There ain't no duckplucking crappie!

[jimeisaac]

I have been following the weather reports for the area from Yuma north to I-10 and the temperatures have finally got down to double digits. It is time for the first Yuma fishing trip of the year.

My long time friend, co-worker and fishing partner Brad Simos and made the trip from San Diego on Thursday evening. We scored ground floor rooms at the Motel 6.


We got up Friday morning and made our way out to the Gila Gravity canal.


The rope is to help old men like me get up and down the steep canal banks.
I guess I forgot to tell Brad that we were crappie fishing:


Evening time rolled around and we set up to see if we could catch a whisker fish or two. We had no luck Friday night, but it was a gorgeous moon rise.


Saturday found us back at the Gila Gravity where Brad figured out the pattern for some nice Shellcrackers.



We caught them right where the canal enters a tunnel under the mountain. The water was gin clear and 75degF.


The canal exits from under the mountain about 500yards further south.


Brad's shellcracker pattern worked on this side of the mountain also.


We tried for catfish again Saturday evening, this time at the head waters of the Gila Gravity and had better luck.


Are you guys tired of seeing pictures of Brad with fish yet? I know I was getting real tired of taking them. But you got to catch fish to get your picture taken and I did not land one fish all day Friday or Saturday. But a new day is coming....

[jimeisaac]

Sunday we hit the road for San Diego via the canal system of the Imperial Valley.
First stop was at the generating plant on the East Highline. Praise the Lord! I am not skunked! He is not a monster, but I AM NOT SKUNKED!


Moving toward home we stopped at Drop #5 on the All American Canal just south of HoltVille CA. We fished the concrete lined feeder canal with success. The catfish were all about 1lb but were a ball on our ultra-light outfits. We pulled about a dozen of them out of there.

["G"]

Great pictures and a good report....thanks for sharing.

[DrJohn]

Looks like you guys had some fun!

[AZfisherdude]

Thanks for posting Looks like some good fun and interesting places.

[Glenn]

Those shellcrackers are studs.

[jimmie]

thanks for the pics

[BigRiverMarine]

Great pics and story.