Apparently, timing is everything

So last night after work, I decide to go over to my 2nd choice water and see what's biting. I chose this water because it has a ramp and I can load up and be on my way home in the dark in less than 10 minutes. I got on the water a bit after 6 pm. Fishing was slower than I expected, with perhaps 5-6 'gills boated in the first hour. The bite turned on nicely around 7:30 and I stayed until 9. I finally caught some crappie, almost like I knew what I was supposed to be doing. After the sun went down and the shadows began to really deepen, the fishing really got going. Boated lots more 'gills, a rainbow and a brook trout (state stocks this lake), yellow perch and best of all, 15+ crappie of various sizes. Biggest running around 11". A green body/white tail 2" Southern Pro crappie stinger accounted for all of them after 7:30, while a white Trout Magnet was what the sunnie's were interested in at first.
It sure felt good to feel that thump on the fall of the Stinger; I was fishing a 1/32 oz. head, had no wind at all, could see the hit on the line as well as feel it. Dang, it felt good! I didn't keep any as I don't like staying up late cleaning fish. I was kinda surprised to land the trout again on these jigs but hey, it works for me!

I've had a frustrating last few trips and it sure felt nice to be smiling while on the water again.
The low light must be the reason! Guess I'll have to get up early if I want to keep some, too.

Fish ON:fish

Funny how that grin creeps up on your face when your reelin' in a fish.

Don't be suprised by the trout on the jigs. If you tie flys or know somebody who does, get a couple in standard streamer patterns like muddler minnow or grey ghost tied up on light jig heads, and you can be in for some exceptional trout fishing. They're particularly good when the water warms and the trout head for the bottom or the deep runs. Try two in tandem, with the trailer being about 8 inches behind the first...

Thanks for the tip. The trout put a surprisingly good fight, both were around 12", basic stockers. These days, I find I don't particularly enjoy them on the plate (too many small bones compared to pan fish fillets) so don't try too hard to entice them. There is a fella I chatted with there last year who simply trolls for trout each time he fishes this pond. Doesn't care about other species; he's a trout guy. Choices are what makes the world go round, I guess. Would those same patterns and/or tactics be of interest to the panfish like crappie or bluegill? I've never thought much about the difference.

I've had good luck with the crappie and sunny population in my neck of the woods with them, but I have to say, not any more luck than with a little, chennile and maribou, or bucktails. The panfish don't seem to be as impressed with the somewhat more "realistic" look of the trout patterns, although the trout certainly are. I've always found tied jigs to do better for me even on panfish than the twisters, curly tails, and other cast plastic, even though some of the plastics are exceedingly realistic. Is that a local phenomenon? Do I fish them with more confidence or handle them differently? does the material allow them to move a little differently? Who knows. You know how it goes with artificial baits.....Throw what you believe in, and you always do better.

I concur about eating the trout as well. Unfortunately, stocked fish have generally been fed for their entire lives on a diet of pellets designed to give them health and the quickest growth to get them ready for slaughter. Just like us, 'they are what they eat.' Now put a brown,brookie, or rainbow on my plate that was born in a cold little brook and been eating nothing but insects for 2 years, and has that beautiful pink flesh from the chitin in the insects, and I'll fight you for 'em, bones or no bones! On the other hand, big old browns that have been sucking down minnows and other smaller trout for a living don't do a thing for me. Just great fun to catch.

I made another trip back to this water tonight. I checked the weather map (we've had hot, humid weather here for the last 3 days, with heavy thunderstorms in the late afternoon) to see if any storms were forming, flipped a mental coin and loaded up. We had clouds pretty much all day with a few sprinkles this afternoon and I had a hunch that the calico's would be active. I chose wisely! Within 5 minutes of getting rigged up and tossing out 2 lines and starting a slow troll it was fish on. One pole had the same green/white Stinger and the other a black shad Slab Slayer. Stinger had the honor of the first fish. Continued the trolling, with frequent pauses to jig when the HB showed some fish below but the trolling was the key tonight. All told, I hooked and released over a dozen nice ones in 2 hours of fishing. Stinger accounted for 3/4 of the fish. I would have stayed longer but I blew a brake line on the truck backing down the ramp and wanted to get home before dark. Oddly, as the storm clouds broke and the sun started to shine through, the bite slowed dramatically. However, as I got closer to the landing and back in to the shade of the hill, I had 2 more hits on the slow troll; one I missed the other spit the hook.

12", best of the day (had a couple actually):


http://i43.tinypic.com/2v8hh7m.jpg


I'm gaining experience, bit by bit with each trip. After the good bite in somewhat subdued lighting last week, I just knew they'd be hitting tonight.