Forums59
Topics1,038,876
Posts13,954,640
Members144,181
|
Most Online39,925 Dec 30th, 2023
|
|
Athens Called to me Today
#12666716
03/10/18 10:10 PM
|
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 3,826
Flags
OP
TFF Team Angler
|
OP
TFF Team Angler
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 3,826 |
It has been several months since I have fished the local lake. Despite it being a little early in the year I broke out the float tube, grabbed some crawlers and went to answer the call. I hit several of my "go to spots" with no luck and decided to hit a small cove that always looked good. Found them there. This was the first sunfish of the year. Nothing spectacular, but the first is always a little special. Probably about 6 inches long and full of fight. They came slowly and steadily after that. I was using my normal rig of a small unpainted jighead tipped with a piece of crawler. I had to lower it straight down to the bottom and then raise it about 2 inches off the bottom and twitch it really gentle like. The hits were very soft. If it was too high or too close to the bottom the fish got lockjaw. Sort of a precision type of fishing but it paid off with about a dozen nice fish. This was the big fish of the day. He was just less than 9 inches and pretty stocky. All fish were released to fight another day. It felt really good to get the tube on the water after a few months. It was a little windy today but not too bad. The tube rode high in the water and the fish were biting. Can't ask for much more than that in a day. Cheers Y'all.
Retired Navy Chief Signalman NJROTC Instructor Tascosa High School
|
|
Re: Athens Called to me Today
[Re: Flags]
#12666883
03/11/18 01:00 AM
|
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 19,054
Laker One
TFF Guru
|
TFF Guru
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 19,054 |
Nice fish. Looks like some of them are full of eggs! Great post.
|
|
Re: Athens Called to me Today
[Re: Flags]
#12667365
03/11/18 02:04 PM
|
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 75,716
banker-always fishing
Pumpkin Head
|
Pumpkin Head
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 75,716 |
Nice post and some fat fish! As always super job. Side Note: How deep were you catching the fish? Also do waves cause a problem while fishing in a float?
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 !
|
|
Re: Athens Called to me Today
[Re: banker-always fishing]
#12667441
03/11/18 03:00 PM
|
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 3,826
Flags
OP
TFF Team Angler
|
OP
TFF Team Angler
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 3,826 |
Side Note: How deep were you catching the fish? Also do waves cause a problem while fishing in a float? I'd guess I was getting them in 8 or 9 feet of water. Waves don't cause much of a problem because the tube just rides along with them. Think of a leaf floating on the water it just sort of goes with the movement. The issue is wind because you travel by leg power and flippers and wind can exhaust you pretty fast. But I have also used wind to my advantage because if I can get dropped off up wind and have a person waiting with a vehicle down wind I can drift fish and that is really productive. I've done the same thing on creeks and rivers. Get dropped off a couple miles up stream and just go with the flow. The tube doesn't spook fish the way a boat does because it is smaller and there is no engine noise at all. Float tube fishing if great. Y'all should try it sometime.
Retired Navy Chief Signalman NJROTC Instructor Tascosa High School
|
|
Re: Athens Called to me Today
[Re: Flags]
#12667731
03/11/18 07:11 PM
|
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 10
WormTrafficker
Green Horn
|
Green Horn
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 10 |
Good looking fish. Whats the average size there?
|
|
Re: Athens Called to me Today
[Re: WormTrafficker]
#12668640
03/12/18 02:57 PM
|
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 3,826
Flags
OP
TFF Team Angler
|
OP
TFF Team Angler
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 3,826 |
Good looking fish. Whats the average size there? Lots of 8-10 inch sunfish in the lake and enough over 11 to keep it really interesting. Most people fish for bass on it and I'm told it is a great bass lake but I'd rather catch the sunfish. And even though I'm not a bass fisherman I catch a fair number of them while targeting the sunfish. Get some good cats too. Here is an afternoon's catch last year from Athens. The sunfish are an 8 inch average and the cat went about 5 lbs or so.
Retired Navy Chief Signalman NJROTC Instructor Tascosa High School
|
|
Re: Athens Called to me Today
[Re: Flags]
#12668707
03/12/18 03:26 PM
|
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 19,054
Laker One
TFF Guru
|
TFF Guru
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 19,054 |
Good looking fish. Whats the average size there? Lots of 8-10 inch sunfish in the lake and enough over 11 to keep it really interesting. Most people fish for bass on it and I'm told it is a great bass lake but I'd rather catch the sunfish. And even though I'm not a bass fisherman I catch a fair number of them while targeting the sunfish. Get some good cats too. Here is an afternoon's catch last year from Athens. The sunfish are an 8 inch average and the cat went about 5 lbs or so. Those are some NICE ones. Nice haul!
|
|
Re: Athens Called to me Today
[Re: Flags]
#12669077
03/12/18 06:28 PM
|
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 7,017
Fishbonz
TFF Celebrity
|
TFF Celebrity
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 7,017 |
Man that`s what I call Gittinum! Flags did you ever get around to fishing the 2859 @ Chambers?Shoot me a PM
Last edited by Fishbonz; 03/12/18 06:28 PM.
HE aka Fishbonz
|
|
Re: Athens Called to me Today
[Re: Flags]
#12669239
03/12/18 08:20 PM
|
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 5,401
pop r
TFF Celebrity
|
TFF Celebrity
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 5,401 |
Nicely done!
|
|
Re: Athens Called to me Today
[Re: Flags]
#12669514
03/12/18 11:18 PM
|
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 75,716
banker-always fishing
Pumpkin Head
|
Pumpkin Head
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 75,716 |
Side Note: How deep were you catching the fish? Also do waves cause a problem while fishing in a float? I'd guess I was getting them in 8 or 9 feet of water. Waves don't cause much of a problem because the tube just rides along with them. Think of a leaf floating on the water it just sort of goes with the movement. The issue is wind because you travel by leg power and flippers and wind can exhaust you pretty fast. But I have also used wind to my advantage because if I can get dropped off up wind and have a person waiting with a vehicle down wind I can drift fish and that is really productive. I've done the same thing on creeks and rivers. Get dropped off a couple miles up stream and just go with the flow. The tube doesn't spook fish the way a boat does because it is smaller and there is no engine noise at all. Float tube fishing if great. Y'all should try it sometime. Thanks Flags! Seems the fish are in prespawn mode! As for the waves I was wondering about that with all the wind we have been having lately.
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 !
|
|
Re: Athens Called to me Today
[Re: Flags]
#12670426
03/13/18 02:34 PM
|
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 17,610
Gitter Done
TFF Guru
|
TFF Guru
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 17,610 |
Nice fish Flags! Athens is a great fishery! Good job Sir.
Side Note: Have you ever had any close calls with snakes?
|
|
Re: Athens Called to me Today
[Re: WormTrafficker]
#12671273
03/13/18 10:31 PM
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 7,250
Jon
TFF Celebrity
|
TFF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 7,250 |
Good looking fish. Whats the average size there? About 5" (as far as reporting goes anyhow) Wait for the full moon next month, get you some live crickets and go check it out. Oh and Welcome to the forum! Nice report Flags!!
|
|
Moderated by banker-always fishing, chickenman, Derek 🐝, Duck_Hunter, Fish Killer, J-2, Jacob, Jons3825, JustWingem, Nocona Brian, Toon-Troller, Uncle Zeek, Weekender1
|