Clinton report- heading there this weekend- Sep 23-25.

Taking the wife camping and fishing this weekend. Seeking information on Crappie location. Not after your honey holes. Just looking for general idea of the season. Are they still deep or have they started to move to the bays. Report doesn't have to be from Clinton, any lake in the Central Illinois area would be applicable.

3rd time I have gotten the wife to go camping in 30 years of marriage. Mind you I go at least one weekend a month almost all year long. Also get her into Crappie fishing last year. Sure would be nice to keep her interested by catching fish.

Was in Canada a couple weeks ago. Meet some great people who I will see at Clinton this weekend. I wasn't fishing for Crappie but did manage to catch a couple my mistake.
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Sure glad I wasn't fishing for Crappie. I was after Northern and Smallies. We did a little better.
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We had a good time, even though we packed up and headed home Saturday night. Got to our site about 6.30pm Friday night and finished setting up the campsite by the light of a Coleman white gas lantern. It was hot, 89 degrees or so. Once the sun dropped so did the temps. I started a campfire for comfort. We socialized and called it a night about midnight. Saturday morning the temps were in the mid 60's and the lake was covered with fog. We hit the water at 7am with navigation lights on. We escorted a buddy and his new boat around the lake and to a favorite fishing hole. Managed to catch Crappie and called it a day about 10am. Meet Logon from Canada at the ramp, he was just heading out for the day.

Got back to camp and the wife got dolled up for our trip to town for the Apple n Pork fest in Clinton. Arrived in town about noonish to a festival in full swing and hot. Even hotter with all the people, cook tents, and lack of wind. Decided it was just too busy for us and we headed to a local Mexican restaurant for lunch. Great food.

Back to camp ground, the AC ride was feeling great. Took a tour around the campground to check out the 5th wheels and day dream of being future owners. Got back to our campsite and took a couple hour nap. Woke up to discover the power was out. According the campground host it was out in the park and a local town, Dewitt, should be back on around 4-5pm. Even though we were in the shade, there was no wind and the 89 degree temps were getting a little too warm for my wife. She doesn't do heat well. Wife has a stress fracture and tore muscle in her hip, between the cot, hot temps, and pain she was done about 6 pm Saturday night.
Took me an hour to pack up camp and we were on the road. The dogs slept the entire ride home. Dropped the boat, took showers, and headed to Chillis for dinner.

Proud of the wife, first camp-out in 25years. She stuck it out surprising well considering she doesn't do heat even when well. Fishing was average, we managed a mess of keepers. With a freezer full of fish, cleaning station closed, and the heat, it was a catch n release day.

Couple of lessons learned:
Need to make a chuck box for my kitchen gear. Tired of living out of a rubbermade tote.
Need to make a box for our dining fly lights, the cardboard box wont last long. Plus I need to come up with a better method of hanging the lights under the dining fly.
Tent floor needs a good cleaning.

Had good news on Friday. First the bad news. Lost my job Labor Day weekend. Cat downsized, again. Friday I had an interview, hired and I start Wednesday.
Today I ordered a Yamaha 5.1 surround sound speaker set for my birthday present to myself. Should be here by the end of next week.
Also bought some new clothes, washed/dry/ironed, and unpacked/cleaned/put away all the gear from the truck/boat.
Son asked me to go to Chicago for a court case his client has on Tuesday. As much as I would like to go, I may have a drug screen on Tuesday for the new job. Hopefully I can go tomorrow.
All-in-all, an average weekend for me, except the new job. That was a bonus.

Good read, wish I could get my wife back into camping. Sorry for the loss of the job but congratulations on the new one.

Congratulations on the new job.

Ah Cat... been there done that on the Cat downsize. I was let go in 2012. They are still cutting people. Congrats on new job. I was at Apple & Pork also. Lasted 1.5 hours and left. Too hot for a central Illinois boy standing in the middle of so many people. :ThumbsUp