I feel like I have been working pretty hard learning to fish. I come here everyday, watch videos, and go to my little home lake, 140 acres, at least three times a week. Up until recently I was having a time getting crappie to bite. I have been trying different techniques with no success, I couldn't even get them to hit a minnow. I could see them in 12 -14 feet of water but could not entice them to bite. Now I admit I am not very patient. I won't let anything sit very long. Also I am pretty stubborn, I don't change colors as often as I should and I will stick with one locations if I know there are fish there. Last week I began to catch a few on minnows under a float in thick shallow brush. Still could not get the ones off shore to hit. I am a catch and cook fisherman right now. I don't catch enough to hurt them and I have a self imposed 10 inch limit, VA will let you keep 9 inchers, but I like to eat them. If I catch them on minnows under a float once then that's how I am going to fish next time. Yesterday I got on the water between 6:30 and 7:00, my usual time. I started my milk run, I pretty much know which downed trees will be holding fish by now, been at it since late Feb. I start out by trying to stay off the tree and casting to it's edge. By the time I leave I am sitting on top of it threading a minnow straight down through a tangle of branches. I caught three at my fist stop, things slowed and I moved on. I caught a couple at my second stop and moved on. This kept up most of the day. I used up all of my minnows and had kept six fish. I had brought some worms to see if the BG would bite, and tipped a Crappie Magnet with one. I got a few bites and managed to catch one. While watching the float I pulled out a jig and cast next to a downed tree. I got a tap. I kept casting until I got another, then I hooked a small crappie. I put the worms away and started working likely places with the jig. I would get tiny taps and think I had brushed a branch. I got ticked off and started jerking the rod. The next tap I got I caught a good sized BG. I went back over to my favorite stop and started getting taps there as well. Before I left I had pulled three nice crapping from the 12 foot water. The last really hit hard, my first thump. Do you remember your first time? I left for home at 6:00 PM, a long day for sure but felt like the haze was beginning to lift on this game.Attachment 426052Attachment 426053Attachment 426054
