03-10-2015, 09:00 AM
Thought I'd get a few hrs. of crappie fishing in and maybe catch dinner, but that wasn't to be. Put in at Hales Barr and headed up stream, water was stained and temps were 44 to 46 degrees. Worked several places that I had caught fish on and marked fish on but could get nary a bite. Threw traps, a rig, jerk bates and worms, but couldn't get the bass to cooperate either. Moved down to the dam and fished the docks and then right on the old dam. Shot a BG electric chicken into one of the intakes and noticed a loop sticking out of my little reel. Started pulling off line to clear the loop and after about 20 yards I decided to troll forward so my jig wouldn't go to the bottom and hang up. Just as I started to move, it hung and pulled the loop out of the reel. So I started to reel it up and felt it shake and the fight was on. It was giving my little spaghetti noodle rod a hard time and stripping drag. I thought a drum or catfish, but it wasn't fighting like they do. Then it headed down and bowed my little rod up and then I heard it on the other side of the boat. I looked over my shoulder and there was a three and a half or four lb.er tap dancing on the wrong side of the boat. I hung on and finally got it on the right side and when I knelt down to lip it I slammed my knee down on the little eye that you hook the rubber cord to that holds your rods down, thought I was going to lose the chili dog I had for lunch. But I soldered on and then, with another shake of it's head, my jig came lose and shot up and stuck in my upper lip. So I don't have a picture of a fish to post, maybe a pic of my lip. O well, it's only going to get better from here.