What a great day on the water!

Cloudy. Very intermittent drizzle (if you totaled it up, it might have
drizzled for a total of 20 minutes or half hour, but it never went more
than about 5 minutes at one stretch). Air temp in the upper 30s and low
forties all day. Best of all, it was absolute, dead calm. Water temp at
Lillinonah, where I went crappie fishing today, was 44 to 46 in various
areas I fished.

Brought home 30 crappie in the 1 pound range, and just finished filleting
them. Could have brought home twice that many, but I knew I already had
reached the threshold of how much time I'm willing to spend cleaning fish.
All came on 2-1/2" Fin-S Fish -- either alewife or limetreuse -- on a 1/16
ounce head. Best period of activity I had, I caught about 20 suspended over
a fallen tree, about 8 to 10 feet down, over 35 feet of water. But most
came from 18 to 30 feet or thereabouts, much closer to bottom. Caught about
a dozen small largemouth "incidentally: while crappie fishing. (see, you
knew I'd get on topic sooner or later). Biggest of those accidental bass on
the crappie lure was about 2-1/2 pounds, but most were 10" to 12".

Then I pulled up on a point and tossed the drop shot into 20 feet of water,
to work a break down into 38 feet. Two casts, two bass. Both about 3-1/2 lb
-- one LM, one SM. Then I caught a bunch more crappie and a few more small
bass from a brush pile about 50 yards away as I fished my way to the best,
classic late season bass spot on the lake. I broke off the drop shot rig on
a deep, stone wall when I got there. Grabbed my other rod, with a 1/4 oz
jig and smoke Sassy Grub. Two or 3 casts later, I got a LM about 2-1/2.
Moved around the corner to the bluff bank on the main lake shoreline.
Banged a 5-1/2 and a 4 on consecutive casts with the smoke grub, and hooked
and lost another big fish on my next cast. Then it was over. I didn't have
another hit for the next fifteen minutes. But I decided I didn't need
another hit, anyway, so I put the electric on high and headed in to the
ramp.

Oh yeah... I forgot to put gas in the boat this morning, and ran out before
I'd gone 1/2 mile in the AM, so I did all this on electric power only.

On more thing, as nice as it was, it was still around 40 all day, and the
water was only a few degrees warmer. So I took the guys racing around on
the jetskis to be proof positive that riding one of them things damages a
lot of brain cells.



RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing

"RichZ" wrote in message
...
Brought home 30 crappie in the 1 pound range, and just finished filleting
them. Could have brought home twice that many, but I knew I already had
reached the threshold of how much time I'm willing to spend cleaning fish.

Well Rich, it sounds as if you accomplished your goal of getting enough fish
for your annual dinner. I have to agree with you on the cleaning part. That
is not a whole lot of fun.

Then I pulled up on a point and tossed the drop shot into 20 feet of
water,
to work a break down into 38 feet. Two casts, two bass. Both about 3-1/2
lb

I knew you couldn't go the whole day without catching a few bass.

Moved around the corner to the bluff bank on the main lake shoreline.
Banged a 5-1/2 and a 4 on consecutive casts with the smoke grub, and
hooked
and lost another big fish on my next cast.

That grub is a real big fish bait I guess. I'll bet the smile on your face
was fairly big also.

Oh yeah... I forgot to put gas in the boat this morning, and ran out
before
I'd gone 1/2 mile in the AM, so I did all this on electric power only.

I hate to say it but that's what happens as we get a little older.....the
brain cells just aren't what they used to be. Good thing it was calm today
so the electric didn't have to work quite as hard.

On more thing, as nice as it was, it was still around 40 all day, and the
water was only a few degrees warmer. So I took the guys racing around on
the jetskis to be proof positive that riding one of them things damages a
lot of brain cells.

Self explanitory.....I'll bet you wish they had forgotten to gas up this
morning also huh!

Phil