh...well, there's a reason I fished 12 hours today)
49 crappie 10"-16.5" (16.5"= 2 lbs 14.75oz)
custom minnow rig
***bobber/minnow
1/16 oz chart(glow) tube jig w/ or w/out a minnow
#6 Vanish Transition Line
5-9' deep in 7-10'
Water Temp: 81F-85F
***big fish of the day caught on this bait
In one word...sunburnt.
In many words...
I figured today was as good a day as any to fish a 12 hour day like I did with my Dad back in Illinois. I caught fish all day. Two friends came aboard for a while and pulled a few in on bobbers (their contributions are included in the 49keepers). We caught several 12"-13" fish from 2pm-5pm; but not 5 minutes after I dropped them off and dropped my line back in, I caught today's giant. When I weighed her, my digital scale flashed 3 lbs 0 oz once but locked in at 2 lbs 14.75 oz. I remembered the camera today--I got a kid in a "nearby" boat to take my picture. Then I gave him the fish to let go (and I made sure he did as it was difficult for both of us). I've caught several 16"-16.5" crappie on the lake since May, but this fish was fat!
All three presentations were effective today.
As is becoming a trend, the minnowless chart/glow jig was catching fish when my minnow poles were at stasis. However, the fish would not hit a still or trolling jig nearly as much as a jigging jig (2' up; freefall to bottom--repeat). This is backwards from the way they have previously preferred my jig presentation.
The bobber/minnow worked better today than it has in a while (and caught the biggest fish.)
Although the homemade minnow rig didn't earn today's acclaimed triple asterisk, it still caught more and larger average than anything else I chucked over the side. The fish prior to the big momma put my last double minnow rig out of commission, but I'm sure she would have hit the homemade rig just the same.
I really don't know if I'm up for fishing tomorrow...I may actually be fished out for a few days. Maybe I'll build a few more feet onto the boardwalk tomorrow; or plant a few surplus flowers from work. I've got a bonfire stacked--I just need a match. Hmmm.
FishCrazy: the rig is quite similar to a store bought "Kentucky Lake" style rig--only I have fixed what I don't like about them. The biggest change is the line weight and internode length. The spacers are 4" long/50# Walmart special. The internode is 2-3' long/8# Vanish. The weight (currently 3/16 oz) is on 1' long/8# Vanish. The snells are 6"-1 1/2' long/6# Vanish. The network is held together with #18 snap swivels and modified 3-way swivels. The snap swivels allow me to tear down or change up the unit as needed. It's still a work in progress. My next challenge is to convert it to a double jig assembly. I'll try to remember to take a picture of it next time I'm floatin'.
I'll probably post my pot-bellied Pomoxis to "Big Fish Pics" on Monday.
Sunday in a "Raleigh Parks" lake:
1:00pm-3:45pm (best fishing...1:00pm-1:45pm)
17 crappie 10"-16" (16.5"= 2 lbs 13oz)
custom minnow rig
bobber/minnow
***1/16 oz chart(glow) tube jig w/out a minnow
#6 Vanish Transition Line
5-9' deep in 7-10'
Water Temp: 83F-85F
***big fish of the day caught on this bait
I don't feel guilty for launching the boat today because I had another friend who wanted to go fishing with me. The fish were stacked on the midlake hump upon arrival, but when I revisited the spot around 3pm, they seemed to have dispersed some. Nevertheless, I caught a 2.81 lb potbelly (1/2" shorter than the 2.92 lb'er I caught yesterday), two 1.5 lber's and on down the line. The smallest crappie of the day was 10". 17 keepers in less than 1/4 the time it took to catch 49--another fun day.
Each rig played out about the same in #'s and quality today. Like the waxing and waning of a battle, the jig or bobber/minnow was most effective as an opening volley--because they are in the water and back in the water again quickly, followed by the homemade rig that rolled through slowly and deliberately, mopping up the entrenched tight-mouth stragglers.
Again, I'll probably post my 2 pot-bellied Pomoxis's to "Big Fish Pics" on tomorrow.
Wednesday in a "Raleigh Parks" lake:
4:30pm-7:30pm (best fishing...4:45pm-5:15pm)
10 crappie 10"-15.25" (15.25"= 1 lbs 13.5 oz)
custom minnow rig
bobber/minnow
***1/16 oz chart(glow) tube jig w/out a minnow
#6 Vanish Transition Line
5-9' deep in 7-10'
Water Temp: 79F
***big fish of the day caught on this bait
I wanted to fish on a day that the fish should not be biting and where the fishing was tough for the fisherman. Today was a good day for that test.
I have good raingear, so the rain was not an issue; however, the wind forced to anchor on the midlake hump. The Barometric pressure is low and several inches of rain and food has washed into the lake. The surface temp has cooled as much as 6 degrees in just a couple days.
As a result, it seemed that the bite had slowed, although 10 keepers (5 were 12"+) in three hours is good fishing. The bites were short, and only one fish took the bobber. They bit the homemade rig and the minnowless jig at about the same rate, but I managed to set the hook into about twice as many jig bites as minnow bites. I always shorten the tube's tendrils and slide the tube over the head--I think it helped that the overall length of the tube bait was shorter than most of the minnows (plus the business end is only about 1/2" in front of the tendrils). There were no real flurries of action. Just one here and one there.
Two other items to note: I caught a 10" crappie with no upper jaw--no exaggeration--it was gone further back than his toungue started. Also, I battled a 8-10 lb catfish this evening. It was nice to get a good look at it but I don't mind that it managed to release itself.
I can't understand why I nearly had the lake to myself--it was such a lovely day. I will post the 1.83 lb crappie in Big Fish Pics in the near future.
Saturday in a "Raleigh Parks" lake:
4:00pm-7:30pm (best fishing...5:30-6:00pm)
10 crappie 10"-14.25" (14.25"= 1 lbs 6.5 oz)
***custom minnow rig
1/16 oz chart(glow) tube jig w/out a minnow
#6 Vanish Transition Line
5-9' deep in 7-10'
Water Temp: 85F
***big fish of the day caught on this bait
Although I and PG24 pulled 10 keepers into the boat, the fishing was slow. One here and one there. The 14.25" crappie was on the skinny side. He and I are going again tomorrow. I hope the fishing improves a bit, but if nothing else, we will scout for new spots, and we'll finally get the chance to trade secrets.
great report...thanks
Sunday in a "Raleigh Parks" lake:
6:30am-6:00pm (best fishing...4:30-5:30pm)
22 crappie 10"-13.75" (13.75"= 1 lbs 9.5 oz)
***custom minnow rig
1/16 oz chart(glow) tube jig w/out a minnow
#6 Vanish Transition Line
5-10' deep in 7-10'
Water Temp: 85F
***big fish of the day caught on this bait
Once again, the fishing was slow. One here and one there. PG24 and I never really found any tricks to catch the fish, we just fished slowly and were patient.
Saturday in a "Raleigh Parks" lake:
3:30pm-6:45pm (best fishing...3:30-4:00pm)
6 crappie 10"-12"
***custom minnow rig
#6 Vanish Transition Line
5-10' deep in 7-12'
Water Temp: 80F
***big fish of the day caught on this bait
Chocolate milk is for drinking, not for fishing.
The lake was up to the very top of the ramp. I didn't know it could get that high. I managed to entice a few 10-plus bites in one spot, but the fish had been pushed off the midlake hump completely! Normally it is difficult to read the bottom through all the arches, but today I got up on the mound and the Lowrance looked like a freshly shaken Etch-A-Sketch--blank! Hopefully in the coming days, the fish will be drawn back to the spot. Tomorrow is a gardening day.
I posted this in Crappie structure as well...
...
These are 6-7' across and about 2.5-3' tall. I can put one together in about 7-10 minutes in the boat, and sink it in about the same time. I use 6 2-3' vertical sections in the corners and middle of long sides; and I use 8 4-6' long diagonal pieces. It takes around 20 zip ties to hold it together. A 100pk costs about $6.00 or certainly less if you know the right people. I sank it with baseball sized granite chunks and some driveway gravel (not pictured). The rock and gravel seemed to seal in pretty well between the pvc--even when I tipped it on its side. Next time I'll probably find some brick or block.
I'm excited to see how these perform in 6-10' water.
Let me know what you think I could do to make it better next time. Thanks!
...
I hope deploy a couple in the near future! I think I'm going to try my luck at the usual lake tomorrow. We'll see if the lake has settled out enough yet.
crataegus, i'm convinced you could drop a matchbox car to the bottom and catch fish from it. the condo looks good, only other thing i could think of would be some sort of bouy or marker, bright pink, and the words,
"crataegus fishes here" displayed in high viz letters. :D
Saturday in a "Raleigh Parks" lake:
11:20am-6:30pm (best fishing...as long as I was in the right spot)
67 crappie 10"-14.75" (14.75"=1 lb 12.25 oz)
***Chartreuse tubejig w/out minnow
custom minnow rig
#6 Vanish Transition Line
2-10' deep in 7-12'
Water Temp: 77F
***big fish of the day caught on this bait
I brought out the PVC stuff today. It actually took about 15 minutes per structure to build and drop instead of the 7 minutes I initially estimated. I took a picture of my 14' boat packed with the structure components before I launched today. I was impressed by the surreptitiousness--my boat pretty much looked the same as always. I sank the two PVC structures and caught a small fish on them an hour later. The Lowrance showed a full house over the top of them by the end of the day (I didn't fish them again though).
Today, the midlake hump preformed anemically. I caught only 3 keepers on the hump (still not many archs on the Lowrance.) So, since early fall could be considered a doppleganger to late spring, I targeted a spot that performed well in early June. 62 of 67 keepers broke the surface in the 100sq' spot--including all the largest fish of the day. I fished there about 4 hours--so about 15/hr. The fish averaged over 11" there, but <10" elsewhere. I had 90% of my hits on jigs today. My minnows were quickly depleted, although the bites were harder and more consistant on jigs. I fished the best spot out in much the same way that coal is stripmined near my Midwestern hometown. I started 2-3' down-caught several. Then 4' down-caught several (ave size slightly larger than at 2-3'). Then 5' down-caught several (ave size slightly larger than at 4'). Then 6-8' (ave size slightly larger than at 5'; and 2nd and 3rd largest fish caught back to back at this depth). At the end of the day, I returned and caught the my final fish at 2-5' (including the 14.75"). I couldn't believe how shallow the top couple layers of crappie were--but sometimes it's best to trust the electronics.
Crappie fight so hard this time of year!
Whompus Cat:
I will consider your suggestion. However, because I don't own many bright pink things, would hunter orange suffice? :)
-crataegus
Where is raleigh parks lake?? What is it
It's a lake owned by the Raleigh Parks system. But because it's a drop in the bucket compared to Jordan Lake, I just leave the name at that.
This was my boat packed with two PVC condos, and weight.
doppleganger - don't think I've ever seen that word used in a fishing report but it is a good one to describe your thoughts.
How'd the lake folks feel about you dropping or were you able to camoflague well enough during launching?
todobien:
See picture above. I even stopped to get bait.
crataegus, blaze orange markers will be fine, just as long as i can seen them from the boat ramp. :D
On a serious note, I was wondering what kind of depthfinder/fishfinder you're using. I have a boat similar to that size and will be looking into a good fishfinder for it soon. I would like to be able to remove it while i'm not fishing so it doesnt get stolen or weathered. I enjoy the posts, keep them coming.
Whompus Cat,
So you're tellin' me you wanna know where all the fish are without even gettin' the bottom of your boat wet!?
I use the Lowrance LMS 520c on a Ram mount. You will notice in the picture of my boat in a recent "Quick Report" post: the unit mouted slightly below the front deck and the GPS antenna disc is mounted on a rear gunnel. I switch between front and back ducers. It takes about 10 seconds to unplug and remove the sonar/gps when I'm ready to put her to bed. My boat and bank account are a little small to handle the big-screen models, and it can be a bit tricky at times to read the small display from 7' or 8' away with tiller in hand--but I still can. Lowrance's sharp sonar helped me indentify an outstanding midlake hump; and I enjoyed many happy August returns to its arch laden peak by navigating to "Waypoint #2". $500-700 will fully equip you with an excellent GPS/Sonar system. I'm saving up for a side finder--but where am I gonna put it? Pretty soon I'll have a boat that can launch, navigate and fish on its own--with no room for me!
I thought you probably had the PVC in the bag. Whole lot easier to do camoflague than bamboo.
I'm interested in seeing this "super secret rig"!
Thanks for the reply. Is the Lowrance LMS 520 just a fishfinder or a two in one deal? The reason I ask is that I already have a GPS. Just need the fishfinder. I like your setup, looks like a fish catching machine for sure. I know a few good crappie holes, I was just messing with you. I am anxious to get the boat ready to crappie fish. I just finished up some homemade rod holders this week. Hopefully going to get some lights this weekend and put her to work.Quote:
Originally Posted by crataegus
Tuesday in a "Raleigh Parks" lake:
4:15am-6:45pm (best fishing...N/A)
3 crappie 10.5"-11.75"
***Chartreuse tubejig w/out minnow
#6 Vanish Transition Line
5-10' deep in 7-20'
Water Temp: 78F
***big fish of the day caught on this bait
What happened to the fish? They were on the screen, but they weren't hungry. I guess as long as there is a cold front around, I have a scapegoat. I caught my first 1 lb+ fish on my PVC condos--too bad it was a bass. I didn't use the homemade rig today because I was out of the internode component. Oops.
WhompusCat:
The 520 is a combo--which I suggest no matter what GPS you currently have--because a combo works together. I'd love to see you homemade rod holders. Good luck this weekend!
olefisher:
quoted from an earlier post...
...The rig is quite similar to a store bought "Kentucky Lake" style rig--only I have fixed what I don't like about them. The biggest change is the line weight and internode length. The spacers are 4" long/50# Walmart special. The internode is 2-3' long/8# Vanish. The weight (currently 3/16 oz) is on 1' long/8# Vanish. The snells are 6"-1 1/2' long/6# Vanish. The network is held together with #18 snap swivels and modified 3-way swivels. The snap swivels allow me to tear down or change up the unit as needed. It's still a work in progress. My next challenge is to convert it to a double jig assembly.
Attached are some pics of the rig.
Saturday in a "Raleigh Parks" lake:
2:30pm-7:00pm (2:30pm-3:00pm; 6:00pm-7:00pm)
21 crappie 10.5"-13"
***Homemade minnow rig
Chartreuse tubejig w/out minnow
#6 Vanish Transition Line
5-8' deep in 7-10'
Water Temp: 74-77F
***big fish of the day caught on this bait
Well, the fishing picked up some on the main lake. I caught 5 keepers on the midlake hump in the first 30 minutes...but only 2 on that spot after that. There was 0 protection from a strong wind in that spot, but I managed to hold the boat enough to boat 7 total keepers--and demonstrate that the spot was still what it was. No keepers in the new PVC Condos--but another 1+ lb bass.
I made my first attempt at usig jigs on the homemade rig instead of #2 Aberdeen hooks. I didn't give it much of a chance--but it was clear from my traditional jig pole that 90% of the bites were minnow bites.
I was about to pull my boat out for the day but I convinced myself to try a normally mediocre spot (albeit one that probably wasn't fished that day). In the last 5 minutes of the day, I caught a 12", a 13", and on a jig--another 12". I went to the jig because the 13" took the last minnow. The day ended with a favorable "last cast" scenario.
Tuesday in a "Raleigh Parks" lake:
2:30pm-7:00pm (2:30pm-3:30pm; 5:30pm-6:15pm)
20 crappie 10.5"-14" (14"=1 lb 9.75 oz)
Homemade minnow rig
***Chartreuse tubejig w/out minnow
#6 Vanish Transition Line
2-7' deep in 6-10'
Water Temp: 74-77F
***big fish of the day caught on this bait
Windy! Regardless, I still managed to hold the boat close enough to the spots with only the trolling motor. The bite seemed to undulate between jigs and the homemade minnow rig today. I also lost a whole bunch of fish right at the surface--I can't remember the last time I lost so many! At least 10 fish of size were hooked and fought only to get a quick release. I'm guessing that because the fish were shallower than usual, they were still too green when I tried to boat them...I don't know. But..."almost" only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades--so I ended up with exactly 20 keepers. Those 20 averaged about 11.25". Also, the 14" fought as much as a fish that size can fight.
And I am at home punching holes in my yard---Good show Jeremy.
I know that feeling chief. Nice fishing crataegus! I need to find the time to get over to that lake.
Thanks guys. Chief, I'm sure your yard is well aerated:) Looks like Saturday or Sunday will be my next opportunity to fish. I still hope to try Jordan soon. The new Navionics chip gives me 1' contours on that lake (at least that's what the internet says). And I can't wait to put the homemade rig over a Jordan Lake brushpile or under a Jordan Lake bridge.
Crataegus We Have Those Quick Release At The Boat Days And Can't Figure It Out. My Guess Is Its Just How Their Hitting And Maybe The Hook Is Shallow. Sounds Like You Figured Them Out Anyway. Here Lately I'd Love To See 20 In The Boat. Haven't Limited In A While. Good Job.
Saturday on Jordan Lake:
3:00pm-6:45pm
2 crappie 10" and 11.5"
Homemade minnow rig
***Chartreuse tubejig w/out minnow
#6 Vanish Transition Line
5' deep in 8'
Water Temp: 74F
***big fish of the day caught on this bait
Well, just learning. I found 9+" crappies as shallow as 2' in 4', but I caught 3 fish (2 of which were keepers) 5' down under a dock in 6-8'. I would be tempted to run up its main river next time--like I did back on Illinois' Lake Shelbeyville. Get almost completely above the true lake. At least I didn't get skunked. Back to a Raleigh Parks lake on Sunday.
Sunday on a "Raleigh Parks" lake:
1:45pm-6:55pm
17 crappie 10.25" to 14.75" (14.75=1 lb 14.5oz; 13"=1 lb 8 oz)
Homemade minnow rig
***Chartreuse tubejig w/out minnow
#6 Vanish Transition Line
3'-8' in 8-10'
Water Temp: 74F
***big fish of the day caught on this bait
Overall, it was slow. But again, the fish found their way into the boat one keeper at a time (and once, two keepers at a time on the homemade rig). The 1.91lber was the first fish of the day. I caught her on the midlake hump--but only one other crappie was caught there. The keepers averaged 11.75" and 17 of 19 fish caught were 10.25+" I'll finally have a fish to post in "Big Fish Pics" in the next couple days.
nice going crataegus. tried a hump myself saturday morning. remembering your post was what made me give it a second look. circled around and spied a few hanging around. helped us through a slow morning. congrats on the big one.
Simpleman...So you caught a few off the hump? Which lake?
"HIGH ROCK"Quote:
Originally Posted by crataegus
had the great pleasure to fish along side of captain crataegus today, and he was puttin a hurtin on those poor fish. He leaves a trail of sore mouths every where he goes around that lake. I learned a great deal in the short time we fished together and all the advice is much appreciated. As soon as you left a small fish tangled my lines as i was picking up, the two lines then got caught in the trolling motor prop! Boy, what a mess. I was having another one of those days today. The lake was FOGGY as all get out this morning and made for a challenging trip to the swamp for a quick hunt. Ended up with 1 wood duck and around 12 crappie, most were small. (until i met crataegus) Seems like i couldnt get the hook set on them today!
Saturday on a "Raleigh Parks" lake:
2:30pm-6:45pm (best fishing between 4:00pm and 5:00pm)
17 crappie 10.50" to 12.75"
***Homemade minnow rig
Chartreuse tubejig w/out minnow
#6 Vanish Transition Line
3'-8' in 8-10'
Water Temp: 74F
***big fish of the day caught on this bait
As WhomusCat mentioned, we met today on the lake. What a nice guy...and he's got a great girlfriend (she enjoys fishing so that's a given). Like last Sunday, the fish found their way into the boat one keeper at a time--and again, the keepers averaged 11.75." 16 out of 17 keepers were 11"+ and I caught exactly 20 fish. I lost several again today. I had another 8-10 heavy fish on, but they chose not to be counted with the others. No big fish pics this time.
My tackle is getting so torn up! I broke one of my 10' ProAnglerTackle.com rods last week on Jordan Lake, plus I'm down an 8'er as well. I've got to reline my reels since 6# vanish transition DEFINATELY has a lifespan once it's off the spool. I'm almost out of #2 aberdeens, and 1/16th's, and chart tubes. My tackle pouch is a total mess--with 6#, 8#, and 50# line conglomerating into one useless braid. Plus, I only have enough components to assemble one more homemade rig--so it's back to tying.
I didn't catch any more fish after 5:00pm or so. Instead of trying a couple unfished spots, I chose to refish the productive spots after they rested. Nothing. They'll be back tomorrow, and I hope to be as well.
Sunday on a "Raleigh Parks" lake:
1:30pm-5:20pm (best fishing between 4:00pm and 4:30pm)
10 crappie 10.00" to 13.25" (13.25"=1 lb 6.25 oz)
***Homemade minnow rig
Chartreuse tubejig w/out minnow
#6 Vanish Transition Line
2'-8' in 8-10'
Water Temp: 75F
***big fish of the day caught on this bait
Slow.
Nevertheless, I ended up with 10 keepers (about one every 20 minutes on average) I kept the biggest 7 fish and they averaged 12" each. The fish were extremely selective when it came to presentation. I got very few bites unless the bait was moving about 1/3mph into the light breeze--and about 1/3 of the keepers just swam along with the bait in their mouths without signaling a bite.
I caught more little ones than usual. My theory on that corelates to the slow bite--the big fish were not as aggressive and also not as territorial. I don't know, that is just a guess. I usually catch a higher ratio of small fish when the big bite is slow.
Saturday on a "Raleigh Parks" lake:
1:40pm-6:20pm (best fishing between 4:00pm and 5:15pm)
13 crappie 10.25" to 15.75" (15.75"=2 lb 6.25 oz; 14.25"=1 lb 13.50 oz)
***Homemade minnow rig
Chartreuse tubejig w/out minnow
#6 Vanish Transition Line
4'-8' in 8-10'
Water Temp: 70F
***big fish of the day caught on this bait
Today, the fish presented a strange pattern (if that word applies). PG24 and I caught only one 10.25" fish in the first 2+ hours. Then we fished the hump. I was encouraged to see a few archs on the Lowrance. They were 6' or on the bottom atop the 7-10' hump. I caught my only jig fish of the day-a 12.5" on the bottom. Then PG24 caught one the same size on a minnow at 6'. The hump yielded one or two more decent crappie. Now what? I decided to return to our first spot of the day. We didn't even get a bite there the first time around...so it could only get better. It did. PG24 lost a 13-14" crappie at the boat, then I caught 2 at once on the homemade rig (12.5"; 11.5"). After a few more 12" to 12.5" fish here and there, PG24 hooked a 1.84 lb fish (an improvement upon the one that got away). One of the next fish was my 2.39 lb slab. It was one of those memorable fish that revealed its full weight at hookset. I'll post it on Big Fish Pics in the next few days. The 15.75" potbellied pomoxis was released, and in the words of PG24, the other twelve will soon receive a "bubble bath."
No fishing tomorrow...I've got to give a landscape design proposal and work around my own yard:(
Oh well, next week I'll be fishing with some of you on the rock.
"2.39 lb slab" :eek: Doesn't surprise me a bit, congrats on the big fish guys, glad yall had a good day!
Sounds like a good day of fishing, nice catch. My plans to go this weekend were interupted by a couple of folks who work for me getting in trouble.