FRUSTRATED!

[shipahoy41]

Welcome from Alabama. Many of us have had days like those you mentioned. The important thing is you made it home safely. You have to get back up on that horse or go and get a new horse (boat and trailer) and go chase your passion for fishing again. Perhaps you might even get a live scope set up. Just go back to fishing and enjoying your day.

Mike

[rojoguio]

Everyone above is correct and gets it. You have to persist but not with the mentality you "have to" catch fish but you want to experience and learn to catch fish. It's very rewarding then, when you do. Other posts I have written about fishing like "your Mad at the crappie" but each year when this time rolls around is when I fix my boats. Gobs of anglers fishing on the water fishing "the crappie season" when in my humble opinion it's the most fickle time of year to chase them. Hot and Cold, but let the spawn end, the fish group up the rest of the year. Winter is my personal favorite time to fish and it just ended. Man you can just Hammer anything in winter and no competition from other anglers. The "Light switch" reference is very accurate in my observations for this time of year. Allow yourself to have a good time, bring equipment to fish for something else if your getting frustrated. When training a Lab to retrieve you always stop when the dog is still pumped up to work, much like Us, we like when the success continues, we can't wait to get back on the water. Make it a "Job" and we find excuses why not to leave the house.
BTW, I only single pole, I never spider rig, troll, push, or any other method of catching crappie. Living for that "Thump", lowering the jig at a controlled presentation rate, the brief pauses before getting all the way down, then "THUMP"! I have gotten to where I just live for that! My father was a crappie guide on Toledo Bend till he passed, I just didn't get it why he was doing it, 20 years after his passing I'm just like him, I get it now. Enjoy the journey, it's better than the end.

[ezgoing]

This has been an unusual year for me as well. The crappie have been awol from all the spots I normally find them each year. And when I say awol, I mean not a single fish on the brush pile or in the creek.

This time last year I was catching over 100 per day and had a few 200 days. I only keep a few crappie each week as I am at the lake most days.
Thanks to my boat slips I have only been skunked one day this year but I have had a lot of less than 10 caught days.

The only thing I know to do is keep searching for them.

[barbouka]

Thanks Pipeliner, that makes me feel a lot better. Love TX; the BBQ, the music, the people.

[barbouka]

I will keep at it. I am very persistent my wife says stubborn. I like my word.

[barbouka]

New boat and trailer, I like how you think.

[ad1974]

Crappie fishing can be really fickle this time of year,for me spring is really a up and down period.Last Saturday me and my oldest son who is 13 years old caught 113 Crappie in 3.5 hours,really hot bite,fish everywhere,and we were on fire.Went out on Thursday this week,fished about all day(7 hours),marked a bunch on the Livescope,and only managed to catch 19 Crappie total.We were on them,dropped a bunch of different baits,but it was just a really tough bite and a bit humbling.It seems for me spring time can just be tough at times and really up and down with all the changing weather and lake conditions,things seem alot better and more consistent when we get more into summer and then the Fall.These tough days are really what motivates me to keep on working/learning at the sport to get better and improve my own techniques because I' m sure there are things I could have done different to improve my catch rate on those tougher days.Keep at it!

[barbouka]

Two new wheels and a bearing job and I am ready to try again. Now it is turning cooler, of course.

[BuckeyeCrappie]

That’s awesome news. You are blessed to have it ready to go. Colder here too but it won’t last forever.

[BigBlue30]

I know a few fellers that can catch fish in mud puddles, in their driveway, or so it would seem. Some are just plain old lucky. I am not lucky when it comes to fishing, and have to work a little harder to appear successful. Afraid so. All my luck was always slanted towards the girls, and no I would not trade with them other fellers for nothing. Maybe you are like me and just have to work a little harder. As the water warms and the ecosphere under your boat transitions, opportunities are bound to arise.

I like trolling for fish because it seems I am being productive even when the fish aren’t coming aboard. Looks like I am catching. Looks like I am serious. I got my speaker system playing music. Got my favorite tennis shoes on and usually an awkwardly over bright shirt of some sort. I like chartreuse even if it does look like I am on a road crew of some sort. Point being you must get out there, hopefully with new tires, and try to look like you got your act together. I have spent months catching four a day, or even one a day. So I take a lot of pictures and experiment and imagine what a stupid little fish might expect me to offer.

You can do this. Anyone that can drag a boat down the highway, completely oblivious to the showers of sparks, the median strips catching on fire, the cars desperately honking while they hang out the window waving at you....... well that makes you special. You can do anything you really want to do. I want to encourage you to get out there and just try to enjoy yourself first and foremost. Just try to have a good time. The fish will come later, they aways do.

We all have our moments, why just last week I put the plug into the live well drain hole and secured it very carefully. Didn’t stop me from getting right back out there yesterday. I saw alligators and birds of prey and caught 16 fish. Yup sure did. So stick around and read some of what was written years ago and found in the search feature.

Richard Gene the Fishing Machine ( YouTube guy ) said that it is OK to make noises while fishing, it is the banging around on the bottom of the boat that scares the fish away. So turn the music up and troll around the lake some.

Best post I've seen in a long time. You posted exactly what I've done over the years. I've got a buddy I've been fishing with since I was 13. For context, I'm 58 now. We couldn't wait until one of us could drive. We finally got there and his dad gave him an old runabout with a Johnson 35 on it. It also had a big hood on the front of it. We didn't have a trolling motor, so we took turns paddling ourselves up and down the bank. We caught alot of fish that way. Either way, we didn't care, we were out there having a blast. We don't have to paddle now but we still talk about that old boat. Thanks again.

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