Nice post
Well here goes my 2nd. post. I consider this info. to be priceless, as it was passed down to me by an old man in Lake Griffin Fl. in 1975.
I live for the challenge of finding and catching, but more than that to understand WHY ARE THEY THERE. I had been fishing the area for several days with not much to show for it I kept seeing this man unloading cooler after cooler of huge crackers n gills. After 3 days of this I could not stand it any longer and introduced myself. We talked for about an hr. and turns out he was born on the river and he was selling the fish to supplement his social security. I ask him if he would consider teaching me his art if I would help supplement his s/s. The next a.m. he showed up at dawn along with his arsenal, 1 cane pole 16', a mason jar for hooks, 1 sm. spool of 15lb. cheap mono, OLD 15qt.styrofoam cooler and a long handled fine mesh net and says to me, "you b ready"? So off we go !
We went to the area I had been working for the last 3 days and he turns to me and says," cut dat big motor off and puts yo electric one on". It was slick calm perfect conditions as it turned out for what we were about to do.He steps up on the deck and tells me run the trolling motor. He says you smell um, it smelled like dead fish.I know, you guys just THINK YOU KNOW WHERE I'M GOING WITH THIS ---W R O N G !!!
He says u got that part and i say yes lets fish. He just smiles and says we just getting started troll over near the shoreline. He says see the eel grass and with a couple of swipes with the net we had all of the grass shrimp we would need.Now troll back over to where we just smelled um. NOW YOU GUYS LISTEN TO THIS. He says you see those bubbles and i point to a set of bubbles he says no those are catfish bubbles. He points out a small set,it looked as if you had shook a coke up and held it under the water and barely let the gas escape little tiny bubble he called beading. He says the female roe cavity has air inside it, makes sense. I say lets fish he says not yet you b wanting to learn don't you? He says see that lil shell that just pop up and i did see it but why a shell. He says fl. was once covered with the sea and when those males are working their tails fanning muck they finally get to the shell bottom and it knocks those TINY shells loose and they are so small they will float to the top.I say great lets fish, he says well you know what he said. Now he says, see that oil slick and i could not see it then he shows it to me. It looked like you took a can of 3 in machine oil and held it under the surface and squeezed it 1 time. Guess what it looked like on the surface you got it, a small slick about half the size of his mason jar lid. Why i say, cause her roe b oily and where do oil go when released under water. I say lets fish, he smiles ands says hand me my pole. This pole is 16' and he has a 3' piece of line tied with a 2/0 short shank stainless hook (that's his sinker ) then he slips 3 or 4 shrimp onto the hook (shrimp also serves as weight) TOTAL NATURAL PRESENTATION !! He drops the bait straight down where ever he sees a bead,oil slick,or shell. Next time you guys come to Fl.give it a try i promise you it works. By the way water depth in that spawning area was approx.3 ft.
chaunc, litewirehooker, Dollfly, Tn Johnboy, shipahoy41, BigDawgg, fishin813, sniperei, Tom 513, Scoot and 2 others LIKED above post
Nice post
Interesting read.... Thanks for sharing with us.
I've learned alot from local folks like this. Most are willing to share their tips with you.
Wishing you Blue Skies and Tight Lines
That "fishy smell" is a curious thing for me. Back when I was in the 5th grade (40+ years ago), i caught of couple of huge brim (I think one was a bluegill, the other a shellcracker, but back then, we called them all 'brim.') in an undercut bank along an old canal. You could smell them. But we couldn't catch any. They were extremely wary fish. Finally, I tied about 2-3' of line (hook and worm) to a shrub branch, dropped it in the hole, and backed off. It didn't take long for one to take the bait. I ran all the way home with that fish (1 lb 4 oz.) then immediately returned to fishing hole, with every neighborhood kid around. While showing them how to set the rig, I dropped it in the water, and saw a slight twitch. I jerked and out came another big brim, 1 lb 12 oz. Both fish were weighed (at Dixie Sporting Goods in Petersburg, if anybody remembers that store) and I even got a hand written "Bream" citation from Va DGIF. Funny, how the memory of that fishy smell is still as fresh as ever. Can't say I've ever had that kind of success again, but it still gets me excited.
reeltrick, chaunc, NYHellbender, shipahoy41, BigDawgg, chrispy, tmosley38, Scoot, crappielimits LIKED above post
Nice read thanks for the info.
Lots of good info in them lines friend. thank you.
thanks for the good memorey read and info, Dave
Enjoyed your post. Half expected to feel a tug on my leg at the end. ha I've heard how good grass shrimp were but will make a note about the bubbles, oil slick, and smell. Don't know if it works like that in Kentucky but I'm guessing it does, maybe not as strong a scent.
Welcome from Alabama. Great information in your post. Thanks for sharing.
Aquatic Species Removal Engineer.
May God be with you. Keep CALM and STAY ANCHORED with your faith.
welcome from the panhandle area of Florida. Really enjoyed the post.