Had to go to plan C.

Plan A was to fish Kerr today but with high winds and a 50% chance of thunderstorms predicted I decided that I would stay local. Plan B, Lake Prince. I knew they were having a bass tournament there and that they usually take off at sunrise so I showed up around 20 minutes after sunrise and was greeted with this:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-...-09003copy.gif

By the time I got to the gate I did not see a single parking spot available and there were still 8 or so boats ahead of me to launch. I said the heck with it, bit the bullet and went to plan C, Western Branch. (it's only two miles away)

Early on I picked up this little guy 16' down in 22' of water.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-...-09004copy.gif

Too bad it would be the only crappie I caught today.

I picked up two of these guys:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-...-09005copy.gif

Is it a bluegill or a redbreast sunfish?

I also caught 3 of these:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-...-09008copy.gif

Great fighters but small. For those who hear us talking about the aerators you can see one in the back ground bubbling away.

I also caught one small yellow perch and two catfish so at least I had a little bit of action. Water temp was 72-76. It was super windy but I enjoyed the breeze in the 90 degree heat.

Good pictures and good report there Tapout.

After watching some of your vids I would say you could be making your own fishing show especially since we have seen the beginning of a smile in some of your later posted pictures and we've seen good evidence you do catch em. :D ;)

Nice report and you are definitely persistent no matter conditions. :)

Nice pics Tap. Is it normally crowded at Prince or all those all BASSmasters?

Good grief! I've never seen a line like that at Prince.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fishman78

Nice pics Tap. Is it normally crowded at Prince or all those all BASSmasters?

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All of them were bass fishermen. I had never seen so many of them at a local tournament.

I would have changed plans with that line too Tap.
Good report! Sounds like you had lots of action.

Nice report & pics tap.
To answer your ?.I would say its a redbreasted sunfish.The markings on its cheek looks like a pumpkinseed markings.Has several irregular bluish stripes on its cheek and gill cover.Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus)

I would hit the road also if I pulled up behind all those boats. That's a lot of boats for a smaller lake.
Notice the aerator is running. Don't go to WB that much, but I have not seen them running. When do they normally run them?

Good report Tap!!
Them stripers put up a fight.
mikeb

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Doodlum

Notice the aerator is running. Don't go to WB that much, but I have not seen them running. When do they normally run them?

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Here's your answer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Norfolk Reservoir Manager

Aerators or bubbler system. The aerators (17 in WB, 10 in LP) pump air into the bottom the lake like a big aquarium aerator and take care of some issues related to our treating the water at the treatment plants. The aerators generally run from March through mid-October and have been running for about a month. We have been running them this way since they were installed and have worked great. The air lines are a constant problem, as you know, because they tend to float. We attach concrete blocks to the lines as anchors, but have an ongoing problem with them breaking loose. As you may remember, I asked that you only use mushroom anchors in these areas so that you don't accidentally snag an airline.

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I noticed that a few of them were not on.

hey at least you caught something there.

It looks like the rain has turned the fish on, on WB. Good catch!

Thanks Tap. Those aerators are fish magnets. I need to get down that way soon.
With your side scan looking at a school of bait fish could you guess the size of the fish.

Good report Tap. Congrats on the catch! You made a good decision to stay away from Buggs... the storm didn't hit but the wind sure did... :eek::eek:
Blake

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Doodlum

With your side scan looking at a school of bait fish could you guess the size of the fish.

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I can only tell the difference between bait fish and fish. The bait fish look more like a cloud.

In this picture you can see fish below a school of bait fish. This fish are the white specks and the bait fish is the cloud above them.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-1/604697/bait2.gif

Nice variety Tap, and way to make the best of the launch situation.
You da man.
Steelers suck.
Way to go.

Thanks for the report. With Branch acting so wierd I wonder how Burnt mills is going to be when it opens back up.