Thread: It's Official, I have "Crappie-Idis" and today proves it

Went to bed last night thinking there is no way I'm going fishing in the morning because of the low temps. The older I get the more the cold weather and me don't get along, but as usual I woke up about 4:30 so decided to check the weather. 20 degrees with a wind chill of 15, now there is no way if I was in my right mind would I go fishing, wind chill 15; thats like 100 degrees cooler than a alabama summer day. Well I had no doubt something was wrong with me when at 5am I'm hooking up the boat and within minutes I'm froze.
Well at 5:15 I'm on my way to the lake and it's 20 degrees (did I mention a wind chill of 15). Once again I knew something was not normal with me when I arrived at the launch area and was looking on the bright side because the car said it was now 21. Anyway with "Crappie-Idis" in full effect I launch the boat and head to the spot I was catching fish on Tuesday. About half way there I realize my face is going numb and it feels like I stuck it in a hive of bees.
I arrive to my fishing hole feeling and looking like a pink flamingo in nome, alaska and start to fish. well from 6 to 8 I only have two fish and I'm really starting to regret this trip and the crappie-idis is wearing off fast. I'm rubbing my legs trying to thaw them out and thinking about going to another spot, but another boat ride is beginning to terrify me.
Well after another 30 minutes of no fish I decide it's either move or go home. So I do a quick check of all my exposed skin to make sure nothing is turning black. Not that I'm against black skin, I just don't want chunks of it falling of me onto the floor of my boat. All looks good so I decide to try another spot. I'm not even going to try and describe the pain and agony of my trip to the next spot, this is a family web-site after all.
Now for some reason I have been absolutely destroying the crappie this year. I don't know if it's pure luck or I'm beginning to learn a thing or two about Logan Martin Lake since I bought my boat four years ago. So Initially on the way to my new spot (a big cove) I was going to go to the center of it and start fishing, but something told me to stop at the entrance.
Crappie-Idis is about to return in full swing and I'll be more infected than ever!! I cast my first pole out (the only one I have Bobby Garland baby shad monkey milk on) and as I'm casting my second rod the first goes down. Holy cow a 2lb crappie. I cast the pole back out, finish putting the second rod out and as I reach for the 3rd rod, boom monkey milk pole down again. I bring it in and a 1.5+ crappie. Well now I figure before I put the other 3 poles out I'm changing a couple to monkey milk.
Now for the next 2 hours it feels like it's 70 degrees out, not the actual 50 below it really is. I am catching slab crappie left and right and numerous bass. My biggest bass (let her go) weighed 3.10 pounds. One of my 12 foot poles was hung up and as I was pulling it trying to get it off a bush or something it came free and boom the big bass hit it immediately. She must have swam over there to see what all the fuss was about.
Anyway I ended up with 25 keeper crappie and overall they were probably the biggest average I have ever caught. I weighed the biggest 7 and they weighed 12lbs 5 oz. Water temp was 51 (air temp was "artic"), was long lining and the crappie were staged up on the point going into the cove in 6 to 13 feet of water. as I said monkey milk was the only thing they would hit and they hit hard. Once again I had a blast and it appears "crappie-Idis" is here to stay!!!

Please stop waving steak in a dogs face. I will get a chance to fish in Tampa Bay on Sunday with a cousin before heading home Monday to get some clean drawers and travel the rest of the week with one of my factory guys. Save a few for me.