My plan is working

Crazy Carl

Crazy Carl

are ya freakin' kidding me?
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Bonner Springs, KS
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Brought a small mess of crappie home last week when I went fishing with my uncle. Fried 'em up for supper last night. Wife warmed up the couple small leftover pieces for lunch & afterwards says to me- go catch more fish. 😆

Sposed to rain & cool off some the next couple days. Gonna see if I can get out & put a few in the boat while everyone's at work.
 
Never been a crappie fan (to catch). To slimy.
 
georgel said:
Never been a crappie fan (to catch). To slimy.
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They're pretty boring to catch, but they sure are tasty.

I'd like to "learn" white bass as I get more time on the water & my uncle & I have talked about doing a guided walleye trip, in order to learn the hows & wheres of 'em.
 
Crazy Carl said:
They're pretty boring to catch, but they sure are tasty.

I'd like to "learn" white bass as I get more time on the water & my uncle & I have talked about doing a guided walleye trip, in order to learn the hows & wheres of 'em.
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I grew up accidentally catching a lot of walleye. Worst fighting fish on earth. But they taste good. We used to catch them on Rapala stick baits at dusk. Usually around weed lines were we lived. People troll for them in some areas and night fishing is common. Here’s some information:


Edit - Learn about your local lakes/rivers forage base and seasonal patterns you’ll catch fish.
 
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Had a buddy who had a couple farm ponds in Yadkin county. We’re full of crappie. Could swing in, catch a ton in about an hour. Loved having fish fry’s with him. Sadly, some local migrant workers found the ponds and within a short period of time caught and ate all the fish.
 
CZfool68 said:
I grew up accidentally catching a lot of walleye. Worst fighting fish on earth. But they taste good. We used to catch them on Rapala stick baits at dusk. Usually around weed lines were we lived. People troll for them in some areas and night fishing is common. Here’s some information:


Edit - Learn about your local lakes/rivers forage base and seasonal patterns you’ll catch fish.
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Heard the same about walleye- boring to catch, great to eat.

Been trying to learn/study local fisheries as much as possible, but with so much variety in the area, it's a little like drinking from a fire hose. More time on the water will take care of that & now that the wife's all jazzed about it, I should be able to start logging more & more.
 
Crazy Carl said:
Heard the same about walleye- boring to catch, great to eat.

Been trying to learn/study local fisheries as much as possible, but with so much variety in the area, it's a little like drinking from a fire hose. More time on the water will take care of that & now that the wife's all jazzed about it, I should be able to start logging more & more.
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It’s hard to do while you’re catching fish. But take a minute a put a note in your phone with details about what you’re catching, time of day/date, weather, water temp, structure near by. Then you can go back and check those notes and know for sure the next time you’re out what you need to be looking for.
 
DCGallim said:
It’s hard to do while you’re catching fish. But take a minute a put a note in your phone with details about what you’re catching, time of day/date, weather, water temp, structure near by. Then you can go back and check those notes and know for sure the next time you’re out what you need to be looking for.
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In addition to this good idea you can take a day just to cruise the water with a map or GPS and take notes on places that you think may hold fish at certain times of year or under certain conditions. It‘s especially helpful if you are fishing large bodies of water. Will save you some cruising time later. I used to take a cooler with some frosty beverages and a good sammich out in the middle of the summer in CA when the fishing was extremely tough. It paid off layer in the year and the following year. Those days are good if your wife just wants to boat around and see the sights.
 
DCGallim said:
It’s hard to do while you’re catching fish. But take a minute a put a note in your phone with details about what you’re catching, time of day/date, weather, water temp, structure near by. Then you can go back and check those notes and know for sure the next time you’re out what you need to be looking for.
Click to expand...

CZfool68 said:
In addition to this good idea you can take a day just to cruise the water with a map or GPS and take notes on places that you think may hold fish at certain times of year or under certain conditions. It‘s especially helpful if you are fishing large bodies of water. Will save you some cruising time later. I used to take a cooler with some frosty beverages and a good sammich out in the middle of the summer in CA when the fishing was extremely tough. It paid off layer in the year and the following year. Those days are good if your wife just wants to boat around and see the sights.
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Once I get the Garmin Echomap 73SV mounted & figured out, learning the water oughta be a whole lot easier. I plan on taking full advantage of the Navionics map package & gps plotter.

i know, what am I waiting for. Lol! Wanting to get comfortable in the boat, 'fore I add any distractions.
 
DCGallim said:
It’s hard to do while you’re catching fish. But take a minute a put a note in your phone with details about what you’re catching, time of day/date, weather, water temp, structure near by. Then you can go back and check those notes and know for sure the next time you’re out what you need to be looking for.
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And text those notes to me along with a gps coordinate.

You can just hit share my location. You know just to rub it in that you’re catching fish.
 
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Locals are a key, especially if there's a small tackle shop around. They've all but disappeared. We used to have one that was a regular stop before gearing up for a trip to get the latest intel. What are the hitting up on lake X? "Purple spotted on a Carolina rig down by the dam."

IIRC, white bass had very delicate mouths and liked top water lures.

If you were still local, I'd say must do would be stripers at Santee/Cooper. Completely dependent on season on how to fish them. Hire a guide the first time to learn locations and methods.

Personally, I'm a bass fisherman, but I'm pretty happy pulling in bluegill on ultralight gear.
 
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Crazy Carl said:
Once I get the Garmin Echomap 73SV mounted & figured out, learning the water oughta be a whole lot easier. I plan on taking full advantage of the Navionics map package & gps plotter.

i know, what am I waiting for. Lol! Wanting to get comfortable in the boat, 'fore I add any distractions.
Click to expand...
Don’t fish the whole lake. Break it into to pond sized segments. It’ll make your life easier and save on gas too.
 
georgel said:
Locals are a key, especially if there's a small tackle shop around. They've all but disappeared. We used to have one that was a regular stop before gearing up for a trip to get the latest intel. What are the hitting up on lake X? "Purple spotted on a Carolina rig down by the dam."

IIRC, white bass had very delicate mouths and liked top water lures.

If you were still local, I'd say must do would be stripers at Santee/Cooper. Completely dependent on season on how to fish them. Hire a guide the first time to learn locations and methods.

Personally, I'm a bass fisherman, but I'm pretty happy pulling in bluegill on ultralight gear.
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That's one of the beauties here. Lotsa mom & pop bait, tackle & gun shops. The ones that run guided trips won't give up their honey holes, but will generally point you in the right direction.

Our nearest lake is known for crappie & catfish & the state stocks it with both stripers & wipers. One nearby lake is known for muskie & another for its whites, bluegill & walleye. Almost all the lakes here are stocked with wipers & walleye & black bass aren't lacking anywhere, though you'll have better luck with smallies in the rivers.

The 2 nearby rivers, the confluence of which is the headwaters of Truman Reservoir, are supposed to be good as well. The Osage is known for catfish & spoonbill (snagging season opener here is as big a deal than deer opener) & the Sac for crappie, walleye & whites.

A ton of opportunites, but also a ton to learn, especially starting basically from scratch.

@DCGallim One of the peculiarities of the CoE lakes here are mulitiple arms & branches to explore out the wazoo. Truman's 55,000 acres with more coastline than the state of CA & I'd hafta travel almost 40 miles downstream to get to anything resembling big water. Figure'd I'd just take it one small section at a time. I'm more concerned with havin' fun & catching some supper than playing expert angler, anyway.
 
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Missouri has some awesome fly fishing for trout as well. Small streams and small flies! I’m heading out to Rolla in a couple weeks to see my grand babies and plan on taking my fly rod.
 
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I pan fry crappie, line a brown paper bag bottom, and serve on the table so they stay warm. Crappie are the better tasting fish of rivers and lakes.
 
There's a reason the Cajuns call them "Sac Au Lait". Roughly translates to "sack of milk".
If I can't have trout, give me crappies to eat.

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