Well I did it CDC Members[emoji106][emoji107]

Headed out in the morning NAKED!!
Removed my Mellinium Rod holders from the bow.
Took all of my 14 footers out of the boat.
Loaded with….
2-13 foot jig poles (ACC & BnM “TheStick”)
2-12 foot jig poles (ACC)
2-10 foot jig poles (BnM “Brushcuter & BnM BGJP102)
1- 8 foot casting rod (ACC)
1- 6.6 casting rod (ACC)
Going to go without minnows and only use hand ties and plastic.
(Crappie bites and Slab Sauce for sure to tag along and might take a tub of bee moths)
Wish me luck on this maiden voyage.
I’ll report even if I have to drive home with the windows open from the skunk in the boat!!!???
Chuck


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Think positive… you’ll do alright. :highfive

I usually take 2 poles (Huckabee Trident and Phantom 13') and 2 tubes Southern Pro Umbrella ( purple/chartreuse ) and 2.5'' Little Hustler (orange/charteuse ) . But I use electronics to stay on cover and livescope to put jig on the fish . Keep it simple , no minnows needed !:fish

I’ve got different baits tied on already.
Gonna drop on piles I find and hopefully get bit. If not moving on to next. Got enough plastic to open a store so maybe I’ll get lucky!![emoji476][emoji228]
Chuck


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Good luck

Go get them Chuck

This is a great time of year for that. The boat skunk seems to be on vacation lately

Go get em Chuck!

Good luck

You will be fine! Enjoy the day and good luck. Remember the biggest non quantifiable but very important - CONFIDENCE! Ya gotta believe!
Bob

We are getting past fall and headed into times I just don't fish, but spring and fall I really don't think you need any minnows. I have been stuck on Roadrunners and Pony head underpins for many years now, all the way back to about 1979ish. I also got away from them to some other kinds of jigs before I started tying my own about 15 or more years ago and still did all the catching I wanted long lining slow with 1/32 Oz jigs.

So based on that I think you should do well, but the one thing you didn't mention that you really need to take along with you is Confidence in your bait, rod and reel and your self! Then it's a winning combination!

Good luck,

Skip

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Well here is the report as promised.

Air temp this morning was around 40 so I took my time getting on the water.
Launched around 10am and first drop was about 15-20 minutes later after a brisk boat ride.
Water was its usual stained and 62 degrees.
I went to one of my normal places and didn’t have any trouble finding fish bunched up in trees. Still appeared to be holding in around 10-12 foot of water.
Ended up catching 6-8 shorts on hand ties tipped with white crappie bites.
Switched colors on first pile a couple times and moved about 50 yards up the bank to my next lay down.
Same thing there and tipped a couple times with bee moth.
Fished a couple places on the way back to the ramp with total for the 4 hour trip being 17…..ZERO KEEPERS…
Repeat…. ZERO KEEPERS…
I’ll let the members decide…
DID I GET SKUNKED????
My wife said I didn’t try hard enough. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
Thanks to all for the encouragement on my maiden trip without minnows.
Chuck



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I’d say it was a pretty decent trip then. No you didn’t get skunked but you didn’t find the big ones or at least didn’t get them to bite. There are trips like that. I fished Sunday and while everyplace I fished I caught it wasn’t until I found that one pile that had the decent and larger crappie.

What’s a bee moth?


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Erin Brewer

What’s a bee moth?


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I guess it’s kinda like a wax worm except white,softer and fatter.
Suppose there is an official name for them but around here we call them bee moths. [emoji23]


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I sent the crappie a text. Said you were coming. They feared you and hid.

No skunk in my book. You went and caught the targeted species with the method you chose to use. Sounds like a great trip to me

17 fish can hardly be considered a skunk. Some days the little fish just beat the big ones to the bait.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

No skunk in my book. You went and caught the targeted species with the method you chose to use. Sounds like a great trip to me

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I agree with Jack

I agree with Micanopy and DSJ. It wasn’t a skunk and some days the bigger ones are somewhere else. The baits worked.
Bob

Well the way I see it is the good lord let you wake up and go fishing. Then far as I’m concerned you got more then a limit the fish are just a bonus. A lot of folks didn’t have a chance to wake up. So if you enjoyed the picture the good lord painted for you that day you had a awesome day.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by slabin

Well the way I see it is the good lord let you wake up and go fishing. Then far as I’m concerned you got more then a limit the fish are just a bonus. A lot of folks didn’t have a chance to wake up. So if you enjoyed the picture the good lord painted for you that day you had a awesome day.

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Agreed. Every day above ground is a good day.

Sounds like a good trip. No skunk in your boat IMHO.

Congratulations buddy, sounds like a “cool” trip!

Congrats, I'd say you had a good day. But are you convinced that you don't have to have minnows?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by S10CHEVY

Congrats, I'd say you had a good day. But are you convinced that you don't have to have minnows?

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S10CHEVY,
Negative,
In my narrow minded brain I believe I could have caught more fish pushing minnows or pulling jigs.
My don’t like change OCD type bucket head thinks that way.
My primary lake is so pressured and has so many crappie(shorts just shy of 10 inch limit) that I tell myself a lot “I’m not going back there” but because it is only 45 minutes to the water I keep going over and over and over.
My best days on that lake were the end of summer ( night trips) 2 nights I had 12 keepers and 1 night 14.
The plus side is that it is a great place to learn Livescope. Every place you look is full of crappie.
I will have to add that I enjoy catching the fish and feeling the thump more than allowing the rod to catch the fish and just picking it up while pushing minnows.
Sorry for the long winded answer[emoji476]
Chuck



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That thump is hard to beat

Not, a long winded response. But you do now know, that if you either run out of minnows, or they are not available, you can still catch fish without them. How much do you play with different sizes and types of plastic baits? What made me change, was when running out of minnows, and then being forced to try alternate things.

When I worked nights and fished alot. I kept a tank of minnows in the garage during the cool months. Buy them in bulk they were a lot cheaper and available when I was ready to go fishing. Any that were left over went back in that tank for next time. Worked out really well

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

When I worked nights and fished alot. I kept a tank of minnows in the garage during the cool months. Buy them in bulk they were a lot cheaper and available when I was ready to go fishing. Any that were left over went back in that tank for next time. Worked out really well

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DSJ
I used to own a bait house 2 blocks from the house until someone wanted it more than I did.
I kept one if the 110 volt aerator-agitator and have a tank to set up in the garage but was waiting until about now.
I try to keep 10 pounds at all times during the winter for sauger season.
My favorite fish to catch and eat.
I pour football jigs and tip 3 inch curly tail grubs with minnows.
Thanks
Chuck.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chuck Adams

Well here is the report as promised.

Air temp this morning was around 40 so I took my time getting on the water.
Launched around 10am and first drop was about 15-20 minutes later after a brisk boat ride.
Water was its usual stained and 62 degrees.
I went to one of my normal places and didn’t have any trouble finding fish bunched up in trees. Still appeared to be holding in around 10-12 foot of water.
Ended up catching 6-8 shorts on hand ties tipped with white crappie bites.
Switched colors on first pile a couple times and moved about 50 yards up the bank to my next lay down.
Same thing there and tipped a couple times with bee moth.
Fished a couple places on the way back to the ramp with total for the 4 hour trip being 17…..ZERO KEEPERS…
Repeat…. ZERO KEEPERS…
I’ll let the members decide…
DID I GET SKUNKED????
My wife said I didn’t try hard enough. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
Thanks to all for the encouragement on my maiden trip without minnows.
Chuck



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I join with the ranks voting that it was a successful trip. The fact they were small is just the luck of the day. Big fish are a bonus, we all live for the thump and that was delivered. I could take you out with my tiny tackle and we could have a large time. The term I once heard that I have adopted is that I’m looking at the blooms and not the roots. Everything after that is just a bonus. Also think of this; wait til you refine your technique and go to another body of water and the big fish won’t leave the baits that have become your favorite alone. That’s a smile you’ll remember.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chuck Adams

DSJ
I used to own a bait house 2 blocks from the house until someone wanted it more than I did.
I kept one if the 110 volt aerator-agitator and have a tank to set up in the garage but was waiting until about now.
I try to keep 10 pounds at all times during the winter for sauger season.
My favorite fish to catch and eat.
I pour football jigs and tip 3 inch curly tail grubs with minnows.
Thanks
Chuck.


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Those are supposed to be some tasty critters. They are one of the species I need to learn to catch as well.