They’re back

A little. Now that the river has gone back down, things are returning to normal. Took the trolling spread out and loaded up the light gear and headed out yesterday. I found some small gills and one good one that ran in circles for a while before he met the net. A 12” LMB made the show late in the trip too, they’re always fun on 2lb. Other than that I spent my time with about 2 dozen crappie that were hungry, thumpin the jigs like their bigger cousins. 5 would have gone 12” and gave a good accounting of themselves. Looking forward to the next few weeks as they come back in where they belong. No pics and more to follow, thankfully, I hope.

waiting for pics and reports.

Glad they're back. I'm fishless in 2021. By this time last year, I had pulled in more than 100!

I know you're happy about the river getting right. It's been a long time coming. The small stuff is going to start producing bigger and better. Looking forward to some pictures and stories.

Glad to hear things are getting better in your area. Not great up here but winter is passing.

Do them fish in your area get to spawning soon ? I hear tell in Jan. its getting close in Florida ?

Good to see you out again.


Regards

Glad you got out to put a bend in the rod! Looking forward to your posts now that things are turning back to normal!

Thanks everyone. I’ve trolled up a bunch but that isn’t what it was a month ago. Took some friends and had a few good times.

Ketchn, the boys have their suits on so I would say you are right. Next trip is into some spawning areas from past years.

I might not get any pics for y’all this weekend. I have recently stumbled into a 16’ Jon that I’ve been looking for forever. Piece by piece I’m getting it set up, TM already in place. Going to go and look at and hopefully, bring home a 15hp motor for it tomorrow. Down side is it’s a two hour drive. Excited about it, very clean northern motor. I won’t fish from it for a few weeks yet, I think, but I’ll introduce her to you when I do. Her name is Friday, as she was acquired on Black Friday. Not soon enough, but soon...........

Congrats, Skeet! Hope the motor deal works out! You will have some fun times for sure!
Bob

My 17’ Key West has been sitting for almost 2 years since i bought my Jon boat. Great for places with poor or no ramps, and you know what,
the waters just as deep as the well known places. The only downside is more hull slap noise heading into the chop.
Down this way the males have been up under the grass for a couple weeks, and the females are hanging around the edges.
Go early or go late because otherwise its been dead for the most part.
1/16 pink head with 2” Bobby Garland electric chicken or same head with the monkey milk color works for me with a small split shot about 6” above. Nothing fancy required, a couple 10’ telescopic rods rigged with about 6’ of line is all thats needed.

Scared to ask, Skeet, but did the motor work out?
Bob

Very well thanks. An ‘74 evinrude 15 horse. I took the cover off when I first walked up to it and felt the block, cold. So I pulled the choke and pulled the rope once, nothing, as expected. Second pull, cough. Third pull it started and I pushed in the choke real quick and it stayed running. Gave it a few rpm and let it warm and dropped the rpm back down and it putted along like every one I’ve ever been around. It’s been painted on the outside but it came from Indiana and stored inside for the winters, so I’m told. Under the cover looks nice and clean with no discoloration from heat. Shut it off and talked for a few minutes and pulled the rope. Took about a half a pull to be running again. I’m pleased with it so far, I think I did well. Worked on the Jon today. Had to remove the transom knee brace and address a leak under one of the feet, added the wood pad on the outside of the transom and finished the support for the TM. Other than that, I just sat around. Now if I can just get my hull numbers and a battery, I’m good to go. I’m like a kid at Christmas. Kinda going backwards in boats. Used to have a 16’ Sea Nymph stick steer with a 25 Johnny, then got my bass boat for ten years, then my Carolina Skiff, and here I am going back to a 16’ Jon. Will we ever grow up?

Maybe I’ll get to fish some next weekend.
Attachment 393300

Looks great, and appears to have lived a nice freshwater life. Funny thing with our “toys”. As I get older I find that the basics are just fine. A boat like that you will probably use a lot and not have a “yard queen”.
Bob

A few parts I have to wait on, but inside Im ready to go NOW! A breaker for the TM power lead, battery and box, and hull numbers. Not much but enough to make me get antsy.

Shakedown tomorrow. News at 11.