Starting The Open Water Season With A Crappie Night
Now that the ice has melted, the flooding has subsided, and the temperatures are warming up, it is time to hit the open water in search of crappie!
After a day of spring cleaning we decided to get out for an hour and test the evening bite. We had been promising the dogs that they would get out fishing soon, and yesterday was finally the day that they could climb in the car after watching the fishing gear get loaded into the trunk. Jack, our Australian Shepherd, was ecstatic. Nothing makes him happier than seeing fish.
Water makes everything better, including sunsets.
Our fishing spot for the evening. This pond is always a good bet for crappie.
Our gear for the evening were medium action rods with slip floats, and Berkley Micro Power Nymphs on jigheads. Everyone has their go-to baits, and the Power Nymphs are almost always the bait we start with when crappie fishing.
As we set-up our rods, Molly got tired of chasing Jack and decided to go for a swim. How that dog could stand being in the water right now is beyond me. She had been swimming in our marsh just before we left the house. Casting around Molly, and being careful not to get my line tangled up with her, I realized I was pretty rusty. My casting accuracy was off, and the distance was terrible.
We worked around the pond and settled into our favorite spot. It’s an area where the water gets deep quickly, and the weed edge is easy to cast to. Since this pond was flooded just last weekend, and the water level remained high, we were only guessing at where the fish may be holding.
A few casts in, Darrell hooked into the first crappie of the open water season, a decent little fish. I continued to work a different area until he caught a second fish, then my desire to feel weight on my line took over, and I became a spot mooch. Casting 10 feet away from the bank, and reeling in perpendicular to the shoreline, I finally saw my float disappear and I set the hook. Yay! Unfortunately, it turned out to be a small largemouth bass that was out of season. A quick release followed and I got back to searching for crappie.
First fish of the open water season!
This look is what you get when you tell Darrell he needs to smile! Second crappie of the season.
The floats were dancing all over the place as rock bass nibbled at the lures, with Darrell managing to reel one in. My float danced and then once more it disappeared under the water. This time I was rewarded with my species of choice, a crappie. I managed to lose yet another crappie, then played with some rock bass nibblers before calling it a night.
My first crappie of the season.
It turned out to be a great evening fish with the hour we had at the pond. Jack was thrilled to kiss some fish before we put them back in the water, and Molly just enjoyed sitting at my side while I continued to search for fish. It feels wonderful to be casting again, and I’m looking forward to more fishing trips than we’ve been able to fit in lately. Now that school is over, there should be more time for us to hit the water. It should be a great season!
argosgirl
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