Chickamuaga Spring Break

A family camping trip from 3/29 - 4/6 was a great decision, loads of fun an fishing was had by all. We rode bikes, played board games, corn hole, an slipped off for a daily fishing trip. ;-)


The week fishing report:


The week started off great with the water temp between 54 an 56 degrees. Fish was steady an for us being caught with some regularity in 17-13 fow. But size wise was hit or miss. Numbers were very good though. We "spider longlining" as I called it with three in the boat we had a smorgasbord of opportunities for the fish to feast on. But the main attraction seemed to be a 1/32 oz hair jig double rigged with a small split shot or a minnow.


As as the week progressed it was a chasing game as I gave up one day to go up wolftever but it was more of a hassle than it was worth. The fish seemed scattered an the trash on the water ( from the rising closer to summer pool). In wolftever we fished a little of everything from 20-5 fow.
We managed to pull few fish before returning to camp.


Along about Wednesday we were finding the fish had seemed to shallow up slightly more as we found our bite in water from 12-5 foot deep an they now also seemed to be suspended more so than they had been as we had cut the rod number by about 3/4 to single poling at times. We were casting a float to brush in 9' of water. Or we had hair jigs, bg, an road runners in our arsenal. The water temp was now 60 or a degree or two higher. We had around 20 keepers that morning of fishing. Thursday we found more of the same conditions hitting slightly different area but same terrain an structure type.


Now Friday was the one an only day I kept the boat parked. Only bc I had to make a run home to visit the dr. With the wife to check on our little one she is carrying. As I returned to camp around dinner that day we had decided we would join the bank fisherman an allow my daughter an her friend to catch a few. an turns out it was first for Sydney's (daughter) friend to catch. All though just a blue gill she let a shrill that was heard all around with excitement. They were content in that an went back to paddling around on the bikes. My dad, mom an their friends walked the banks an managed to catch several fish that made for a mess of 11 crappie.


And then there was Saturday. My sister had asked me to take her an her long time friend from college on a fishing trip. So I gladly had agreed but was nervous all week wondering if I would be able to have them catching fish at a rate that would mange to keep them happy. I had told them they may want few crickets just in case. That was not the case after all. We managed a great day of crappie fishing finishing 6 shy of a limit an adding perch an a catfish to the mix. Probably could have had the limit but pulled off the crappie to go an catch a few blue gill. They singled polled a minnow with a float trolled behind the boat in 6-12 fow with the occasionally cast at a blow down that had black crappie all in it. I managed three rods most of the time with jigs, float an minnow an a tight lined minnow. Water temp was 62-64. It made for a great day an help that the keeper rate was 1:2.


For the week I cleaned 110 crappie 3 perch 2 catfish an 1 shell cracker
To say I was blessed would be an understatement. Only way things could have been better would have been to have had my wife an mom not having to work an getting to fish alittle more with them. But the time was a well spent as possible.

Happy fishing
daniel


pic
1. Oops catch
2.first of week catch
3.sat.morning catch
4.sister an friend
5.sister
6.her friend first crappie
7.dad big fish#2
8.dad big fish #1
9.syds friend first fish
10. Wed
11.thrus
12. Solid fish on jig

Good looking mess of crappie! Way to whack'em. The pictures told the story. Glad you had a fun week.:ThumbsUp

Congrats on a good trip, something to remember for sure.

great report, story and pics. Congrats on what looked like a great time

Great Picture story and yes you are blessed, thanks for posting!:HandsClapping

Great post , story and pix thanks for sharing

I feel the pain

Great fishin' and looked like plenty of fun. I saw you fishin' on the pier and in your boat again during that week. Thanks for the pics and report.