Kicking Off 2020 Spring Crappie Season

Location: Cedar Creek Reservoir - Alabama

Time: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Air Temperature: 70 degrees AM - 82 degrees afternoon
Water Temperature: 68 - 72 degrees
Lake Level: 582.12' - Very high for conditions and muddy.
Weather Conditions: Moderate Winds from South,SW 10-16 MPH . Sunny to overcast.

Today was my first day on the water for spring crappie.  I figured it may be a bit early but the 80+ degree weather this week had me itching to give it a try.  I launched at Britton Bridge and fished log jams, tree tops, cyprus trees, and bushes all in about 3ft to 8ft of water.  My main goal today was to see if the fish had moved into the bushes. 

I picked up a good mixed bag today with 1 white bass, 7 yellow bass, 6 largemouth bass, and 6 crappie.  Only 3 of the crappie were big enough to keep. All fish were caught on minnows under a bobber. My first crappie of the season was a beautiful black nose.

It seems all but one of the crappie were males and were just beginning to move up in the shallows.  I think we are a week plus before the shallow fishing gets good.  The surprise of the day was finding the live cyprus trees in 3-5ft of water and finding fish holding to them on the north bank east of Britton bridge.  I will definitely be back to this area.

I cleaned the 3 keeper crappie and we ate them for dinner.  Sure was nice to enjoy fresh fish again!

Lazy Jugs...

Location: Wheeler Lake
Time: 11:00 AM - 3 PM

I've been gearing up for spring fishing season.  I took all my crappie rods apart and lubed them and soaked the spools in hot water to release line memory.  I needed to retie all the lines and figured I might as well launch the boat at the house and float some jugs while I drifted along tying rods.

I didn't catch but one catfish, but sure did enjoy floating around and I did get all my crappie rods tied and ready to go.

My favorite fishing buddy!

March 19, 2020

My favorite fishing buddy! 

BUILDING NEW TROTLINES FROM SCRATCH!

March 1st - 15th, 2020

BUILDING NEW TROTLINES FROM SCRATCH!

Some time around 1978, my dad, Ronny Watkins, picked up a Memphis Net & Twine catalog, ordered supplies, and built a set of trotlines with a couple of friends. I have great memories from when I was a kid running those same lines. This month, Doug, Douglas, Daniel, and my Dad helped me assemble four new lines that I too ordered supplies from Memphis Net & Twine. We had a great time assembling these and truly respect this as a lost art. My boy even got in on the action! Looking forward to many years and memories with these new lines.

If you are in the market for supplies, check out Memphis Net & Twine.

Below is a list of supplies and techniques we used.  This was enough material for 4 new lines (two 50 hook lines and two 100 hook lines):

• 12 Spools of TWB-60 Braided Nylon Twine Size 60
• 1 Spool of TWB-12 Braided Nylon Twine Size 12
• 2 CSW - 6/0 Champion Swivels, 12 count per bag (24 total purchased)
• 4 CSW - 1/0 Champion Swivels, 100 count per bag (400 total purchased)
• 7 - L198 - 5/0 Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp Big Eye offset trotline hooks, 50 count per box (350 total purchased)
• 34 SB5 PVC Sponge Floats 3-1/2" Dia x 1-1/2 thick.
• Custom made dog tags for line identifications (Amazon)
• 5 jump boxes - 16" x 16" x 5-1/2" deep.  Constructed from poplar 1 x 6 board for sides and 1/4" maple plywood for bottoms.  Stained and triple coated with clear coat.   

6/0 swivels used for each free end and for joining ends together when splicing main line.  1/0 swivels used for hook float and hook stagings.  Size 60 twine used for main line. Size 12 twine used for float and hook stagings.  Floats at the beginning and end of the line and after every 10 hooks.  Hook stagings cut to 20" to give approximately 10" of drop when tied.  Float stagings cut to 56" to give about 24" of height when tied. Approximately 20 feet of free line on each end.  Hooks staged about 8-9 feet apart.  100 hook lines end up being about 950 feet long and 50 hook lines end up being about 500 feet long

Location: 2nd Creek, Wheeler Lake

Time: 7:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Air Temperature:
Water Temperature: 
Lake Level: 
Weather Conditions:

Didn’t take very good notes today. Started out my day fishing underneath the bridge for crappie with minnows and jigs but didn’t have any luck. I moved on to some of my brush piles and fished vertically and also didn’t have any luck. I looked at some deep water felled timber and still couldn’t find the fish. I tried spider rigging some flats and a couple locations and couldn’t even get a bite. Finally at the end of the day I went back to the bridge in fished vertically and caught one bluegill and six drum. Absolutely nothing to brag about, but at least I didn’t get skunked.

First Day Back Since My Son Was Born

Location: Shoals Creek, Wilson Lake

Time: 6:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Air Temperature: 36F on Arrival, warmed to about 59F
Water Temperature:
Lake Level: 506.57 ft - Still operating at summer pool.
Weather Conditions: Calm to slight E wind


Today was a good day - Today was the first day I've been back on the water since my son was born in May. I've spent my downtime since January with my wife and then my son upon his arrival. I can't wait until he is old enough to get out there with me. However, today was nice and although I didn't break any fishing records, I had a great day on the water.

I went to Shoals Creek on Wilson Lake today. It's sort of my "old trusty" when I don't have much time to plan or get creative. I set out to try to pick up some crappie.

I hit my normal spots this morning and started out under the bridge. However, other than a few bites, there was no real action in any of my spots.

As the temperature picked up and the sun came out, I decided to try out my new bimini top that I recently installed. You can find more information about it on AMAZON. I must say it was pretty easy to install and I am very pleased with it.

Before heading back home, I decided to give the bridge another try. This time, I decided to fish on bottom vs suspension. This finally produced fish, although no crappie today.

Using minnows on a bottom hook and a black/chartreuse curly tail jig on a top hook, I managed to pick up 12 fish under the bridge pretty quickly. I used the Lowrance unit to specifically target bridge columns holding fish. I pick up around 3 bluegill, 2 drum, 2 catfish, and the balance was a mix of white and yellow bass. I had a lot of fun and even pulled a double with a white and yellow bass combination.

I can't wait to get out there again!

And So The Adventure Begins...

And So The Adventure Begins...

Location: Shoals Creek, Wilson Lake

Time: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Air Temperature: High of 70 Degrees
Water Temperature: 49 Degrees
Lake Level: 505.14 ft - Pretty normal for the time of year.
Weather Conditions: Calm to slight S-SE wind

I was joined by Todd Whatley today.  We set out to target crappie primarily.  We launched off of the Shoals Creek ramp @ HWY 72 and talked to a guy that was leaving as we were putting in.  He said he had caught 10 but it was pretty slow-go.  He did say he had caught 21 the day before.  His main tactic was fishing suspended under the bridge.

When we launched, the bridge was covered up in boat traffic, so we headed out to deeper water structure.  We fished all the normal places and saw good fish holding structure, but struggled to get anything to bite.  We fished anywhere from 16' to 45' deep today.  We ended up catching two crappie in deep water holding structure around 32' to 44' deep.  It was very odd as I've never caught crappie that deep before.  We fished the old railroad bridge on our way back in and caught one small blue cat.  The fish we caught today were all on minnows, none on jigs.

Overall, fishing was slow, but it was a beautiful day and great company.  I think we could have done a little better, but traffic and fishing pressure was very high since it was the first pretty day in a long time.  I'm ready to go back...

Trying Out New Toys. Oh, and catfish...

Location: Shoals Creek, Wilson Lake

Time: 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Air Temperature: 55 Degrees in AM, High of 70 Degrees
Water Temperature: 52 Degrees

Lake Level: 506.97 ft - Looks like it hasn't really started to fall yet on Wilson.
Weather Conditions: Moderate winds from the South 12-14 MPH

Today was an excellent day! I haven't been fishing a lot lately - only a little goofing off while putting out crappie beds, but nothing very serious.  Today, however, I set out to spot some fish and put them in the boat with the help of a new gift from my amazing wife.

After more than a year of lusting over a new GPS Chartplotter/Sonar Unit, my wife surprised me with a new Lowrance 9" Elite-Ti.  I've spent several evenings after work installing and setting it up, but today was the trial run.  All I can say is WOW.  This thing is amazing!

I put in over at Shoals Creek today and rode around playing with the new fish finder while scouting for a place to drop two new crappie beds.  I ended up dropping two cane brush piles in a location that I believe will do well. The images this new Lowrance unit took are unreal.  

After dropping of the my cane brush piles, I scouted the lake some more and found an area that used to be an old marina, but it looks like it was destroyed and part of it sank.  I couldn't tell initially if what I was looking at was debris or fish or a mix of both, but I changed my settings and realized there were suspended fish stacked among the debris. I dropped a line with a minnow and jig bottom bouncer and reeled up to where the fish were suspended and quickly realized I was on the catfish.  I spent an hour or two trolling this area and racked up around 15 blue catfish.  They were a little on the small side, but it was fun pulling these suspended catfish in.

After I had my share of catfish, I moved over the the rock bluff area to see if I could find some sunken beds or structure that might be holding some crappie.  I managed to find a blowdown holding some stacked fish that appeared to be a classic crappie signature, so I dropped a marker and circled back.  I quickly got some bites and withing just a few minuted I had pulled two crappie of the blowdown.

I've learned so much about these sonar units in the past few months, that I decided to adjust the settings on my downscan trolling motor unit.  Its a small, cheap unit, but after some adjusting, it was preforming very well.  In the image below, you can actually see the one of the crappie strike my bait and see me reel it towards the surface.

Below are a few other random screen shots I took today that had notable structure.  It is amazing to me to see how much information you can really gather about what is below when you have traditional sonar, downscan, and sidescan all working at the same time.

To end my day, I headed under the bridge to scan the pillars to see if they were holding any fish.  I was once again amazed at the results.

As you can see, the pillars were definitely holding fish!  I targeted one of these suspended schools and quickly picked up 3-4 white bass and a couple drum.  

Overall, today was very impressive.  I think I caught about 15 catfish, 2 crappie, 3-4 white bass, 4-5 drum, and a bluegill.  I wasn't counting, but I think those are close numbers. I can't speak highly enough about the Lowrance Elite-Ti unit.  I would highly recommend it or any Lowrance product.  I can only imagine how this will change my fishing approach as I continue to learn how to use all of its functions and get better at deciphering what it gives me.  I can't wait to get back out there again.

Holy Mackerel!

Location: Russell- Fields Pier - Panama City Beach, Florida

Time: 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Air Temperature: 91 Degrees
Water Temperature: 

Lake Level: 

Weather Conditions:

After the luck we had yesterday, Sean and I were eager to get back out today and try our luck. We decided to stop in the shallows first and try sharks. We stopped by Half Hitch takes again geared up with some more tackle and bait.

I hadn’t had a cigar minnow floating for 5 minutes when a shark hit me hard and started spooling off line. It was a hell of a fight! I got it close to the pier and Sean landed it with our net. It was at least 3.5 ft long. We again had a hell of a crowd around us watching and we let the kids take pictures and touch the shark.

We moved on towards the end of the pier and tried again for some gamefish. As we approached, fisherman had mackerel and Bonita on the line. We set up and I quickly lost my cigar minnow bait. I told Sean I was going to move and try the other side. I walked over and launched a cast. After about 2 minutes, I felt tension and reeled my line tight. As soon as I did, I felt pressure and set the hook. Fish on!! I’m not sure what it is at this point, but it is taking line fast and swimming like a torpedo. I’m not sure if I even have enough line on my reel, but I manage to slow it down and gain some line on it.  I fight to for probably 20 minutes and worked the whole end of the pier trying to keep it under control. Finally, it surfaces near the pier and we see that it is a very nice King Mackerel! Another fisherman comes up with a gaff and helps me hook it and pull it up.

We land it on the pier and Holy Mackerel! It’s nice. A 44” King weighing 17 lbs!! We pose for some more photos with spectators and let some kids touch the fish. What an amazing experience! After the crowd heads out, Sean and I head out to clean the fish. Dinner is on us!