Thread: Western branch

Tried my luck Sunday, I refuse to let the wind crush my plans, NO LUCK!!
nevertheless was my first time really fishing WB, I tried near the dam between WB and Prince, I tried various structure.
A few drop-offs was showing fish but no takers, I followed birds :D and drifted through them using jigs, minnows, red wigglers, not even a hit... Anyone have some tips for fishing WB in the winter?

Thanks

Mike

I was out that way Saturday and did not get a bite either. Perhaps just a bad weekend. Winter fishing can be real tough out there. In past Decembers the main aerator was the place to be. You would recognize it by the fact that nearly ten boats are fishing near it. The crappie seem to be taking this year off however. The crappie have been known to be in the backs of some of the coves in mid December but once again, this year has been an off year. I have not figured out Jan. and Feb. but will be out there every weekend this year trying to figure it out. I've got a lot of structure marked on that lake but this year I have barely caught half the numbers I caught last year. In years past they would leave the aerators on during the winter and I would at least catch small crappie near the bottom but the last few years they have been shutting off the aerators during the winter. My master plan for this Jan. and Feb. is to vertical jig deep water structure.

Originally Posted by papermouth scaler

Tried my luck Sunday, I refuse to let the wind crush my plans, NO LUCK!!
nevertheless was my first time really fishing WB, I tried near the dam between WB and Prince, I tried various structure.
A few drop-offs was showing fish but no takers, I followed birds :D and drifted through them using jigs, minnows, red wigglers, not even a hit... Anyone have some tips for fishing WB in the winter?Thanks

Mike

Yeah......don't.:D
Seriously though, several of us have been there lately with the exact same results. I've fished WB for 20+ yrs, and still get skunked some this time of year. Last year was decent up until about Christmas. This year is different for some reason. I'm gonna give it another shot next warm weekend. I've seen it give up a lot of nice yellow/white perch and crappie this late. Sometimes you can find the perch in 3-6' of water on a good warm day. The white perch will be near the bottom in the deepest water. The crappie will be......well, they'll be somewhere.
Better luck next time.

Originally Posted by TapOut64

I was out that way Saturday and did not get a bite either. Perhaps just a bad weekend. Winter fishing can be real tough out there. In past Decembers the main aerator was the place to be. You would recognize it by the fact that nearly ten boats are fishing near it. The crappie seem to be taking this year off however. The crappie have been known to be in the backs of some of the coves in mid December but once again, this year has been an off year. I have not figured out Jan. and Feb. but will be out there every weekend this year trying to figure it out. I've got a lot of structure marked on that lake but this year I have barely caught half the numbers I caught last year. In years past they would leave the aerators on during the winter and I would at least catch small crappie near the bottom but the last few years they have been shutting off the aerators during the winter. My master plan for this Jan. and Feb. is to vertical jig deep water structure.

That lake has quite a few coves that look real good, , I also pulled up to what I assume was an aerator, until I saw signs that said danger keep away on floating buoys ...so I backed away (foiled) :D
I see these Aerators are stationed through-out the lake, I remember the water manager requesting not to use davenport style anchors if possible, so I didn't want to anchor.

Anyway theres lots of deep water, which made the lake fun to fish, I was hoping to run into a some perch too:D, maybe next time.. probably meet up with ya sometime out there, this way I can see how crappie fishing looks when it's done right:D

Dadgummit Mike ever since Barrack was voted in you dont talk to me. This makes me wonder if all "you guys" have been holding it back just waitin for the opportunity to pay back my four fathers four fathers 4 daughters mistakes? If there is one thing I cannot stand its somebody who is more predjudice than me. Dont worry and dont feel bad about it- I have heard yur vibes loud & clear. Sonna beech, who'd of thought it? Here I am 51 yrs old and thinkin I was fixin to git on with stage 2 of 7 of my life and up jumped the Obama. Lemme tell ya buddy, it is an unnerving experience for a white dude to pass a cotton field nowadays. That dang Oprah aint helpin things either. Here I thought I was gonna be the first white pimp since Kid Rock and ends up I am destined to have an infestation of boll weevils devour whats left of my liver. Turnabout is fair play but man I wasnt ready for this. Now ya done made me hate my grandpas grandpas grandpa and that prejudice sumbeech warnt worth knowing from what I'm told. Dagblastit anyhow, this is sure a change of events. Hopefully this will be beneficial to my sharing a birthday with Martin Luther King and make me more acceptable when I request yur protection at Party With The Bros On The Riverwalk and Juneteeth. Doggonnit Scaler, its up to you & me to cross the racial boundary when it comes to crappie fishin, lets git on with it already. This is long overdue and I already have plans to bum some rockfish offa Spec2 and deliver frozen kohlrabi to Pops, cant we fit it a short, informal interracial fishing outtting at the same time? Its silly, ya know? By the time we git done fishin we will have plum fergotten what danged color we is, why there was ever any hub-bub about it in the first place, and we could be so civil as to share a Christmas table with all our families gathered round and make a big spectacle over who gits the dark meat or white meat. I say its high time for that to happen in ALL households, American and otherwise alike. I hope you will always take my joking with understanding Mike. I am tryin to make up for lost time, plain & simple. I guess I have been pounding thisboard nonstop trying to relax the loss of a friend. My friend John had a friend named Andrew who had worked with him his entire 39 yrs at Miller Motor Co in Katy, TX. Andrew was black as the ace of spades and one of the best of creations God ever graced this earth with. When I first arrived in Katy, TX I immediately struck up a friendship with my backyard neighbor John. I wanted to have a garden but everything surrounding my place was lawn. Johnny said I have a friend, Andrew, who has a tiller and does custom-work tilling gardens. Johnny contacted Andrew and the dimensions were 16' X 26 '. Andrew came by while I was out shoeing one day and took care of it. $40 had been the agreed-upon price and johnny toldme that night that Andrew had taken his tiller and scratched the grass, raked it up, repeated, raked it up, he did a bang-up job. Johnny told me where he lived and although I had left $ to pay him with John, I wanted to thank him for such a nice job and tip him some. Andrew was acommoner much like me and most blue-collar folkjs at the time and am sure the 10 bucks or whatever came in handy. I was invited into his house and my ol lady had driven with me and we both got to meet Andrews' wife
Pearl, and loved her immediately. Pearl passed on while I was there and I attended the funeral and John was the standout white pall-bearer. I had come to know several of Andrews' nieces, nephews, etc., in the interum. Andrew was missing his front teeth and had yellas where he had teeth, and if you git my drift he was one likeable ol' cuss. Kinda like IBNFSHN just a deeper tan if you will. Always grinnin', nuthin kept him down too long. We brought him a 80 lb black drum from the gulf one day and Johnny said watch this. Andrew whistled thru his missing teeth in admiration of the fish. Then took a 16 penny nail and crucified that sucker to the wall of his tool shed and proceded to scale it with the downward motion of a garden ho. I will never ferget Andrew grinnin from ear to ear. He basicly told us in friendly wurdz "lemme show you honkies how we skin a fish in Katy.":D We were taken back and took lessons. John looked at me in that tone of face that said "I told ya so." He had wasted his air, I already knew. To this day I am absoilutely sure it is the most uncomfortable night my ol lady ever spent, but she did take to the schoolin that was provided to her credit. We ate blackened, deep-fried, grilled black drum till it came out our ears. We had the biggest conglomeration of hungry folks, Messicans, crack-dealers, and Colt 45 domino players I really think has ever been assembled in Katy Tx in 1 night.
I am telling you this cuz it was a stand-out night inmy life, and I know the ol lady changed her outlook that night too. I am sure there is just as much pressure, or whatever ya call it, in any ethnic community but that was the night I set my shackles free. I suspect a good number of black folks are in attendance at Johns funeral today and so it should be. John And I found ourselves in the weird position in 1994 of being at his place of residence after we buried him and kickin around stories with his family about the times we had together. It was the most real moment and day of reckoning for me I have ever had. I love and miss both Andrew & Johnny for that.

Nice story about your friend and sorry for your loss.

Hey Scaler, check your inbox I sent you a pm.

hey scaler i aint from that way but if you have to go by Chesapeake to get to WB. i would fish at Bobs Unless you just like the lake like the armbreaker does.:D Your are welcome to fish with us anytime. I know where SH fishes!:D we'll fish out his spots.

However I have to say your some kindof mess man:D :D, but you did sort of nail my character down a bit, I'm working on my prejudice issues, there's just some folks I have a hard time dealing with....thieves, rapist, habitual liars, murderers...

But the skin color thing, nah, life's to short man. feel me?

Shoe I think we all need to have a couple shots and go fishing (or fishing first then shots)
You should consider being a journalist :D

Originally Posted by papermouth scaler

However I have to say your some kindof mess man:D :D, but you did sort of nail my character down a bit, I'm working on my prejudice issues, there's just some folks I have a hard time dealing with....thieves, rapist, habitual liars, murderers...

But the skin color thing, nah, life's to short man. feel me?

Shoe I think we all need to have a couple shots and go fishing (or fishing first then shots)
You should consider being a journalist :D

Hey Mike, If you think his post to you was something wait until he answers the one about "what he wants for Christmas"..It is under my "Maybe I should not ask" post...wvspec says Shoer is still typing...:D