Should have stayed home !

Looked forward to fishing on a nice sunny day with light wind forecast. Going to use my new 2.5 hp Merc to get to areas the trolling motor would be to slow getting to. Was going to take a load of photos of fish caught on some new lure innovations. You've heard of Murpy's Law - anything that can go wrong will - and did! :(

First off the weather forecast was wrong. By the time on got to the lake the wind was around 12 mph with gusts. I needed to make accurate casts to weed pockets but instead the wind got the hooks caught on pad stems. I only brought a 10 lb anchor and it couldn't hold. :(

The motor started fine and I started out from the launch at a nice speed. But I forgot the huge rock ahead that was much shallower due to lower water and slammed the motor's skeg. Not sure of the prop's shear pin was broken but couldn't restart the motor to find out. Had to go all the way back to the launch against the wind (15 minutes) using the trolling motor to fish closer to the launch shoreline due to the high wind. :(

Forgot the camera at home but also forgot the spare camera behind the driver seat. Sure enough I found white perch in open water that bit a few of my innovations but with no camera on board to photograph them. :(

Called it a day but then got behind someone going 10 mph below the speed limit and no passing zone much of the way. :(

Oh, when I got home, I found a 50-lure bag of Crappie Magnets - more than half deformed by cramming that many in a small bag. I put the deformed lures in hot water on the stove but forgot them and then found a melted glob after the water got too low. :(

At least the motor started at home and the prop turned (shear pin fine). Too bad the weather is going to get colder with rain soon - though maybe that weather forecast will be wrong (but more often right when bad).

Momma said they be days like that. Most of us have done most of those things at one time or another. The 10mph under folks drive me insane. Most of the time they are glued to a cellphone and can barely keep the car on the road and out of the ditches.

Made my little dramas of the days seem silly in comparison.

Next time just pass anyway. It is what I do when people are rude.

Last trip out in the boat I stepped on an reshaped the bail on one of my favorite spinning reels. I have not been able to get it reshaped to work as it did before I gave it a foot adjustment. As my old man would say. That's life in the fast lane

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

Last trip out in the boat I stepped on an reshaped the bail on one of my favorite spinning reels. I have not been able to get it reshaped to work as it did before I gave it a foot adjustment. As my old man would say. That's life in the fast lane

---

I hear ya, DSJ. I (ONCE AGAIN!) slipped and fell in while wading a real nice riffle. Splat and got a good soaker and of course dunked the rod and reel breaking the fall. Home for a good wash and lube of the reel, but the odd thing was when I got up and reeled in I had a very nice and fat Gill that hit the TM when it drifted through a pocket! I would not recommend slip and fall as a technique, but I had to laugh at catching a fish!
Bob

Once again you guys male me feel not so alone in the troubles of life! The one thing I notice no one says, " Since today was so bad I am never going out again!"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mstr Dan

Once again you guys male me feel not so alone in the troubles of life! The one thing I notice no one says, " Since today was so bad I am never going out again!"

---

I haven't heard or said that either

She days are tougher than others and the motor started. There’s always tomorrow.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BobC

I hear ya, DSJ. I (ONCE AGAIN!) slipped and fell in while wading a real nice riffle. Splat and got a good soaker and of course dunked the rod and reel breaking the fall. Home for a good wash and lube of the reel, but the odd thing was when I got up and reeled in I had a very nice and fat Gill that hit the TM when it drifted through a pocket! I would not recommend slip and fall as a technique, but I had to laugh at catching a fish!
Bob

---

Thats the spirit never give up no matter whats thrown at you....

As bad as it gets it is still better than work

What a difference 24 hours makes!
1. motor started at the lake but the shear was busted. TM only but with a more powerful battery to travel further.
2. 15 lb anchor. Didn't need it that heavy most of the day but still...
3. That big rock that broke the shear pin was located and a floating marker (empty milk carton with fluorescent tape) attached tp a heavy weight placed on top. Note: the top of the rock was only 2.5' from the surface surrounded by 10' of water. No wonder the pin broke!
4. The sun was bright in the am but the clouds moved in along with mild breezes or still air.
5. Brought the camera and last night found out why the blurry pictures. Now the images are nice and sharp.
5. Found a pattern: pad and pad pockets all along the west shore. Yellow and white perch schools. Fish pounded different designs and in 58 degree water no less! 64 fish caught!
6. The traffic on the way home moved at a proper speed.

Sounds like a great day. Congrats on a great carch. Good on you for marking that rob that possess a danger to all boats and boaters. Good job marking that so no one elese had a bad motor day at the hands of that rock

Tested new lure designs and they did great!

https://i.imgur.com/jQwgcGf.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/gG79Ldv.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/WV3O1t9.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/iF9Tlsn.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/cTw88El.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/GPRGAsS.jpg

Got about 10 this size/ the rest 7-10":
https://i.imgur.com/aJjItX5.jpg

Always good when a plan comes together

Best yet(besides the number and favorite species caught) was confirming a few things about the lures themselves.
1. Super bright fluorescent tails under a cloudy sky did as well as darker colored and clear tails.
2. Fin S Fin tail (forked tail) had excellent finesse action when added to the French Fry stick segment. Fish gobbled it up sometimes hitting it 5x on the same retrieve.
3. Cue stick tail still catches fish
4. Longer lures (2 3/4") worked as well as shorter (2") lengths.
5. The strike in cold water is still powerful especially when school fish are found. Some claim it's a fall binge bite like bears do before hibernation (though white perch binge all year long!)
6. Some fish were even caught in 1' of water near shore.

(.....now if I can only figure out this other lake that holds 14" crappie....)

Tough day.... but you made it and can laugh about it now.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by "G"

Tough day.... but you made it and can laugh about it now.

---

Days like that I try to forget! LOL

Those days build character

I'm already a character! :biggrin

Me too

sometimes it just goes that way , seems we are all due one of those trips sooner or later .
sorry it was such a mess for ya , the good news though is at our age we have a large vocabulary and often use more than one ugly word during these types of outings ...right ? :Rofl

With age comes the ability to, relax and just let the day unfold.
Some days are better than others


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ketchn

sometimes it just goes that way , seems we are all due one of those trips sooner or later .
sorry it was such a mess for ya , the good news though is at our age we have a large vocabulary and often use more than one ugly word during these types of outings ...right ? :Rofl

---

Yes, there is that. Usually after I fall I give thanks I didn’t break anything, check to see no one saw it:Rofl and then I usually find a nice rock or log to sit on and laugh at myself. Sadly it is happening a little too frequently these days!:banghead
Bob

Sad to hear about your lower unit and trout magnets. I do hate trying to fish with light tackle in the wind and usually will switch to heavy tackle and bass fishing or not go at all if I see a strong wind building outside. Maybe I'm just not tough enough, but I find little joy in fighting the wind when it's strong enough to drag a 10lb anchor. At least you gave it a shot though. I've only been fishing once this year and have only myself to blame for not making it a priority.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ketchn

sometimes it just goes that way , seems we are all due one of those trips sooner or later .
sorry it was such a mess for ya , the good news though is at our age we have a large vocabulary and often use more than one ugly word during these types of outings ...right ? :Rofl

---

Yes much colorful language at times can be heard. Other times just laughter followed by slow shaking of ones head

Perseverance! Congrats.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Spoonminnow

What a difference 24 hours makes!
1. motor started at the lake but the shear was busted. TM only but with a more powerful battery to travel further.
2. 15 lb anchor. Didn't need it that heavy most of the day but still...
3. That big rock that broke the shear pin was located and a floating marker (empty milk carton with fluorescent tape) attached tp a heavy weight placed on top. Note: the top of the rock was only 2.5' from the surface surrounded by 10' of water. No wonder the pin broke!
4. The sun was bright in the am but the clouds moved in along with mild breezes or still air.
5. Brought the camera and last night found out why the blurry pictures. Now the images are nice and sharp.
5. Found a pattern: pad and pad pockets all along the west shore. Yellow and white perch schools. Fish pounded different designs and in 58 degree water no less! 64 fish caught!
6. The traffic on the way home moved at a proper speed.

---

Nice man! The proof will always be in the pictures. (At my age, photographs ARE my memories of events - especially those that will never happen again in my lifetime.)
I've already started to reproduce some of the lures in my reply but only because I kept a seperate bag of those that did well - memory not required.

Sounds like a great day

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BobC

Yes, there is that. Usually after I fall I give thanks I didn’t break anything, check to see no one saw it:Rofl and then I usually find a nice rock or log to sit on and laugh at myself. Sadly it is happening a little too frequently these days!:banghead
Bob

---

When I was younger I used to wonder why "Old People" had so many bruises. Parents told me they have thin skin and they bruise easy.....I now know the truth ...it's from us running into door frames. ROFL

Sent from my E6910 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Can't shrug those bumps and bruises off like we used to