Trotlines and Fun Times

Location: Wheeler Lake - Cowford to Courtland - Alabama

Time: Morning
Air Temperature: 63 - 79 degrees during trip
Water Temperature: 74 degrees
Lake Level: 555.85' - 51,566 cfps - Perfect conditions
Weather Conditions: A little choppy & overcast, clearing as day goes.  S-SE winds 4-10 mph.

Doug and Douglas joined me on Friday afternoon to bait and prepare lines.  They had never run full scale lines, so I knew they would have a blast.  These are the lines they helped me hand build over the spring.  

We ran 100 hooks per person, which is allowed by law.  We started by running down towards Courtland and dropping a 100 hook line below the bluffs and across the mouth of a little inlet.  This one was baited 100% chicken gizzards and was in about 24 FOW.  We put the next one N-S between the island and shore in Mallard Creek.  We baited this one with live bait and it was a 50 hook line placed in 9 FOW.  We put the third line (100 hooks) on the flats behind my house and baited it with cut bait and gizzards.  We put the final 50 hook line behind the big island by Cowford landing in 6 FOW and baited it with miscellaneous gizzards, cut bait, and whatever we had left over.  

We were on the water by 7:00 AM on Saturday morning and started with the line at Cowford.  We pick up 5 fish off this line and it was a pretty normal run.  We did pick up one that weighed in at around 20 lbs and took a picture and turned it loose.  

The next line we ran was the one in Mallard Creek.  Our intent was to target flatheads on this line with live bait in shallow water.  We knew we wouldn't catch a lot on this line, but was hoping for something big.  We ended up catching 2-3 channels but nothing giant.  It still was a good run.

The 3rd line we pulled was the one in the flats behind my house.  This one did really well and caught one flathead and mix of channels and blues.  I believe we pulled in around 6-8 fish off this long line.

The final line we pulled was the one towards Courtland below the bluffs.  This one was HOT!.  We caught fish nearly every hook for the first 5-6 hooks and picked up fish throughout the entire length of the line.  Both end of the line were very heavy with fish and kept us hopping for a few minutes.  This line pulled in 20-22 nice fish and was an absolute blast.  It was an awesome way to end the day! 

In total, we ended up with 38 catfish caught.  We had turned the biggest fish loose immediately and then took to deep water for a photo op and to cull what we had kept.  We caught more fish than we needed, so we took photos and turned loose the smallest and largest of what we had.  We kept around 16 fish for the freezer.  Overall, it seemed gizzards did the best, followed by cut bait.  Deep water did the best and fish consistently were on hooks nearest the weights across all lines.  As a learning point, I will probably sink all lines in the middle from now on when running deeper than about 12-14 FOW.

We had an awesome time and I believe Doug and Douglas got a good feel for trotlining.  I think we are all ready to do it again! Our lines were all 100% hand made and I'm proud of everyone that helped us build these this spring as they proved they can produce.  

2020 Crappie Season Finale

Location: Cedar Creek Reservoir - Alabama

Time: 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Air Temperature: 56 degrees AM, high of 83
Water Temperature: 65 - 72 degrees  - Correct for spawn.
Lake Level: 579.98 - In range, but I like it about 1 ft higher.
Weather Conditions:5-10 mph South - Southwest.

Unless something changes, today was likely my last hurrah for 2020 spring crappie, so I went at them hard.

I started my morning by launching at Britton Bridge like I have grown accustomed to.  I hit the small little inlet on the south shore near the boat landing where I've had a little luck lately.  No luck today.  I tried a slow troll into the area and casting a jig towards the shore until I reached the back of the bay.  Once there, I tried minnows under a bobber around the log jams, but barely even a bite.  I then moved on to the bay by the boat house and tried basically the same approach and it wasn't much better.  I pulled 2-3 fish out of a bush in about 3 FOW. (8:45 AM)  About an hour and a half into the day I had one fish in the boat.

My 3rd stop was the submerged bush I've had luck with on the other side of the roadway.  Finally, I found some fish.  My first couple fish were caught with a minnow under a bobber in about 3-4 FOW.  I quickly was catching crappie one after another, but they were very small fish.  I only brought about 3 dozen minnows, and they were wreaking havoc on my minnow count, so I tried something I rarely have had success with.  I took my casting pole with a white grub jig and put a fixed bobber on it about 2 feet deep and cast it into the area I was catching the fish and begin to pop the bobber.  Much to my surprise, this worked like a charm, and I caught several more fish.  I probably caught about 8 crappie out of this bush before it was time to move on.  Only 2-3 were big enough to keep. (9:15-9:45 AM) 

My next stop was the big blown down tree on the south bank upstream of the bridge.  I've caught a bunch of fish out of there this season.  I started off with a minnow under a bobber, but couldn't get much action.  No other technique worked very good here and I only managed 3-4 crappie here with a couple of them decent size keepers.  (10:00 - 10:30 AM)

By this point, it was getting windy and I knew the north shore would be getting increasingly tough to fish, so I headed to a couple spots I want to try before it got bad enough I couldn't fish these areas.  I tried one little feeder creek a bit further up river and pulled out 2-3 more crappie with 1-2 keepers.  Here they were in about 2-3 FOW. (11:00 AM)

Next, I fished the big blown down tree in the deep water bend on the north shore. With the wind now a significant factor, I knew a bobber wasn't a good approach in structure, so I switched to vertical jigging a watermelon and chartreuse tube jig.   I trolled the edges of the structure and used a slow decent approach targeting about 6-8 feet deep in water that was 8-12 feet deep.  This was the ticket! I quickly got in a group of fish and began pulling them out quickly.  The fish here also had some size to them.  I continued this slow vertical jig approach and work the area over twice and caught 12-15 crappie here and put around 8 fish in the boat.  It was tough to keep in position with the wind, but persistence and willingness to change tactics was the key.  (11:30 - 1:00 PM) 

Once that area slowed, I headed up to Lost Creek and fished the east creek bay by that boat ramp and the boat docks on the west bank but had no luck either place.  I wend down to the new spot I found in the standing timber towards the dam on the south shore and picked up one fish and it was a keeper.  The fish were definitely starting to slow.  I moved on towards the dam and fished the beaver dam and some of the blow downs I had luck on in 2016 but couldn't pick up another bite.  

I ran back over to the bush on the other side of Britton Bridge, back to the blow down in the upstream bend, and back to the shallow inlet on the south shore by the boat ramp and all were a bust on the 2nd pass.  The crappie turned off about as fast as they had turned on.

I finished my day having caught 26 crappie with 15 keepers.  I also caught 6 other fish( 1 bass, 3 bluegill (future catfish bait), and 2 yellow bass).  The bite seemed to be the strongest between 9:45 AM and 1:00 PM.  Something about this place has always produced good mid-day bites.  I cleaned the fish and noticed they were split about 50/50 male to female.  Females were still holding eggs, but definitely ready to lay.  I'd say if weather holds, this is probably the last week of good spawn action.  I hasn't been my best year, but it's been solid.  

Time to shift gears to catfish now...

What Vacation Days are Really For...

Location: Cedar Creek Reservoir - Alabama

Time: 7:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Air Temperature: 56 degrees AM, high of 73
Water Temperature: 62 - 66 degrees
Lake Level: 580.47’ - In range, but I like it about 1 ft higher.
Weather Conditions:  3 mph.  Light.  Wind not a factor.

I took off again today to try fishing Cedar Creek.  Its been a very tough season with cooler weather and inconsistent water levels, water temperatures, storms, etc.

I caught  a couple quick ones at the pump house bay and picked up one in the bushes on the other side of Britton Bridge levee.  Very tough, very scattered.  I ran down the lake towards the dam end and fished a couple spots along the way; the beaver dam, the boat docks, etc. with no luck.  I tried the spot in the flooded timber where I caught some last week, but a boat was sitting on the spot.  I spent some time just exploring and enjoying the day.  I pick up a few bass and bluegill along the way - I think 3 of each if I recall. 

I fished my way back towards the ramp and tried the bay by the boat ramp again where they were 1.5 ft deep last week and picked up a few more.  All the fish were very small today and I believe they were all males.  I caught 7 but only ended up keeping 3 crappie.  I enjoyed the day, but fishing was once again terribly slow!

7 Crappie caught, 3 keepers, 6 other fish (not crappie) 

Big Bertha

Location: Browns Ferry - Wheeler Lake - Alabama

Time: 6:00 AM - 7:30 AM
Air Temperature: 51 Degrees
Water Temperature: 

Lake Level: 555.75' Strong current - 156,692 cfps

Weather Conditions: Light winds from NW - 6 mph.  Storm rolling in.  Moderate rain.

Yesterday I tried to fish Browns Ferry, but the wind was just too bad.  I instead putted around in the bay by my house for a little while with minnows under a bobber.  I caught one nice channel cat and one bluegill, but only stayed about an hour and a half.  I turned the catfish loose, but kept the bluegill for potential bait. I went home and reworked my transducer on my depth finder.  I've had trouble holding bottom at any decent speed, but I think I have it fixed now.  I also put a new drag that I made in the boat.

As the day cleared up, I decided to try to put out a 50 hook trotline.  I had a bluegill, some frozen shad, shrimp, and a handful of small bluegill I caught early in the week in a minnow trap.  I headed down past Browns Ferry at 6 PM and dropped the line behind the island where the power line comes across in about 12 FOW. 

I got up this morning and it was already starting to rain.  I knew a storm front was coming in, but the weather forecast it to start a little later than it did.  My goal was to get the line ran and in the boat as quick as I could before weather got really bad. 

I made it out no problems and began pulling the line.  I could see one fish splashing about 6-7 hooks down.  Otherwise, it didn't feel like there was much on the line.  As I got close, I saw the fish was pretty big... but I didn't realize how big!

I pulled this fat lady in and practiced CPR (Catch, Photograph, Release).  She was a hawg! It weighted 40 lbs!  That easily puts this fish in my top 5 of all time and possibly the top 2 or 3.  I pulled in one more channel cat down the line and found an empty hook were I had lost one.  Not a day full of lots of fish, but Bertha made the trip totally worth it!

Big Bertha!! 40 lbs.

Hitting the water to put out the lines.  My community boat ramp.

50 Hook line boxed and baited.  Ready to roll.

A new line drag I built.

Did some work on my transducer earlier today - Holding bottom now at 35 mph FULL SPEED!!

Where There's a Will, There's A Wind...

Location: Cedar Creek Reservoir - Alabama

Time: 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Air Temperature: 44 degrees AM, high of 74
Water Temperature: 59 - 64 degrees
Lake Level: 581.35’ - Right like I like it.
Weather Conditions:  12-22 mph.  VERY windy.  Wind variable.  Very cold windchill and very tough conditions

I took a vacation day again today to give it a go for crappie.  This was the warmest day we've had all week and it wasn't raining, but the wind was TERRIBLE. 

Fishing started out very tough.  I did manage to catch a couple out of the log jam in the bay by the pump house, but not many.  The blow down on the other side of the bridge levee didn't produce, nor did the big blow down up in the curve of the river upstream.  I ran all the way to the dam and fished my holes up there, but nothing produced either.  I was having a terrible time in the wind and really the only thing I could think of to get out of the wind was to try the south shore.  I haven't hardly explored the south shore at all.

I mapped out a spot that looked good and headed to a large forked bay on the south side.  It was covered in standing timber about 12 feet deep.  I trolled to the back of the bay and spotted a shallow blow down on the bank among the timber.  Finally, some mild success.  I quickly pulled three out of the tree in about 2-4 feet of water.  I picked up a couple bass along the way, but no more crappie.  I took the time to explore a bit and found a giant osprey nest. 

I headed back towards the boat ramp and thought I'd try the pump house bay again, but had no luck.  Just as I was about to leave, I decided to try one more very small inlet on the south shore right by the boat ramp.  Much to my surprise, I quickly caught 3 more from a submerged stump in about 1.5 - 2 ft of water.  Very shallow!  This got me to thinking I may have been fishing too deep, so I ran back under the bridge and tried a couple other spots on the south shore, but no luck. 

In total, I believe I caught 8 crappie (6 keepers), 3-4 Large mouth and a yellow bass.  Minnows under a slip bobber outperformed jigs today.  Fish were very scattered and the wind made fishing very tough, but it was still a good day.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat.

Location: Cedar Creek Reservoir - Alabama

Time: 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Air Temperature: 44 degrees AM, high of 70
Water Temperature: 65 - 67 degrees
Lake Level: 580.69’ - 6-8 inches lower that I like, but not bad.
Weather Conditions:  6 mph North, North-West. Much more manageable than yesterday.

Today was really a repeat of yesterday.  Same tactics, same locations.  Only difference is the air temp is about 10 degrees warmer and the wind isn't a factor.

The bay by the pump house was a bust entirely.  I quickly moved over the the bushes by the levee and pick up 2-3.  I then moved over to the blown down tree top I've been having good luck with and pulled out another 4-5. I then moved upstream to the new blow down I found in the channel bend over deep water and picked up another 3-4.  I then ran up to Lost Creek to the boat houses but that was a bust today too.  I ran quickly back over all my spots again after lunch, but the bite had turned off.  Much like yesterday, fish were scattered and driven deeper.  Ended up catching 12 crappie and 7 were big enough to keep.  Also caught 3 largemouth and yellow bass.  Females were again deeper than males, but of the couple females I cleaned, one had eggs ready to lay.  This is the first one I've seen that has been ready to spawn.

Crappie hit about equally well on minnows under a bobber and vertical jigging a red and chartreuse tube jig.  3-8 FOW.  Going to give it a few days break since another storm front is moving through tomorrow and bring in several days of cold weather.  I will plan on trying again on Friday.

Cold Front Crappie

Location: Cedar Creek Reservoir - Alabama

Time: 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Air Temperature: 44 degrees AM, high of 60
Water Temperature: 66 - 68 degrees
Lake Level: 580.93’ - 6-8 inches lower that I like, but not bad.
Weather Conditions: Terribly windy.  12 mph North, North-West. Gusts of 20 mph.  Very cold wind chill effect.

A storm moved through on Thursday morning and brought a serious cold front with it that settled over us Thursday night.  This made for a chilly start of the morning with an air temp of 44 degrees and a wind chill of about 39 degrees.  The north wind was very cold and made fishing some of my favorite spots too rough to stay in place and be able to fish bobbers or vertical jig.

I tried my typical spots, but the pump house bay didn't produce at all and the bushes by the levee only had a few stray fish in there.  I couldn't stay in place over my tree top where I had good luck on Monday and struggled to pull a couple crappie out of it.

I knew if I were to have any luck at all, I needed to focus on the north banks where I was protected from the wind.  I also decided to explore some of the far east portions of the lake that I had never visited before.

I found a nice bay around the bend and set up with my bobber and minnow setup and picked up a couple decent largemouth and a single crappie.  Then I found a very large deep water blow down tree top in the bend a little further upstream.  Here jigging worked better with my red and chartreuse tube jig.  I pulled 3-4 out of this area.

I repeated all my spots and only picked up a stray crappie or two along the way before deciding to go up to Lost Creek and try some spots I had good luck with in 2018.  No luck at all in the small inlets on the east side of Lost Creek bay, so I rode over to the boat docks on the west side.  The boat dock owners had sank several Christmas trees around the boat docks and I managed to pull 2-3 out of here.  I then went back and repeated all my morning locations with no more luck.

In summary, the cold front seems to have scattered the fish and driven the females deeper.  I caught 13 total with 8 large enough to keep, but these fish were hard to come by and definitely very scattered.  Hoping to try again tomorrow morning and see if conditions stabilize and I can do a little better.  It is supposed to be slightly better conditions.