Thread: A pleasant evening trip, 8-5

Another very nice summer day here today and I figured there was no better way to finish it off than taking a trip to see what might be biting. I launched and was set up a bit after 5pm; air temp a comfortable 79 and the water out over the basin was 76-77 degrees. A bit of wind for the first hour or so but it would go calm about 6 and stay that way for the rest of my trip.
I cast out 3 lines and trolled up the shoreline, just off the weed line. Took about 20 minutes for the first fish, a nice 10" perch. I'd had a few other tentative hits but no other takers so I cast the weed edge for a bit, only landing a few small bluegills. I'd alternate casting and trolling and worked my way a long way down the pond, farther than I usually go with not much to show for my efforts.
Around 7, I decided to turn the bow toward home and see what I could find out over the basin. Turns out not much of anything there either; my catch so far was mighty sparse. I clipped on a Crappie Magnet (a desperation move, trolling with that) and a couple of other lures and eased back over toward the weed edges once again. By now it was about 7:30 and I decided if I didn't get a crappie in the next 10 minutes I was calling it quits.
Well, the crappie gods took pity on me and the rod with the Crappie Magnet bent over with a solid take, best hit all night and the first crappie of the night got scooped into the boat, a nice 10" fish.



I released him and tossed the Magnet back out and just a stroke or 2 later, another hard hit on the same pole and crappie #2 got to breathe some fresh air. An inch shorter at about 9".


I pulled in the other lines and finished out the night just single pole casting that same Crappie Magnet, landing another perch, a couple more small 'gills and a few more crappie including this nice one.



And another one, smaller but hard fighting; he felt bigger than he measured out at.



With night creeping in quickly, I called it a night just after 8 as I was still a far piece out away from the landing. I did take a minute to snap a few sunset pictures, too.


I was blessed to watch it develop as I rowed for shore, a really nice night to be out. Fish or no fish, a good way to end the day.
Totals for my trip would be 2 perch, maybe 8-9 bluegill and perhaps 6-7 crappie.

Nice catch. Thanks for sharing.