CrappieGoddess Strikes Again

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]FlyGoddess had another Wednesday off and wanted to fish Willard again. We had planned to meet at the south marina but forecast for south winds early kinda altered the outlook. We opted to return to the north marina.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was thinking that an early wind might still mess things up. Might make a good excuse if we didn't do well. Then I looked over to the west and saw a big chunk of cheese (moon) sliding below the horizon. GREAT! Another potential excuse. We might get "mooned".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was first there and first launched...about 6:30. Air temp 60 and water temp 66. Mo bettah. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I started for the channel to fish it and the area right outside. Dragged a minnow on one rod and pitched plastics with the other. No fish on sonar in the channel. Hmmmm. Very unusual. No fish outside either. No bonks on either bait or tube jigs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Talked to FG as she launched and told her it was kinda slim on the outside so she decided to go play with the crappies inside the marina. Good move. I wasted about an hour with only a couple of dink crappies near shore on the outside. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After Joni reported pretty fair action on some nice crappies inside I motored in to help her so that she didn't overfun all by herself. What a guy? Right?[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I reached the spot I wanted to start fishing and dropped my tandem jig rig to the bottom. About my second jiggle-lift something hammered me. FG had been on the way over to show me a nice 13 inch slab she had just landed and I wanted a picture of it. But, even though I am a gentleman I made the lady wait while I let that wiper abuse me. That's the way I roll. Deal with it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Got pics of Joni's crappie and my wiper and then we went separate ways again. That lady really smoked the slabs today. Gonna have to change her name to CrappieGoddess. She caught a grundle but was not keeping any.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I caught quite a few. Not as many as the goddess lady, but I got variety. Besides the wiper I also found a silly kitty that liked that same blue jig. In fact, all but a couple of my crappies ate the blue too. Is Blue Wednesday differment than Blue Monday?[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Saw some guys in a bass boat that had slipped into an empty spot at the private docks and were using long rods to dunk the crappies. I saw them bring in a couple from under the boats and they said they had limited as they went by me later.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]Not sure how many crappies I brought in today. I only kept about 6, for my sis in law who loves white bass and crappies. TubeBabe is still in Arizona so one wiper and one kitty will make a couple of meals for me. [/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]More than half of the crappies I caught were "underfooters"...9-10 inches or so. But there were several "footlongs", a few 13 inchers and my biggest at about 14 inches. FlyGoddess reported that she had measured one from outside the harbor that tagged out at about 15 inches. Those are some nice crappies in Utah. We done good.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]We both had other things to do early so we bugged out before noon. Still no wind. Just a light ripple. I hate it when the weather forecast is wrong. RIGHT.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Met a guy at the fillet station that said he found a spot that he "couldn't keep the walleye off". I clued him in on the crappies and he divulged his walleye spot. Now I got a reason for coming back. Also, I don't need any of the excuses I was hatching up to explain the smell of skunk. I just can't find no skunks no mo. Poor me.[/#0000ff]
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[cpierce]

Wow! Those are some beautiful crappie. Nice calm morning too. However do you find those?

Looks like blue was the clue for the day. Do you know what FG was using?

Thanks for another great post and pictures!
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[flygoddess]

Salt and Pepper for me. Running two flies, one white crystal, and one Midnight Fire (Captain America) in a #12, off Type II line.
Caught a few on a Bead Head Prince Nymph too, but the black/white where the pair.
Even scored a couple doubles on one rod.


These things were big!



Like pulling up flying pans.......LOL
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[cpierce]

Doubles are great! White crystal bugger is a killer on the panfish up here too. Well, at least it was last year. [laugh] I also use a red and chartreuse bugger that works good.

I think I am having crappie envy. I wish we had some closer to here that are that size. 7-9 inches with 10 being a monster is what we usually see. They are tasty buggers though!
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Willard Bay has been a great crappie lake for many years. In the past there were more fish but they averaged much smaller. These days there are fewer crappies but they get up to about 16 inches.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The gizzard shad in the lake get the blame for the decreased numbers. They suck up all the zooplankton the young crappies need to attain enough size to feed on the abundant midge larvae throughout the lake. But those that make it "over the hump" turn the tables and eat large numbers of shad fry each year. Balance of nature.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]How do I find them? First, I have over 30 years experience fishing the lake and know their movements and habits pretty well...and the spots they like to hang out at different times of year. That is no guarantee of success but it gives me a place to start. After that it is a lot of prospecting and watching the sonar...and knowing how to interpret what is on the screen.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Some of the bigger fish today were hanging close to the bottom in 12 to 13 feet of water. When I saw those I would either cast out and bottom bounce back...or vertical jig. Both techniques worked. On other occasions I would see a small school of crappies swimming through at mid-depth...about 6 feet. If I was already on the bottom I would reel up to them...wiggle jiggle...thump.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One of the cool things about two people fishing together that are using vastly different tackle and techniques is that it shows that there are no absolutes in fishing. True, sometimes one type of presentation will work many times better than almost any alternate method. But other times it is more a matter of first finding the fish and then making a good presentation with something they will "yawn" for.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I truly do have to apologize to Joni. I came sliding in and caught that wiper that she had staked out for herself. Hey, I'm a guy. I didn't know.[/#0000ff]
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[albinotrout]

I am going to need to try your little trick out one of these days for catching the slabs. Right now my focus is on boulder and getting to starvation.[cool]
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[albinotrout]

Gee not like you to let FG outfish ya all the time.[:p] Nice wiper that you got there as well![cool]
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[TubeDude]

[quote albinotrout]Gee not like you to let FG outfish ya all the time.[:p] Nice wiper that you got there as well![cool][/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]There is no competition between us. We each fish different ways but we share information between us that helps us both. And we both enjoy the success that the other experiences as if it were our own. That is what fishing should be...not a clenched teeth struggle to humiliate your fishing partner.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Neither of us really "keeps score". We enjoy each fish for its individual participation and performance. At the end of the day we each have our own good memories.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Would you believe I have fished with guys who actually kept clicker counters around their necks...both for themselves and the other guys. And at the end of the day they would gloat if they were ahead...or get surly if they lost. That takes a lot of the fun out of fishing and is one of the reasons I quit fishing competitively many years ago.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Now...how do you justify it when Mamatrout whups your butt?[/#0000ff]
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[albinotrout]

It don't bother me much because my but get whipped more times than not by both mamatrout and the minnows. I was with a buddy once and we started counting then gave up. We had lost count and we both knew that it really didn't. Matter what the count was. Just as long as we were having fun. I don't know how many times I have been outfished. Most times I am just happy to get onto fish.
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[peter805]

I totally agree with TD !!! And I really feel sorry for
guys that think that fishing is about how many and
how big of a fish..........
Im personaly very happy just to get out on the water
and have a nice day fishing. Sometimes I get
many fish and sometimes not so much and its
all good[]
Now, whats that smell ??? oh, I think its me......[]

Peter
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[flygoddess]

I am liking this tag team. I mean I have a great time, but like TD said, we are able to trade info, and offer much more info, plus fun while we are at it.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]You better be nice about it. Or I'll shut off the smoky fish supply. Fried too.[/#0000ff]
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[flygoddess]

Yes sir...[laugh][laugh][laugh][]
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[BigBassaholic]

If you need help getting to that walleye spot as in a boat then let me know and I will rearrange my schedule to meet yours.... Any day of the week is fine with me...
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I didn't get GPS coordinates but know the general area. And it is one I can reach fairly easily. I have fished it even before I added the motor to my boat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Not sure I will be hitting Willard for the next two weeks. My dance card for other venues is piling up with unfished spots. Getting tough to decide which direction to point my tube when the temps warm up and the fish start bitin.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you want to try to find it yourself shoot me a PM and I will give you the best info I can.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Where have you been fishing? You had some boat issues didn't you?[/#0000ff]
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