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...
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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!
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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.