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Lake Murray Reports 1/20/18 and 1/21/18
I was able to fish both Saturday and Sunday this weekend in search of the elusive Lake Murray crappie. Things started off cold, but warmed up nicely both days. The fishing was slow but steady. Water temps were around the 42 degree mark both days and the fish we found were active. On Saturday it was three of us aboard the old Ranger and, after a late start, we got lines in the water shortly before 9 AM. I was expecting a crowd of folks, but we didn't see many other crappie fishermen. Tightlining was the method of choice and fish were caught 12-14 foot down in 14-20 FOW and many were relating to cover. No real big ones were caught, but a respectable mess of 33 was in the livewell when we called it quits at 2 PM. We threw back 15-20 more.
With the fun we had on Saturday, my brother in law and I discussed it and decided to try them again Sunday morning. I had lunch plans so we knew it would be a shorter trip. We launched a little before 7 and had lines in the water before you could see really well. We missed a few finicky bites the first pass, but it didn't take long before the fishing heated up. By all accounts, the fishing was better in the numbers department on Sunday. Same pattern as Saturday, but the fish did start off shallower before the sun drove them deeper. We wrapped poles up at 10:45 AM and headed for the ramp with 30 keepers in the box. We again probably threw back another 15-20.
All in all it was a fantastic weekend of fishing. We cleaned 63 crappie, a perch, and a catfish yesterday afternoon and we have a fish fry planned for tomorrow night!! Although we didn't catch any "big" fish it was still a blast to boat as many as we did. Many of the fish we cleaned were females and they are starting to sport little bellies with eggs. It won't be long before the big mamas make their appearance. Hopefully, I'll be on the water when they do!
Tight Lines to all!
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