The recent string of cold nights has delayed the warming of local waters, but the increasing daylength has the panfish on the move.
We have made several trips in the last couple of weeks and in each case the fishing has been good. Crappies have been all over the map -
anywhere from 2' to 8' down and anywhere from fully egged out & tuxedos to winter pale and now some spawned out. Bluegills are
just beginning to move up shallow. No scuffed up males yet. Redears are on a prespawn binge. We fished a couple of really clear lakes
and had the chance to sight fish for them. For the record we fish barbless, only keep 5 fish per trip, and spawning beds are off limits.
The kayak, canoe, and the boat have all seen duty in the last couple of weeks. The fishing has been so consistent I haven't hooked up
the depth finder yet.
The wife (management) reigns in the bow seat of canoe and boat has been dealing justice with a 1/16 red jig with a 2" translucent crappie maxx body. In the stern I've (labor) been using a small ice fly set 3 feet below a torpedo casting bubble. Casting is a booger but the system works.
I've been eating so much bluegill lately that the old beemoth in the fridge left over from ice fishing season are starting to look good...
fish on, the bite is on, fish off
rivereddy
