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Crappie Madness
#12601046
01/30/18 01:01 AM
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Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 164
doctorliver
OP
Outdoorsman
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OP
Outdoorsman
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 164 |
Sunday was the perfect day to get out and do a little fishing before I spend this week on call at work. I got to the lake around 8am and launched my yak. I figured I'd head back into Nails Creek, but my gut told me to make the crossing and get into the Yegua. The wind was coming out of the Northwest early in the morning. Lake was fairly calm. I do miss the low water crossing at Newman's Bottom. Never had to worry about wind. Once in the creek, I made my way to my usual spots. I did rig out the fish finder for this trip. It wasn't long before the fish finder exploded with a large cluster of fish underneath the yak. It was literally fish in a barrel. I lost count of the number of crappie I caught, and only kept those 12 inches and above. I had two Jon Boats pass by and one kayak, but no one stuck around to join in the crappie madness. It wasn't long before I had 15 solid crappie on my stringer. I parked the Yak, had lunch, and decided that I didn't want to clean up a limit of crappie and went home with 30 fillets. I hated to leave them biting. I did catch one very small male white bass, but honestly, I don't know if they are making their way into the creeks yet. I'm glad I left when I did. The winds certainly picked up quite a bit and as soon as I reached the shore line, the conditions certainly deteriorated on the lake. Hope sooner than later, Newman's will open back up to the kayak crowd. In the meantime, I'll keep making the long paddle across when the weather is cooperating.
Tom
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Re: Crappie Madness
[Re: doctorliver]
#12601109
01/30/18 01:29 AM
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Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 2,106
Ledeez
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 2,106 |
Great read and pics! I wouldnt of said anything either! Well done sir! I usually give the thumbs down to passing fishermen til Im done then tell everyone I see
Teamgetsome$$$
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Re: Crappie Madness
[Re: Ledeez]
#12601307
01/30/18 02:26 AM
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Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 164
doctorliver
OP
Outdoorsman
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OP
Outdoorsman
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 164 |
They actually saw me catching crappie and kept on moving along. I would not have minded if they stuck around, it was nuts the amount of fish that were showing on the sonar. I should have take a picture of the screen to share on the forum.
Tom
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Re: Crappie Madness
[Re: doctorliver]
#12601658
01/30/18 12:03 PM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 39,362
Dan90210 ☮
Jr Deputy Dan
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Jr Deputy Dan
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 39,362 |
Very cool!
What kind of peddler is your yak?
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Re: Crappie Madness
[Re: doctorliver]
#12601712
01/30/18 01:28 PM
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 256
fishr3
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 256 |
This is the first time I have read a report where a kayak fisherman marked a school of fish on a fish finder and then proceeded to catch em. My fish finder tends to serve only as a depth finder. Thanks for the report.
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Re: Crappie Madness
[Re: doctorliver]
#12601997
01/30/18 03:45 PM
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Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 2,120
Brad R
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 2,120 |
Excellent report!
The male white bass will wander up into the creeks about a month earlier in the winter than the females. Perhaps, you caught one waiting for his "date" to arrive! Water temps need to be 55 to 60 for the white bass spawn as I recall, but there are many other factors that push them up in the creeks.
I'm curious what the depth was where you found the crappie.
And, is there a limit to the effectiveness of your fish finder at some particular shallow depth?
Brad
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Re: Crappie Madness
[Re: doctorliver]
#12602141
01/30/18 05:12 PM
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Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 15
Mark Baggerly
Green Horn
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Green Horn
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 15 |
Tedrick I was in Nails Friday ,never got a bite .
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Re: Crappie Madness
[Re: Dan90210 ☮]
#12602839
01/31/18 12:14 AM
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Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 164
doctorliver
OP
Outdoorsman
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OP
Outdoorsman
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 164 |
I use a Perception Pilot. Really nice peddle yak in my opinion. Opted for this brand rather than buying a Hobie Outback. The price couldn't be beat. Water temps were hovering at 55 degrees and the depth was 10 feet. The fish finder does have a shallow water function which really has made a big difference when I paddle the shallow creeks. I used the Lowrance 5 CHIRP Elite. It's a great little sonar with down imaging scan. If I ever come across another image of what I saw on the sonar, I'll be sure to take a picture and share. It was a giant cluster of red which did not look like structure. My only assumption was that this was a giant school of fish.
Tom
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