Just Fishin

Went with Phil today, a good friend that while he loves the outdoors and fishing, doesn't have much experience fishing like I do. 0600 he pulled up and off we went, just to get some time on the water. Hoping for some crappie but anything that would stretch the line would make us happy. We weren't disappointed. Jig and cork, dippin and pitching the old school Beetle Spin. I left that last part to Phil and he found out just how well they can work catching a bunch of well above average 'Gills of different varieties. Throwing a 2lb rig they were a bunch of fun, and he commented on the power in the fight for such a small fish. We dipped some weeds that had gathered on a post early in the day and that put a smile on both of our faces. I think we caught at least 6 fish in less than that many minutes. At another spot I pitched a slip float into a tree and almost immediately it was gone, and it had a #4 hook so I figured it was a Crappie. I was wrong. A 7' light rod and 4lb line had a tough time getting anything done with this fish. I told Phil it might be a good Crappie, then it thrashed on the surface and pulled some drag and got up on top of some grass that was right next to where it hit, still rolling and thrashing and neither of us could believe what it was. That fish was the biggest Coppernose Bluegill that I have seen in many years, absolutely huge. Just as we started getting excited the jig came free and it was gone. Phil was just a spectator and he was as disappointed as I was. Extra Large! Phil got another Red breasted Sunfish with a big tab on his gill plate that was fillet size. We would have had a very good meal had we kept fish, but we were just Fishin and enjoying the sounds and sights of the river and each others company. Everything got a pass, over 30 fish, and we got short visits from a Kingfisher, Manatee, and a Gator that was close over 10 feet long and very upset that we interrupted his sunning. Weather was nice, even before sunrise, but the only down side was that the gnats were out and made me glad I had long pants on. Off the water at 1200, we both went our different ways with lots of the day left. Hope you get out some soon, and thanks for the visit. Til next time......Skeet

Sounds like you had some exciting moments,except for da bugs!

sounds like a super fun trip , and sometimes they get away ,but that's half the fun of it ...nice read

Sounds like you all had a great morning on the water. Bugs can make a great day miserable, been there and not fun. Great read. Thank you for sharin' with us...

Great Trip!

It is just a fact....the big ones do get away. But sounds like a great trip.

Regards


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Thanks for sharing enjoy your posts.

I have to recant a statement I made in this post. I said that was a giant of a bluegill that I caught and lost. Went yesterday to a similar place and had an identical experience with the same rod. The fish that I also lost this time looked exactly the same as the one I lost last week, but this time I got a much better and up close look. It was a large male Crappie, well over a pound and black as I have ever seen one. I guess the tannic water and him being dressed for the dance is something that I hadn't seen before. Really, really dark. He sucked up my slip cork rig and headed for cover, and I couldn't get the net out fast enough. Genuine stud. Looked for his cousins and they weren't home, but there's always next time.

Great post! Thank you for sharing!!

Great story, thanks.