Here are some highlights from the spring. You can click on the small pic to open a big one.
I caught a new personal best rainbow while fishing for crappies! 16", with orange flesh and perfect fins. I was casting to structure in a cove where I always thought the crappies would hang out, but where I've never found them. I didn't catch any crappies in that lake on that trip, but I did come back and find them later.
Later, a different trip in the same pond, I finally figured out what the crappies were doing there at this particular time of year. This is my favorite thing, the challenge that keeps me seeking crappies- I call it "cracking the code". The water here is crystal clear, which makes them difficult to catch and requires extreme stealth in the canoe. The males were nesting on logs on the bottom in 10-12 feet of water-- much deeper than in most bodies of water. They weren't all in one area, either, and they didn't seem to be in any of the sheltered coves where I would expect them. I was mostly sight- fishing them. They were not biting agressively, and they required some coaxing. These were BIG 13" + crappies. At one point I saw a big one about to bite, and just as he was biting <BAM!> he's attacked by another crappie! Omygodohmygodohmygod!... I got the jig back down as fast as I could and the attacker bit. These guys fought like bass, and when I got him into the canoe he was hard to handle-- he drew blood on both my hand and my bare foot as he got me with his spiny pectoral fins! I caught a couple that day that had little stab wounds on their sides... scrappy crappie. I didn't only catch males-- when they're spawning I try to find females, too, and take it easy on the males who guard the nests (although the males were hard enough to catch, in this lake). The longest fish of the day was a 14 3/8" female who was hiding in a brush pile that hung over a dropoff from 10-18 fow. I went home with 4 giant crappies that day, and 2 smaller ones (fried whole and pictured at the bottom). This spring has been about quality over quantity for me, though I have had a couple great hauls and filled my freezer.
The female from the brushpile. "This crappie is bigger than a bass!"
At 14", this male is shorter than the other, but I consider it my personal best because he's fat and round!
I've been exploring new lakes in the canoe, putting some miles on the car to get there. I'm just loving the peace and quiet of a remote spot, and the clear clean water that I don't hesitate to swim in after I fish. I'm seeing plenty of bald eagles. I got chased off a spot by a great horned owl.
Rediscovering a love for bluegill. Delicious!
I tried to imitate a thai dish with whole fish. It was my first time frying crappies whole. These were two perfect-looking 8-9" ers. I think a firmer fish would be better for this dish, and next time I'll try with big bluegills, and put a little more effort into the rest of the dish (not just the frying part).
Trolling for salmon in Shelburne Bay after work. Not trying very hard, as you can see, which might explain why I still haven't caught one.
