I had an enjoyable day in Doug’s boat at Pomona. We started the day out with the obligatory great breakfast at Green Acres followed by the expected generous minnow count at Domains and then proceeded catching crappie at our very first stop. The size of those first crappie weren’t what one would consider as slabs but since it was a total catch and release day it was great getting things started first thing out. The bite slowed up somewhat as we widened our search area and eventually found our way to an area with many surfacing and feeding gar. I now consider surfacing gar as one of the positive signs I like to see around as a positive when crappie fishing. I also noticed this while have some success crappie fishing at Clinton.
In this area with the gar is where we started picking up some very nice crappie around the various and solitary stickups. This type of fishing is never fast and furious but does produce some very nice crappie. I really find this a very enjoyable type of fishing when one gets some indication that a crappie is actually lurking down there after someone sets the hook too soon on the tic tic tug. It sometimes take several presentation attempts to finally entice and hook the fish. And it is really a hoot to see your partner miss a fish around a stickup and then you immediately put your bait back in exactly where he has jerked his bait out and catch that fish. This is not just a one sided thing because it is expected to happen to me when I miss a hook set. Being the nice fellow I am I’ve even said to the other fisher that there is a fish on the left side of that stump when it seems he hasn’t been paying enough attention to what is happening.
Anyhow we had a very good day also catching various channels, a flathead, a drum, a black bass and both of us with quite a few tussles with gar as they took our baits but never any hook ups.
Fishing with others I don’t keep a note pad going as to times and sizes of fish caught as spending that time recording information is time that would just be taken away from fending off the humiliation from being out fished by the other fisher on board which happens way to often for me to my way of thinking on this. Now with taking pictures it is a different story since both are out of the game and not actually fishing while posing or taking the picture.
Here is one picture of proof that I did catch one crappie.
