Fishing Forum

Took a little after work excursion. Figure I've been hauling all that fishing gear around, haven't been able to touch it the past few weeks, I was due for some tugs.
Bopped by Benson marina thinking I might find some open water under the bridge, but hard-a-lee. There was some thin looking ice, I did find a couple holes I could drop a jig through - but got no love on the line. There were a group out on the ice by the launch - flinging balls for pups. The pooches were loving it!

Did some more reconnaissance, and found a lot of frozen looking rivers and sloughs about. Tried another favored spot, and after some cold feet - I finally got a tug, but my bobber came up empty. Had another I thought was a snag on the bottom, until it moved, and went sideways, and pulled at the ice.
I knew I'd tied a crappy knot - P I N G - it's gawn!
Mighta been a nice bass (or gnarly carp )

Finally got a good tug, and turned out to be a footlong bass. Then the crappie came on. Chartreuse jig, and curly tail - bit of waxy for the ooze of it. They were hitting. Next half hour of chilling toes brought almost a dozen crappie out of the ice (I didn't really dress in my ice gear - quick trip...). Biggest crappie marked off at the foot-mark too.

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Nice job Yote, I think the crappie are naturally attracted to your hooks, I sure can't find them out here... way to go... J
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Nice work, Yote.

I love how you say, "Maybe just a gnarly carp..." You know it was a carp! I can also commiserate with your knot tying -- how many times have I been too lazy to retie, only to hook into something amazing... PING! Grrrrr...

Anyhow, I might be heading up that way later next week -- maybe I'll shoot you a PM, and if you're around, I can learn a thing or two from my Northern Master?
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Nice haul on the crappie John, thanks for sharing the report and pic, for sure a nice crappie at 12 inches.
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ha - crap - I can hear it already - my new nickname . . .

"Master Ping" jeepers! Lavaman already gives me enough grief. You know when you tie that un-improved clinch knot, and you can pull enough to move it, but leave some extra tag - heck, I'm after panfish, right? (b'sides, it was cold)

Well coulda been a carp - but it had that deadweight stubbornness of them 5lb bass I broke off last summer too!
Hard to get a good hookset on the skinny poles.

Shoot me a note if you're coming through hazy valley. Time allowing - maybe go swing a line, or grab a burger and a bubbly.
Thanks Wiper - just fun to get a tug on at least, need to hit it again, and put my real boots on! Would like to explore that area more - there's some other spots catching my eye. Still stuck at the 12" mark though. Sure would like to meet a 15" slabbo! They sure get thicker more than longer after a point.