You better hope we don't get any more snow after that comment. These southerners will be after you.
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You better hope we don't get any more snow after that comment. These southerners will be after you.
good Jordan report Crat....
031310
Jordan Lake
8:30pm
1:00pm
05 Keepers
10.25-11.5"
1 released; 4 harvested
Water 58.2F, normal pool
slightly murky
SW 10
20'-21.9' in 20-21.9'; 4' in 7'
1/32 oz chartreuse under 1/2 oz tungsten weight
***Slip bobber/minnow
I started in the same place I have been having success lately and managed only one keeper...and barely one at that. Then I noticed a couple pontoons fishing shallow--and I thought I saw someone catch one. So I gave it a try. Boom! A nice female 4' down in 7' off the end of a downed tree. I got 3 more keepers off the same shore but no more females. I also lost at least 3 more that I think would have at least been 10". I probably should have trolled that shoreline, but explored instead. I tried other downed trees in other bays, but could not find water quite as warm as the bay I started in, and thus no more shallow fish. I got home early and gardened like there was no tomorrow!
I think I may pay a visit to a certain "Raleigh Area Lake" tomorrow. Wind or no wind, I'll at least play around with the 997si.
Jeremy
Last Year's report copied below:
Quote:
Originally Posted by crataegus
I caught six today on Jordan in 26' water. I tried some shallow, but could not find them. Another week or two and they will all move out of the deep.
good report crat..thanks for sharing
031410
"Raleigh Area" Lake
2:00pm
6:00pm
01 Keeper
12.5"
1 harvested
Water 55.7F, normal pool
not murky
W 12
6' down in 8'
***tight line/split shot/minnow
Well, It was my first trip of the year to the mid-lake hump lake. I didn't plan to catch too many...judging by my lack of success in years past on this date. My main focus today was getting acquainted with the 997si while searching for new spots for this year. I was amazed at the clarity with which I was seeing the structure! The lake is freckled with long forgotten stumps--I could literally see the root flare. One stump had an exposed root that snaked its way about 20' from the stump! I found a couple brush piles in the target depth as well as several downed trees that were news to me. One setback that the lake has is lack of structure...I really only have a couple slam dunk spots. I hope today's scouting will add a few more options. Oh yeah, and I went over the mid-lake hump a couple times...nothing to write home about if judging by the screen. It takes both a trained eye and anticipation to spot it with the side imaging...and I had only anticipation and a marker bouy already flagging it. Based on my rough estimate of a 100' swath over about 4 miles, I searched just shy of 50 acres in about 2 hours (and marked nearly 60 waypoints--perhaps overzealously at first). In deeper water, I can set the swath a much wider, but I've found that a 10' piece of structure is difficult to pick up if the screen is displaying the nearly 300' default swath.
Jeremy
Crat, sounds like you need a bucket of bamboo in that lake!;)
CB, you've got that right!
TRIPLE REPORT
Report #1
031910
Jordan Lake
8:15am
12:00pm
05 Keepers
12.5"
05 harvested
Water 57.0F, normal pool
not murky
W 10
6'-12' down in 6'-20'
***slip bobber/minnow
A coworker and I went out for a half day before work. Started off well with the biggest fish of the day sinking the bobber only seconds after it hit the water. Not much after that.
Report #2
032010
Harris/"Raleigh Area Lake"
8:15am
2:00pm
07 Keepers
13.5"
07 harvested
Water 58.5F, normal pool
not murky
W 5
2'-6' down in 6'-10'
***slip bobber/minnow
Never got a bite at Harris--still haven't figured it out. Saw others catching fish both on shore and in the mouths of coves. Trailored in favor of more familiar water. Caught a nice mess.
Report #3
032110
"Raleigh Area Lake"
3:15pm
7:00pm
15 Keepers
14.5" (1lb 15 oz)
12 harvested
Water 60.1F, normal pool
not murky
E 15
2'-8' down in 4'-10'
slip bobber/minnow
***1/16 oz blk/gld/chrt tube
As I prepared to launch, a couple guys were pulling out their rig and showed me their livewell...there were at least 50 fish back there, most over 12" and several nearing 2 lbs. Apparently, they had pitched bobber/jig combos a couple yards from the shore all day and had quite a mess to show for it. As was the case the day before, the boat traffic was solid. Every visible piece of structure had been beat to death and even the hidden ones had been fished several times inadvertently. I found that I could catch small to decent males on minnows, but the females by far preferred a moving jig. The ladies are only a few days behind the guys. As I pulled the boat out, I met up with another group of guys who had about 20 in their livewell--several 9-10" with some 1.5-1.75lb slabs mixed in. They all looked like males. They told me they were casting bobber/minnow 1.5' deep out a couple feet from shore. Although I kept my fair share of fish, I'll be glad when spring is over--the lake can't sustain that kind of harvest for long! Still, I'm glad everyone had a good time.
My cooler left with 3 females just a hair under 2 lbs each and several crappies over 1.5lbs. Somehow a 9"er got in my cooler and this continues to baffle me. I had my best success fishing a somewhat hidden piece of structure in the teeth of the wind--I was happy to work to hold the boat as it hadn't been fished as hard.
Jeremy
You need to change the name of your post if you are going to wait 4 days.
DOUBLE REPORT
Report #1
032510
Raleigh Area Lake
5:15pm
7:00pm
06 Keepers
14.5""
06 harvested
Water 60F, normal pool
not murky
W 12
3'-8' down in 6'-10'
***1/16"oz blk/gld/chart tube
slip bobber/minnow
Report #2
032710
Raleigh Area Lake
8:15am
2:00pm
12 Keepers
15"
12 harvested
Water 59F, normal pool
not murky
N 10
2'-10' down in 6'-10'
***1/16"oz blk/gld/chart tube
slip bobber/minnow
After a cold night, the pattern seemed to have shifted a bit. I ended up having my best bite slow trolling in 6-10' w/ minnows or jigs. Still, I saw some people catching them on the shore. PG24 was there with some friends on the giant pontoon boat. I stepped on board for a few minutes...wow, that platform is larger than my room. Great bunch of guys. Donald, how many did you and the crew end up with?
Again, the report is a bit delayed...been too busy gardening.
Last year's report copied below:
Quote:
Originally Posted by crataegus
Crat, you better watch out. Chief is going to get you for those 2 and 3 day old reports. LOL!
The pontoon is great for night fishing I will admit. I do not care it so much when conditions are a bit on the windy side. Thing catches wind like a sail and it creates an awful strain on the trolling motor battery trying to control the boat. We ended up keeping 10.. prolly threw back 5 or 6 that were too short. I did lose a nice one at the boat was also the 1st fish of the day. I didn't see much need for a duplicate report being that mine were caught on same method
Hey,Quote:
Originally Posted by Kellog
I don't see moderator next to chief's name...all I see is fairweather fisherman and part-time golfer :D
You should have been with me yesterday. I was selling blue and chartruese tubes for $2 each. But then we wouldn't see a report until about Thursday.Quote:
Originally Posted by crataegus
Remember dominator is close to moderator.
good report Crat..thanks for sharing.
040410
Raleigh Area Lake
1:15pm
7:00pm
07 Keepers
12.5"-16" (14.25"=1.88lbs;15.5"=2.75lbs; 16"=2.56lbs)
07 harvested
Water 71F, normal pool
not murky
light winds
1'-3' down in 6'-10'
1/16"oz blk/gld/chart tube
***minnow
I had a good day on the lake (sizewise anyway). The fishing was actually much slower than the last couple times I've been out there...i think because the fish have become a bit finicky, and because they were up so shallow in the water column. I could set a bobber shallow, but anything >6" wasn't interested. I tossed them a jig, and did get 4 fish 12.5-14"; but they usually wouldn't hit until the jig was stationary--a 180 from the way things were a couple weeks ago. They preferred a #2 aberdeen and dorsal hooked minnow--no weight, no bobber. I just watched the line for a twitch--nothing like setting the hook into a 2lb 12oz and 2lb 9oz brick wall! Yes, the 15.5" crappie was heavier than the 16" crappie. I'm not sure I have ever seen a fatter and taller fish. I will post some big fish pics in a day or so--this one fish about covered the bottom of a 28qt cooler.
Last year's report copied below:
Quote:
Originally Posted by crataegus
Quote:
Originally Posted by crataegus
great report crat!
great report Crat...sounds you are getting the big ones dialed back in.
Mushrooms?
Jeremy, awesome slabs man and great detailed report! I just finally broke 14" and you are catching 16.5's... lol. Keep up the good work.
041110
Raleigh Area Lake
8:45am
2:00pm
00 Keepers
water 64F, normal pool
not murky
light winds
Yeah, 0 keepers! I think the cold front messed them up? I tried everything, everywhere. I even trolled a couple bandits. Next week, I guess.
Last year's report copied below:
Quote:
Originally Posted by crataegus
Ahh a day or two like that just keeps ya honest! :p
040410
Raleigh Area Lake
8:15am
11:30am
04 Keepers
10.5"-15" (15.0"=2lb 1oz)
04 harvested
Water 68.5F, normal pool
not murky
10mph, W
4'-8' down in 6'-10'
***1/16oz blue/chart tube
minnow
Still not what I was hoping for, but I caught a strong 15" male off of a pvc structure flipping a jig from a distance. Other than that, lots of dinks. The fish aren't going to hit their summer pattern until we get a few more days that feel like summer. Although, if I had my choice, I'd ask spring to stick around a little longer!
Last year's report copied below:
Quote:
Originally Posted by crataegus
Been way too long since I've posted a QR. I've got the big fish pics up, and will try to recall a few details here in the next couple evenings.
any way you could come down here and teach me to fish the lake i live on. Its a private lake though so id have to call you in at the gate. I am going to try some of your rigs out here ill post back monday night and let you know how it goes. I have to get up early to beat all the jet skies and wake boarders man they have no respect for a john boat.
May and June 2010
Raleigh Area Lake
about 125 Keepers
10.5"-17.5" (17.5"=2lb 15.5 oz)
many harvested
4'-8' down in 6'-10'
1/16oz blue/chart tube
minnow
Well, here's the deal...
...I had every report since early May written down and ready to post. It's gone. I could try to blame it on someone else, but I shouldn't have waited so long to post...and it may still turn up, who knows.
So I guess I'll summarize the last 10 trips or so to the Raleigh Area Lake.
Both months were full of good fishing. My biggest 10 fish would probably weigh about 24 lbs or so and average 16" My biggest 100 fish would weigh about 140 lbs and average 13". My biggest fish overall was 2 lb 15.5 oz (17.5"). I released it after it swore to me that it would bite again in the spring. I took her word since she has no fingers to cross. My most exciting moment this spring came commenced as 2 poles went down simultaneously and I ended up landing my first 2lb + double (2 lbs 3 oz; 2 lbs 9 oz). Once the water temp hit about 80, the mid-lake hump became immensely productive. My PVC pile was great during the post spawn, but died once the water hit about 85. Randomly inserted into this paragraph, I must say that in the last 2 months I didn't lose any 2+ lb fish at the boat that could have potentially been netted--so my minnow net is and remains the only net in my boat.
Other spots producing well this time last year just aren't cutting it this year, or else I would be posting 20 and 30 fish days instead of 10-15 fish pulls. One thing is for sure--I need to discover or induce a couple more summer spots. I've got a a few ideas for simple structure that is extremely quick to deploy.
I have had most of my success on 6lb flourocarbon line, a #5 ear-less split shot, a #2 Aberdeen hook, and a small minnow. A 1/16oz chartreuse-based tube jig was THE first strike weapon while the water was under 85. Now, I don't catch much on them. I believe my biggest improvement this year has been completing a set of matching Cardinal 101 reels and ProAnglerTackle.com rods, giving me symmetry in spider rigging.
I think I will invest in a couple jigging spoons soon, since last year about this time, I showed a couple guys from out of state the hump (they didn't have GPS, of course). We each fished the tiny mound in our own boats, circling around it. I pulled the first couple fish off of it, but once the fish got spooked, they pulled out several more, including a 2+, with a 1/4oz jigging spoon! Another potential investment will be the iPilot! The only thing it lacks is a place to plug in headphones and a USB port to download music.
About the oddest thing I've seen on the lake in the last couple months has been a dive bombing Great Blue Heron. He dives like an Eagle onto its prey in the middle of the lake, crashes into the water, swims like a Pelican briefly, then awkwardly takes off! I didn't even know they could swim!
I've become quite experienced with my little 1500 watt deep fryer as I have lately filleted several fish! I have started mixing various batters to find something that is low in salt and still delicious. I've found that plain unprocessed cornflour, a bunch of dried dill, and some Old Bay (which is the only source of salt) is absolutely delicious when fried in veggie oil. It's a dry batter that I put into a name brand Zip-Lock bag and shake with the fish. Many thanks to PG24 and Chief for convincing me to spend more time with my fish.
Well, that's that.
Jeremy
good job Crat...but what is cornflour?
Hey PopPop,
In this case it's corn meal, only ground finer.
Too much info: In England I believe that "corn flour" is a reference to corn starch. And after a bit of research I learned that there is a corn flour known as masa harina which is made from dried corn soaked in lime water, de-hulled, and still moist, is ground into fine flour.
Sounds good
I think I might have seen this masa harina in the Hispanic section at Wal Mart. Not sure but I saw something like that.
Thurs062509
"Raleigh Area Lake"
10:30am
3:00pm
Water Temp: 93.5F
0 crappie
Well, I caught no keepers. I had one near enough to the boat to see it was up around 2 lbs, but just got a good flash. I also got several short bites. I should have read the reports from the previous year to notice that there is a certain jig that worked very well last late June (and only last June). I'll try it tomorrow PM. It is somewhat disconcerting to see that a year ago yesterday, and a year ago tomorrow as well, the fish were almost catching themselves! I see that June 27, 2009, the water temp was over 90F, and since I caught them on the hump, and the PVC, and another of my favorite spots, why not this year? It isn't too hot to catch fish. I'll see if I can improve on today's total tomorrow--and I'll be armed with the 3/4" ice fishing bait that worked so well last year.
Oh, also...I launched, motored out to the hump, but had to stop short since there was someone else fishing it! Fortunately, they were green carp fishing, but still, CRAP! I'm not positive they had GPS, and since they were fishing right over it casting out, I doubt they hooked any Bass. I guess I'll know if they did any good if I see them there again:(
Last year's report copied below:
Quote:
Originally Posted by crataegus
Note: the date on the above report should be corrected to Saturday062610
Sun062710
"Raleigh Area Lake"
5:45pm
8:00pm
Water Temp: 94.5F
1 crappie 10.5"
released
Well, I tried the little glow jig that worked last year. Still not effective. With only 2 degrees difference in water temp, and a similar weather pattern, I would think the fishing would also be similar. I would have like to catch the 2.5 lb'er I threw back a year ago today! I've still got some things to figure out! The hump was overrun with bluegill and white perch--I caught several of them, but could see the size difference in the archs on my Lowrance.
I may be on Jordan for some night fishing very soon!
Last year's report copied below:
Quote:
Originally Posted by crataegus
July,August,September,October
"Raleigh Area Lake"
Water Temp: 212F
~30 crappie 10.5"-14" TOTAL
What a difference a year makes! How disappointing! The only reason I kept launching the boat is because I would frequently look back at my 2009 "Raleigh Area Lake" reports--but the Lowrance still knows an arch when it sees one...and they just weren't there. Where did they go? I can say that in my boredom, I pretty much Side Imaged the entire lake and have marked lots of new structure for next year--something to look forward to in 5 months, I guess. I had some sporadic success on nonsuccessive trips, yet I went 4 full months without landing a 2 lb slab.
On a high note, I did catch my biggest crappie yet: 17.5" 2.97lbs. It'll be there for me to find again next spring, along with a host of other slabs. But until then, it's West to Jordan. And when Jordan is muddy, I must discipline myself to learn Harris!!!
So...close the book for 2010 on the Raleigh Area Lake!
Jeremy
Sun102410
Jordan Lake
8:30am
3:00pm
Water Temp: 66.5F
25 crappie (est) 10"-13"
15 harvested;10+ released
Well, Jordan was fun today. It was great to see Airborne and his son out there pulling them in as well...I pulled up on the spot with a hunch there might be some fish there, but as soon as I saw Rob's boat, I knew I was going to catch some fish. Before the sun got up too high, the jig bite was on! 19' deep, 1/8oz:blue/chart tube. I kept missing good fish all day, especially in the morning, but managed to land several as well. I landed my biggest fish on a minnow dropshot around 3pm in 21' near where I hit them in the morning. My best catching was south of 64, but I got into several "just overs" in 7' of water near 64...the wind was building by then, so I didn't stay, but did lose one fish there that I would have liked to seen...I think it was a big crappie, one that keeps getting bigger as I think about it. Also in the 7' water, I caught a 10.5" crappie on a #2 aberdeen dropshot--w/out a minnow! I lifted up to see I had no minnow, set it back in to replace it and boom! I fished the roadbed near 64, and a few spots on the near N and S sides of it, but only a couple more--didn't see great #'s of fish either. Anyone have any luck near Farrington today?
Jeremy
Wed 10-27-10
10;30p-11:45p
Jordan /Fearington bridge
5 fish total
A Buddy who I grew up with in Colorado was out this week for some work thing in RTP. Last night was the only night that we were both available to fish so despite the tornado warnings and crazy storms to the north we headed out after work. Got on the lake pretty late and of course the lot was empty (=everyone is smarter than me). There was a group of kids fishing from the bank underneath the bridge. I set up directly under the bridge and got blown of my anchors a few times. I finally got them to grab where I wanted to be and we got the lights out. Tim caught the first fish which was 10.5". I caught a few dinks and then Tim caught a nice one that weighed 1lb 6oz. I could see lightning a long ways off the whole time but all of a sudden the bottom dropped out. So instead of waiting to get sucked up in a water spout we put our heads down, motored in and got off of the water. We kept the two keepers and I fried them up for a midnight snack since Tim had never tried crappie before. Even though we got drenched and didn't catch many fish we still had a blast.
Sun102410
Jordan Lake
7:30am
12:00pm
Water Temp: 66.5F
26 keepers 10.5"-13.5"
20 harvested; 6 released
Another successful day at Jordan. They were jumping in the boat today. I was fishing 16-19' of water--on the bottom to 3' off. Brown/chart 1/8 oz vertical jig or 1/4oz drop shot w/minnow...didn't matter. 26 keepers out of about 35 fish...at least 10 over 12". Big fish about 1.5lbs. All south of 64. I would have caught more, but I wasted over an hour trying a different spot.
CAPP was on the water today...he tolled 9' down in about 16' in the back of a bay and did better than me with his biggest fish being 1.6lbs. CAPP was the only other crappie fisherman I saw all day..and one of the best crappie fishermen I've ever seen. He's a really nice guy, and I learned much from him. There were very few boats of any kind where I was...one other crappie fishermen (CAPP), one sailboat, one pleasure boat with a faulty engine, and a few transient bass fishermen.
I hope to head out for on a weekday morning in a couple days, but I'll be having my truck worked on, so...yeah, may be tough.
AND...my Dad will be in town to fish with me from the 11th through the 16th...you'll never see me more excited to be out-fished 2:1.
Jeremy
Have your truck worked on, you ain't havin trouble with that FORD are you, dont give me more ammo, i got plenty hahahaha
Preventative maintenance only...I'm not always friendly to it!