Time: 7:45 AM - 4:00 PM Air Temperature: 54 - 88 degrees during trip Water Temperature: 75 Degrees Lake Level: 579.81 Weather Conditions: Mostly Sunny. Winds North 0-7 mph
I decided on a whim today to head over to Cedar Creek and crappie fish. Why is this a whim, you ask? Well, I typically hang up my crappie rods (quite literally, I have a very nice rod rack) from May until late November. I usually chase catfish during summer and fall months. However, I had a hunch I might could catch some crappie on submerged brush and there was a taste of fall in the air, so I gave it a go.
And limited out!
I concentrated entirely on the east side of Britton Bridge and mostly around the bay where the powerlines cross. All caught on white and chartreuse tipped with a tuffie or a slip bobber with a tuffie in 12-14 FOW. Caught 49 total and took my 30 fish limit home.
It was an all-around perfect day. Think I will try it again very soon!
Wheeler Lake - Mouth of the Elk and near Lucy's Branch
Time: Morning Run Air Temperature: 75 - 81F during trip Water Temperature: Lake Level: 555.64
Weather Conditions: Nice, clear. Winds calm.
After spending about 2 years talking about it, I finally hooked up with Kevin to show him how I run big water trotlines.
YOUTUBE VIDEOS OF THE TRIP HERE:
I set out lines on Thursday afternoon and launched from Cowford and intended to run all the way down to the Elk river. It is about a 30 minute boat ride, but I wanted to enjoy my time on the water and the weather was great. I had two lines boxed and anchors placed in the front of the boat.
WARNING - GRAPHIC INJURY DESCRIPTION!!
I'm writing this after the fact, but I had the worst fishing related injury/close call that I've ever had while heading to put out these lines. Shortly after I launched from Cowford, I had gotten the boat up on plane running about 30 MPH when one of my anchor lines and marker floats came unwound. The pool noodle float flew up into the air like a kite on a string. I was somewhat annoyed and never slowed down, but instead attempted to grab the line with my left hand and reel the line back in. Suddenly, the float hit the water behind my motor wake as I grabbed the line and it was pulled underwater. The line became tight and started smoking through my closed hand. I felt the pain immediately, but couldn't get my hand off the line quick enough. I managed to pry my hand open just in time as the float ran out of line and pulled a 25+ lb steel I-beam anchor out of the front of my boat as sailed it right by my face until it crashed into the water. It all happed in just a split second, but it seemed to drag out forever. I slowed the throttle and realized I just had an extremely close call. The pool noodle marker float was in shreds behind the boat and the trotline anchor was gone for good.
I realized I hurt my hand pretty badly. I I took a look at it, it was bad. I has sustained severe rope burns on all five fingers and the palm of my hand. The line had burned away about 1/4" of flesh from my fingers and had cauterized them. It never bled a drop even given the severity. I was trying to figure out if I needed to go to the ER or exactly how bad it was. I was close to my neighborhood boat dock, so I decided it was best to pull in and walk to the house to check out the damage a little closer.
There really wasn't any think left to sew up and all a Dr. would could do is numb it, pack it, and wrap it. I decided I could do as much. I sprayed it down with Dermoplast, packed it with triple antibiotic ointment, wrapped it in gauze and tape, and put on a thick latex glove. That would have to do.
The pain was steady, but manageable. My hard-headed, stubborn ass decided that putting out the lines wasn't too bad and I had help the next day to pull them in, so I carried another anchor and float down to the dock and hit the water to fish. Gotta be tough to be dumb...
The culprit that made me cuss and left me with some new scars...
NOW BACK TO THE FISHING!!
I decided to put one line out on the west side of Lucy's Branch and the other in my favorite spot on the south shore across from the mouth of the Elk. This is the first time I put lines out since installing the programmable trolling motor and MAN, what a difference it makes in ease of deployment!!
I baited alternating hooks with cut bait and my Kool-aide and garlic soaked chicken gizzards. We returned at daylight to pull lines and it was a hit!! I won't spend a ton of time writing detail about the pull, but please check out the YouTube videos of the day above.
On the first line, we caught 41 cats which I believe is my best haul ever on a single line. This was the line across from the Elk. We caught 20-something on the second line, which is more typical.
We ended up catching 60-something and kept 58, I believe. We had both livewells absolutely running over with catfish. Kevin came to the house and we cleaned fish for hours over a few cold ones. I believe we ended up with 50-something lbs of dressed fillets. What a haul!!
Time: 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM Air Temperature: 43 - 46 during trip Water Temperature: Lake Level: 555.04
Weather Conditions: Raining, cool. Winds E 7 MPH.
I went out today to try to repeat my catfish catch from two days prior and did just that, except fish were a slightly smaller. Weather was crumby, but fishing was great.
I fished the same place with the same tactics (livescope, spotlock, live jumbo shiners suspended) and got the same result. Another excellent day. Biggest fish were 20 and 21 lbs. I caught about 7 nice cats and a couple drum. I was using leftover shiners from last trip and ended up running out around lunch. Just for giggles, I tied on a white 6" saltwater swimbait to see what would happen... And caught a nice cat 😂!
I set out once again today to see if the striped bass had moved in and they had not... But the beautiful think about striped bass gear and setup is it will also catch cats just the same.
I fished the nuclear plant along the pipeline using my livescope to find the fish and the spotlock to set up over them. No striped bass, but the big cats were loving the jumbo shiners as live bait. I quickly caught one cat weighing about pounds and then afterwards, it was GAME ON!!
My next fish was 30 lbs and the next two weighed 25 lbs each. With 4 fish in the boat, I was at nearly 90 lbs. I was the only boat on the water until a catfish guide came and parked about 30 yards away. They never caught a fish, but was about to get a good show.
The next fish was HUGE. I had a big fish hit me hard and I immediately knew it was over 40 lbs. I couldn't gain any line on it and it keep spooling drag so hard the bolts in my reel were getting loose. I don't know how long the fight was, but probably 10-15 minutes before I got the fish to surface. I keep a big net, but this fish was going to be a struggle to net. I managed to get it in the net, but the webbing was snapping like crazy around the net ring as I lifted it in. BOOM - 57# fish in the boat! This is my 2nd largest ever caught on rod and reel.
I managed two more decent fish to end the day with 7 total weighing somewhere just over 150 lbs total. I'd never had a day where I caught this many large fish consistently. Pulled in about 4 drum today as well. What a day!!
Time: 6:30 AM - 11:00 AM Air Temperature: 66 - 84 degrees during trip Water Temperature: 87 Degrees Lake Level: 555.77
Weather Conditions: Mostly sunny and clear. Winds SSW- 7-9 MPH.
I'd like to start out by giving a shout out to Five Star Marine in Port Richey, FL. I've been having progressing issues with my power trim unit for the past couple years. After researching it, I found a new unit to be about $1,200. I was watching a YouTube video on how to remove the trim on my boat and the video mentioned sending their unit off to Five Star for repair. After doing some research, it was a no brainer. I shipped my unit off and 10 days later received it back in the mail. They charge a flat rate, depending on the model, for refurbishing plus whatever parts incurred during the refurb. In the end. I was $635 in including shipping and have a unit that is as good as new with a 2 year warranty. They are excellent if you are in the market for a trim repair.
I headed over to the nuclear plant today for some catfish. I launched right at daylight and noticed some threadfin popping the water at the the boat ramp (Cowford). I decided to throw a net a few times and see what I could catch. l was able to catch a few small shad around the ramp and a few more plus a couple small bluegill under the powerlines. I brought frozen skipjack and some chicken gizzards too, but fresh bait is always good to have.
Once I got set up, I noticed someone has placed several marker buoys around the pipeline marking the drop off. I have mixed feelings about this, but it definitely makes sighting the pipeline area easier.
As normal, I dropped down below the pipeline and immediately begin getting hits. I noticed chicken gizzards we're performing very well. I tried the live threadfin, but they too weren't doing fantastic. Nothing today seemed to beat the cut skipjack.
I putted around the area until about 11:00 and managed 18 blues. Most were around 6 lbs on the average, but I caught a couple bigger. It was an excellent morning and my trim performed perfect.
Time: 6:30 AM - 9:30 AM Air Temperature: 78 - 87 degrees during trip Water Temperature: Lake Level: 555.72
Weather Conditions: Mostly sunny and clear. Winds SE- 5-8 MPH.
Slipped back out there this morning for a repeat of what I did last week. Same place, same bait, same results. Caught 17 in 3 hours this morning on chicken gizzards soaked in Kool-aid and cut shad over at the Nuclear Plant. They've settled into a consistent summer pattern now.
Time: 7:00 AM - 11:00 AM Air Temperature: 66 - 82 degrees during trip Water Temperature: Lake Level: 555.76
Weather Conditions: Mostly sunny and clear. Winds N-NE- 5-9 MPH.
Well, it finally happened... After two plus years, I finally caught the Rona. Figured it i was going to sit around, I might as well do it atop a swivel seat! I can't say I felt 100%, but didn't feel bad enough to sit out a fishing trip.
I headed out by my house to the Nuclear Plant this morning. Fished with chicken gizzards soaked in Kool-aid and cut skipjack from the freezer. Bounced bottom along the pipeline.
It got hot and I figured I needed to rest some, so I left at 11:00 AM. Caught 21 cats this morning.
Time: 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM Air Temperature: 81 - 95 degrees during trip Water Temperature: 83 degrees Lake Level: 580.74 Weather Conditions: Sunny - Hot. Winds SSE 5-11 mph.
Last fall at a wedding, Lance and I talked about getting together to fish one day this year. He came down with the family and after a short discussion, we decided to try something I've never done - Summer Time Crappie.
I must admit, I'm a crappie idealist. I fish when they are very patternable and predictable. That's what makes the winter and spring bite so attractive. I usually catfish all summer long, but crappie have to eat and they can be caught all year long if you know how they behave, where to look, and how to fish them. I'm definitely not a summer crappie expert, but I was up for the challenge.
It's a long drive out to Cedar Creek, so we didn't get on the water until close to 8:30 AM. Out of simple curiosity, I started out in a couple shallow spots I normally fish during the spawn. I didn't expect to get bites, but crappie follow the bait fish and bait fish relate to structure and will go shallow. However, no bites, as expected.
Pretty quickly, we defaulted back to classic summer approach: Finding fish over submerged structure just off of drop off areas and underwater features. We set up in 12-14 FOW over some marked structure and turned the LiveScope on. There were crappie hanging on there like ornaments on a tree. We went after them with a single pole, single jig approach vertical fishing. They were particularly suspended in about 8 FOW in and above the structure. The fish immediately showed interest, but were very finicky to approach and slow to commit to the bite. However, with a slow presentation and a little patience, we hooked up on the fish. They didn't seem to favor any one color over another. They were picky in general, but I'd say we caught a fair even amount on white/chartreuse, orange/black, red/chartreuse, and minnow tipped and untipped.
We fished about 4 marked areas and put about 10 keepers in the boat by lunch. We lost 2-3 top water trying to hoss them into the boat instead of using the net... I knew better, but laziness gets the best of me from time to time 😆.
After lunch, we headed to the far side of the lake to fish some other marked structure, but when we got there, the wind had picked up and shifted in a manner that made vertical jigging next to impossible. We couldn't hold structure or catch any fish, but the water was super clear and we did identify a lot of sunken tree stumps and structure that we marked for next spring's use.
We headed back to re-fish our morning spots, but the heat was brutal and the fish had slowed tremendously in the heat of the day. We pulled about 3 more keepers out and called it a day at 2:30.
We ended up catching 2 channel cats on jigs too. We finished the day with 13 keeper crappie and 2 catfish. Should have had 15-16 keepers had we been using the net.
Although we didn't bring home big numbers, I absolutely would call today a success. I'd never fished crappie in 95 degree heat and 83 degree water, but we found fish and put fish in the boat and learned a lot in the process. Lance and I had a great time fishing and catching up. Hot day, but absolutely worth the effort. Looking forward to doing it again next spring and I'll definitely be more open to summer crappie in the future.
Time: 4:30 PM - 9:40 PM Air Temperature: 85 - 73 degrees during trip Water Temperature: Lake Level: 555.58
Weather Conditions: Mostly sunny and clear. Winds SSE- 5-10 MPH.
After taking about a month off, I finally got back on the water today for some Memorial Day weekend catfish. I had to replace the trailer boards today, so while I had the boat off the trailer and in the water, I headed over to the nuclear plant for an evening/night catfishing session.
I started tied up to one of the four metal corner posts and was casting slip egg sinkers on the bottom and also floating a couple of slip bobbers at adjustable depths too. I was using a mix of chicken gizzards and cut skipjack. I got a quick fish on the bobber and had a monster throw the hook and slime my line on a giant skipjack head, but the wind was tough and I moved over to the green side tower and tied up and repeated my same spread. I picked up fish more quickly here. I caught one more on the bobber rig and here gizzards seemed to be the best bet. I was catching smaller fish on the gizzards, but they were more frequent.
I used the tie-off method today mainly because of all the wind, waves, and recreational traffic. I would have normally bumped bottom.
I stayed well after dark, but the fish actually slowed down tremendously when the sun went down. Still had a great trip and ended up with 8 or 9 cats. I've missed this evening bite and need to do it more often.
Time: 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM Air Temperature: 63 - 80 degrees during trip Water Temperature: 68 degrees Lake Level: 580.24 Weather Conditions: Mostly sunny, perfect. Winds S 7-15 mph. Manageable.
I started out today thinking this could be my final spring crappie fishing trip and I can report it will be. I'll be going out on a high note!
After blanking out and producing a big goose egg on my first two stops of the morning (old boat dock bay near Britton Bride landing and the creek under the bridge on the next southern bay), I had my doubts to the morning. I had put in a solid hour with zero bites.
I moved to the willow tree on the east side of the Britton Bridge levee at 9:00 and immediately began pulling in SLABS! I was amazed at how many fish this tree was holding. I think I probably caught 12-15 out of it back to back in my first pass. I fished the little bay behind it and then moved on along the southern shores fishing typical spots and caught fish everywhere. I also had particularly good luck in the 2nd southern bay past the levee. I don't fish this one often, but the same fallen log where my Dad and Ronnie had good luck produced well again today.
I fished the other southern shore areas that had produced well this year and caught steady fish in every one. After lunch, I went back up to the willow tree and started over and consistently pulled fish out of the levee area again.
At 2:00, I caught my limit. Technically, I didn't want to stop, so I threw the smallest crappie from my livewell back and caught one more to replace it. I think this is my first time every culling crappie! The fishing was so good today, once I started catching, I averaged a keeper every 10 minutes for 5 straight hours. I ended the day by catching 31 big enough to measure and kept 30 of them for my limit.
Today's fish were BIG. I caught 4 fish over 14 inches weighing in at up to 1.5 pounds.
I had a fantastic spring crappie fishing and was happy to have gotten to share it with all my guests. A big thanks to my Dad Ronny Watkins, Ronnie Pierce, Doug and Douglas Ainsworth, Kyle Macomber, James Harris, and Cameron McDonald for all making time to spend a day fishing with me this spring. You guys truly made it more enjoyable and we will catch up again next season.
