Smithville 5-11-13

[catchem32]

Ran into Joedog at Smithville yesterday in the AM. We ended up fishing the same cove and caught fish nonstop big and small. Joes guest caught all of the biggest fish. The fish were so shallow that if you weren't casting on the bank some times you weren't fishing shallow enough. All four of us caught our limits in this cove without much of an effort. I think the biggest fish were 14, 15 in. After first trying different coves I noticed if the carp were doing their thing in the area you weren't going to catch many crappie. Fish too fast you weren't going to catch many fish! Hey Joe thanks for that tip with the lures it worked like a secret weapon.

[Birddogs54]

Good report! Not bad company...

[catman]

Nice report, sounds like a heck of a good time.

[Joedog]

Well, that was a fun day, but windy as all get out. Got to the lake around 7:30a and saw the whitecaps and thought, WTH?! Where did *those* come from? Thought there wasn't supposed to be much wind.

I was taking out a foreign exchange student from Germany who had never been fishing before. Met Catchem32 at the ramp and we both had to find a place to get out of the wind AND find fish. The two of them headed one direction and the two of us headed the other.

Well, we didn't do too well where we went...tried two poling minnows with a drop-shot on a real slow troll. Picked up a few but nothing to keep. Tried minnows under bobbers and caught a few that way, too. Only one of those kept and he got a small channel cat, too. Time to move.

Headed to another spot I wanted to try and that was a bust, too. Same techniques. Lots of carp spawning on the banks so...no crappie.

Moved over one cove where I did well last year during the spawn and ran into catchem32 again. They had been doing real well in there so slid over to make room for us. Told us exactly what they were doing to catchem, and we started having a ball as well.

Let me tell you I was being an awesome guide for this kid. I was teaching him everything I knew. Even had him all tangled up in a tree once! But he was having a blast and we were pulling beads left and right. He'd snag up one pole, I'd hand him a different one and have to retie his. 'Bout time I got that done, he had the other one snagged up, so we went through that process a gajillion times.

Man....I was cracking up watching him set the hook. He'd jerk that pole straight above his head and IF he didn't pull the bait out of the fish's mouth, he'd be reeling it in again, setting the hook three more times on the way in. That kid lost more fish....*sigh* But he was starting to get the hang of it. After a bit he'd just set the hook and start reeling it in....pole held straight above his head, pointing straight up and he'd be reeling like a maniac...then wouldn't be able to swing it into the boat. I was laughing so hard.

He eventually started getting it right, but we were running low on minnows. So I started using 1/16th oz Roadrunners...just pitching them to the bank and letting it drift back to me and pow...started picking up bigger fish. Don't know if they were there the whole time and just deeper or if it was just the right time of day or what. Water was up to 66° by then...so were the bigger fish moving in? Dunno.

Anyway, we finally finished out both of our limits and caught some dandies in the process.

Thanks, catchem, for sharing your spot and your information. Made me look like I knew what I was doing, almost! And thanks, Dave, for cluing me in on how to fish them small roadrunners right off the bank like that!

Here's some pics from the day...Jonathan with his two biggest, our 7 biggest (14, 13½, 13, 12½, 12, 11 and 11 or thereabouts) and catchem32 with his limit.

Sorry it took so long to post. Had to get the pictures off his camera, and they were in GERMAN!!?!?

[got crappie]

Nice Guys glad everything work out!!!!

[TnRidge]

Nice slabs guys ! Sounds like you guys had a blast !

[crappiebum_kc]

Great job guys!

[Birddogs54]

Well done Joe!

[keeferfish]

Nice Report Guys!