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Athens Was Good to Me This Morning
#12342628
07/16/17 06:44 PM
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Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 3,832
Flags
OP
TFF Team Angler
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OP
TFF Team Angler
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 3,832 |
I went to Lake Athens this morning. It has been far too long since I have put the float tube on it and it felt really good to get on the water again. As is usually the case, this lake was good to me but it took a little time to get into them. Normally on this lake I can catch all the sunfish I want with a piece of night crawler about 3 ft under a float. And in that sense today was a normal day. But there was an issue; all I could get with this system today were little ones about 3-4 inches long. I know there are better fish there so I had to play around to find them. I took the float off and tied on a 1/16th oz gig head and tipped it with a piece of crawler and fished off the bottom. This worked a little better and the fish were bigger but the fish were hitting really light and if I didnt hook them they dropped the bait. I decided the problem was the weight. Ive seen the same thing for trout in my native CO so I decided to use a trout tactic on the sunfish. I took off all weight and tied on a thin wire hook and a piece of crawler and cast it out, letting it slowly fall to the bottom. Once on the bottom I brought it in using 3 or 4 inch strips of the line like a fly fisherman. That worked. They began to hit like caged rattlers. I quit counting at 25 sunfish. Also got a couple crappie that were too short and a small bass. I kept 6 fish for supper. The smallest is a little over 6 inches long and was bleeding so I had to keep it. The biggest taped just shy of an honest 10 inches. They have a date with the bacon grease and the cornmeal later tonite.
Retired Navy Chief Signalman NJROTC Instructor Tascosa High School
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Re: Athens Was Good to Me This Morning
[Re: Flags]
#12342728
07/16/17 07:58 PM
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 2,183
boocat
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 2,183 |
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Re: Athens Was Good to Me This Morning
[Re: Flags]
#12342797
07/16/17 08:38 PM
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 75,727
banker-always fishing
Pumpkin Head
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Pumpkin Head
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 75,727 |
Flags you are living the dream! Fishing for trout one week and the next catching some nice Bluegills. It just don't get any better! Side Note: How do you prepare your Bluegill for cooking. Also what type of fry/mix do you use?
IGFA World Record Rio Grande Cichlid. Lake Dunlap. John 3:16 Sinner's Prayer. God forgive me a sinner. I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior !
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Re: Athens Was Good to Me This Morning
[Re: Flags]
#12343018
07/16/17 10:31 PM
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,844
pearow
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,844 |
I launched my boat at the same time you were getting in your tube this morning. Fishing was slow for us as we went to the dam. Caught a few brim and bass but it was exceptionally slow for us.-p-
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Re: Athens Was Good to Me This Morning
[Re: Flags]
#12343223
07/17/17 12:49 AM
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,818
doctorxring
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,818 |
Excellent ! Glad you were able to figure them out.
How deep were the ones you ended up catching on the free lined worm ?
.
You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free
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Re: Athens Was Good to Me This Morning
[Re: Flags]
#12343377
07/17/17 01:53 AM
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Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 4,562
J-Moe
TFF Team Angler
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TFF Team Angler
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 4,562 |
Fantastic post
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Re: Athens Was Good to Me This Morning
[Re: Flags]
#12343597
07/17/17 04:37 AM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 11,446
Dfitz
"Nice Guy"
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"Nice Guy"
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 11,446 |
Time to get back out there and find some Warmouth and Red Spots.
Don't worry about the mule, just load the cart
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Re: Athens Was Good to Me This Morning
[Re: banker-always fishing]
#12343754
07/17/17 12:39 PM
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 19,054
Laker One
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 19,054 |
Flags you are living the dream! Fishing for trout one week and the next catching some nice Bluegills. It just don't get any better! Side Note: How do you prepare your Bluegill for cooking. Also what type of fry/mix do you use? Plus #1. Also nice fish.
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Re: Athens Was Good to Me This Morning
[Re: Flags]
#12343893
07/17/17 01:55 PM
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 486
etexbasser
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 486 |
Thanks for the write up, good work trying different techniques until you found what worked.
later...etex
Don Chumley If I ain't fishing, I ain't happy. But mostly I'm happy. I love being retired, the check is in the mail. Mt. 6:33
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Re: Athens Was Good to Me This Morning
[Re: Flags]
#12344252
07/17/17 05:46 PM
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Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 3,832
Flags
OP
TFF Team Angler
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OP
TFF Team Angler
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 3,832 |
Side Note: How do you prepare your Bluegill for cooking. Also what type of fry/mix do you use?
Normally I use cornmeal and then add spices to it. Usually some Slap-Ya-Mama cajun hot, a little garlic powder and some parm cheese. I don't measure anything so each batch is a little different. On these fish I ended up not frying them. I had a big batch of steamed veggies from the garden so I made them into fillets and steamed the fillets and then rough chopped them and added them to the veggies. Topped it off with some butter, garlic, fresh parsley and a dash of hot sauce and fresh baked bread. They were tasty.
How deep were the ones you ended up catching on the free lined worm ?
I'm guessing it was 6-8 feet. Headed back there tomorrow to see what I can get then. Got a couple more weeks with time off until I head back to the classroom to teach the next batch of high school kids.
Retired Navy Chief Signalman NJROTC Instructor Tascosa High School
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Re: Athens Was Good to Me This Morning
[Re: Flags]
#12346141
07/18/17 06:36 PM
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 17,610
Gitter Done
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 17,610 |
Nice post and fish. Good job.
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Re: Athens Was Good to Me This Morning
[Re: Flags]
#12346144
07/18/17 06:39 PM
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 835
psalty
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 835 |
Fish Candy nuggets!!
Matthew 4:19 Script-Lures by Psalty founder and directed by the Big Fisherman
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Re: Athens Was Good to Me This Morning
[Re: Flags]
#12347411
07/19/17 12:06 PM
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 19,054
Laker One
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 19,054 |
Side Note: How do you prepare your Bluegill for cooking. Also what type of fry/mix do you use?
Normally I use cornmeal and then add spices to it. Usually some Slap-Ya-Mama cajun hot, a little garlic powder and some parm cheese. I don't measure anything so each batch is a little different. On these fish I ended up not frying them. I had a big batch of steamed veggies from the garden so I made them into fillets and steamed the fillets and then rough chopped them and added them to the veggies. Topped it off with some butter, garlic, fresh parsley and a dash of hot sauce and fresh baked bread. They were tasty.
How deep were the ones you ended up catching on the free lined worm ?
I'm guessing it was 6-8 feet. Headed back there tomorrow to see what I can get then. Got a couple more weeks with time off until I head back to the classroom to teach the next batch of high school kids. Love that recipe. Nothing beast fresh Bluegill!
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