Saturday, 143 crappie.

First, I must state that I was turned on to this body of water via pm by a fellow member so I will not be disclosing where I was fishing.

I spent my first hour without a crappie but then hit a spot that I was told about and landed 51 crappie. Knowing that local waters would be muddy due to the amount of rain that we have had I had rigged one of my poles with Cajun Cricket and that was the ticket, counting it down to three feet in the am. In the afternoon I switched up to long lining three poles while hanging two over the side and at one time had four crappie on at the same time. I had bought some Kalin's Money Jigs with the curly tail for long lining and they did well. I also did well with a orange/chartreuse and a pearl/chartreuse wasshoppah hanging over the side tipped with a white crappie nibble. Most in the afternoon were caught 6' to 8' deep on flats that were 11'-12'.

Unfortunately, I could not find the bigger crappie. 11.5" was my biggest with a few others at 11" but the vast majority were around 10". Oh well, 143 is my third best outing for numbers so fun was had nonetheless.

http://i445.photobucket.com/albums/q...31_324copy.gif

There's nothing wrong with dozens of 10" fish! Great day's fishing.

Good day for sure George. Me and Brittanis little brother (Zac) ended up with 108 crappie biggest was a lil over 12" and 15 oz. We also had a few greenies up to 2lbs, few yellow perch biggest was 11.5" and a few white perch biggest was 1lb 2oz. Also one dink striper. We had around 20 Longlining late in the afternoon, and I bought 2 dozen minners for him but the vast majority was caught casting 1/16 jigs, Thanks to GTN dad for putting us on pink/white they worked very well but ended up having best luck on blue ice until the clouds rolled in then solid white homemade pintail minnows were the ticket. Zac had a blast, he is 16 and learning very quickly. We had fished only 11 spots and 8 of those produced. Oh and It was nice to only have a dozen out of 108 that were less than 10 inches.


And what was with that big water snake that swam out into the middle of the lake and tryed getting in my boat? I wacked him 4 or 5 times! He was determined! I didnt even know a snake could coil up in attack mode on top of the water like that, he was rocked back ready to strike.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Percidae_Papermouth

Good day for sure George. Me and Brittanis little brother (Zac) ended up with 108 crappie biggest was a lil over 12" and 15 oz. We also had a few greenies up to 2lbs, few yellow perch biggest was 11.5" and a few white perch biggest was 1lb 2oz. Also one dink striper. We had around 20 Longlining late in the afternoon, and I bought 2 dozen minners for him but the vast majority was caught casting 1/16 jigs, Thanks to GTN dad for putting us on pink/white they worked very well but ended up having best luck on blue ice until the clouds rolled in then solid white homemade pintail minnows were the ticket. Zac had a blast, he is 16 and learning very quickly. We had fished only 11 spots and 8 of those produced. Oh and It was nice to only have a dozen out of 108 that were less than 10 inches.


And what was with that big water snake that swam out into the middle of the lake and tryed getting in my boat? I wacked him 4 or 5 times! He was determined! I didnt even know a snake could coil up in attack mode on top of the water like that, he was rocked back ready to strike.

---

That is one of the ways of telling a true water moccasin from an ordinary water snake. They look like they are on top of the water rather than half-way submerged. I've seen one do that in my 69 years. It was at NW River and was very, very big and coiled up in the middle of the river. Looked like it's mouth was full of cotton. If you go to NW river and see 24 snakes, maybe, just maybe one of them will be a water moccasin. They are nowhere near as common as some think. I learned all this at a snake presentation put on by Gary Williams or Williamson (I forget) at NW River park. Very educational. (Boscoe or anyone else, is that the guy's right name)?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Percidae_Papermouth

And what was with that big water snake that swam out into the middle of the lake and tryed getting in my boat? I wacked him 4 or 5 times! He was determined! I didnt even know a snake could coil up in attack mode on top of the water like that, he was rocked back ready to strike.

---

I had a front road seat to this event. Watched the snake not deviate one bit as it headed towards Bennett's boat. I also thought water moccasin but it was right in Bennett's face and he thought water snake. I figure that since he spends so much time outdoors that he would know. I would say just about the whole snake was on top of the water coiled up. Sorry Bennett, but to steal a line from Full Metal Jacket, "better you than me." :biggrin

Most water snakes around here have a brown back and an Orange belly. The moccasins have a brown back with a lite greenish color belly with some designs of black markings on the belly. They float on top, get as big around as your arm and are sassy as all get out. Killed a big moccasin the other day right at the shop yard going over into the soybeans. I won't be checking much in the bean fields for a while. They are thick now, hard to walk through and there is no telling how many of those bad boys are out there hiding in the thick. No sir, I ain't dumb. Maybe they will bite a woodsgoat or two and do me a favor.CF

Bill, don't remember the guy's name either. Don't like moccasins at all. I was about 12 when we used to go to the place at Creeds on the river side and rent a boat from the one armed Jack and row out toward the the NW river to go brim fishing. We had a moccasin about 5' long and bigger around as my leg chase us for 20 minutes, we were rowing as fast as two 12 year olds could go, think that old wooden boat was on a plane. My buddy used to be on the call list for Va Beach to remove snakes back in the 70's, animal control wouldn't mess with them. I went with him to a house in Bay Island, lady had a pair in her greenhouse that were mating. He opened the door and one of them dropped off a ledge and chased him across the yard. That's when the lady told us she had sprayed them with a whole can of Raid before we got there. He put them in a snake bag and into the back of my old Datsun truck, I swear I could feel that truck shaking at every stop light. We took the them Back Bay Refuge to release them, he stood in the back of the truck and dumped them, the first thing one of them did was to strike the tire about three times, I drove about a half amile with my bud still in the back before I would even let him in the truck.

SOUNDS like a great day of fishing,snakes will be snakes,had a deer try climb in boat at Prince one time now that was fun.

Oh.... now CF is gonna be pack heat when he goes fishing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ifish4redd

SOUNDS like a great day of fishing,snakes will be snakes,had a deer try climb in boat at Prince one time now that was fun.

---

Oh how I wish that would happen to me. I would get pure enjoyment out of the whole experience.CF