Soggy morning trip

Like Rich and Walt, weatherman here was calling for chance of showers, better chance for them in the afternoon so I rolled the dice and headed out, hoping to get a trip in before they arrived. I checked the radar before I left; we'd had a light shower early this morning but things were breaking up and it looked like I'd be in the clear. Got on the water about 8 am into a fairly strong ENE wind that never let up. I trolled 3 lines as usual, with a gray SP minnow tube, a gray and chartreuse Slabilicious paddle tail and a blue/black w/ chartreuse tail SP stinger; kept them on all morning as they all were catching fish. I found surprising action over deep open water with the Slabilicious, the bluegill just couldn't get enough of it. About 9, the skies started to sprinkle a bit of rain and I hoped it wouldn't fill in and force me off. It lasted about an hour but never intensified and then petered out. I had steady action all morning and called it day about 11:30 as the wind was getting stronger and I was tired of fighting it. I never got the camera out due to the rain and trying to control the boat in the wind and waves. Boat control was tough today. Took a cooler shot when I got home though.



Turns out there are 10 nice crappie in there, all 11-12" (only threw back one short guy of about 6-7"), 10 bluegill (somehow they shrank in size by the time I got home; I thought they were bigger than that), and 4 nice perch, 10-11" long. I tossed back quite a few smaller 'gills as well.
I had a couple of double hookups, and I had what I think is my first triple hookup, 2 nice crappie and a pickerel and all made it in to the boat!


All cleaned up and ready for packaging for the freezer.