The Wife and I decided to go to Badin Lake to give the fish an opportunity to entertain us. With the previous week of storms and the high pressure in the area, we really had no idea what to expect. We decided to go to an area that Fishhound had steered us toward, just to improve the fish’s opportunity of getting our attention and entertaining us. We moved around the area a little searching points and channels, but one spot seemed better than the rest.
They have pulled Badin down some since our last visit. The floating docks at Shoreline Drive ramp are barely in the water at all.
Water temperature was 80, air temp was 70 when we got to the lake and fell to 52 before we left. We were fishing in 21 feet of water and the fish were biting between 15 to 18 feet. Wind was calm when we got on the water and then picked up and slacked off throughout the evening. On the water around 8:30 pm and off around 3 am.
We caught several Blue-gills, a couple of smaller channel cats. The usual waccamaw perch, that only show up to make you think that you have hooked into a nice slab crappie based on how it fights, only to find it’s another one of those bait stealing perch.
As per my wife’s usual orders we tossed back all the 8 and 9 inch crappie unless they were badly hooked or had good meat on them, then we kept them. We brought home 12 crappie, 2 blue gills and 1 perch. The big Crappie of the night was 14 inches and 1.42 lbs. and he was ALL MINE, mu haaaaaaa. I informed my wife that I was now "the King of the Crappie" in our family. She replied "not as far as quantity goes". After 27 years married and 29 years together, she obviously no longer feels obligated to stroke my ego.
We have discovered that blue-gill ALWAYS swallow the hooks and their mouths are so itsy-bitsy teeny weeny we have no hope or recovering the hook without killing the poor fish.
Being on the water when there is a significant temperature differential between the water and air does create an eerie type of atmosphere with the rolling fog on the water. We pretty much had that corner of the lake to ourselves and as it got darker and the fog got thicker, I made a comment on the eerie look of the surrounding. I think I said something about an Aquatic Vampire jumping on the boat. It was dark enough I couldn’t see my wife’s expression and the ear warmers I was wearing blocked most of her reply. I am pretty sure it wasn’t a compliment.
Now that the water temps are starting to go down, we have to figure out where the crappie are heading now. This is our first year of boat fishing, so this whole migratory pattern stuff is all new to us.
My largest Crappie to date.
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This photo reminds me of a song from Sesame Street.
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“One of these things is not like the others.”
Thanks for reading, and if you made it this far, “I now return you, to your regularly scheduled lives.”
