Trout Magnet

[nomad60]

I caught my first fish on a TM today (pats himself on back :D). I'll be honest, it was more luck than anything else...I was trying to do that twitching method with no weight or bobber when this fish took the lure. I decided to leave the boat at home today since the forecast (as of last night) was for 12mph winds so of course, the marina lagoon was like a mirror almost the entire time I was out there today. I was going after crappie, even brought along some live minnows but either the front shut them down or I was fishing the wrong depths/locations. Caught plenty of bream though, and a bonus skipjack and it was a beautiful morning out there so it's all good. That crappie skunk will be broken before 2013 is over, or else I'll sell my boat, throw my fishing gear in the river and find a new hobby, like knitting :).
And, it sure is a challenge fishing with 2lb test line...the slightest breeze and it's all over the place and when I got snagged a few times and had to retie, good grief I had a hard time seeing what was where. It may be time to get new bifocals.

[vincent]

Nice fish. The TM started working for me too slowly. My bison color TMs are here, can't wait to get out on the weekend to try them.

[MNfisher]

I'll be honest, it was more luck than anything else...I was trying to do that twitching method with no weight or bobber when this fish took the lure.

Doesn't sound like luck to me, sounds like you were doing what you were supposed to be doing!! Nice fish!

[Travis C.]

Hang in there nomad, you'll find the crappie. Catching some is better than none.

Where's the lagoon you're talking about? You can pm me if you want, I will take a look from google see if you're fishing the right areas.

[Alphahawk]

Congrats on using the TM. Got to love catching bluegill! The crappie will come.


Regards

[nomad60]

Travis,

It's the new Clarksville marina lagoon. Last time I looked on Google maps, they hadn't updated yet to include the boat slip docks I was fishing near. 2 days ago a couple of guys were catching some nice slabs in the same area I was fishing in today.

Alpha,

And you probably noticed I was using Bison ;)

[Travis C.]

I found some images of it. Not sure where you were in the lagoon but from the pictures it looks like it maybe somewhat of a bowl shape contours. If that is the case then I would look for isolated off shore structure like a tree/stickup, fish the dock ends like you were doing and finally when the main river is pumping good I'd fish the foam line or seam that point will create as you enter the lagoon.

IF the river is flowing good then that last area is where I'd concentrate first. Look for fish on you sonar then drift two rods with trout mags/crappie mags at the depth along the seam slowly. Slow trolling... I mean slow (look up strolling for crappie) should catch them if you aren't finding them by casting. That is my go to if they aren't biting right away. Take the bait to them.

I know this probably isn't ground breaking crappie news but maybe if you just concentrated on the docks you were on and mouth then you'd eliminate a lot of searching/wasted time. If there are crappie in the lagoon you should find them at either location.

[nomad60]

I found some images of it. Not sure where you were in the lagoon but from the pictures it looks like it maybe somewhat of a bowl shape contours. If that is the case then I would look for isolated off shore structure like a tree/stickup, fish the dock ends like you were doing and finally when the main river is pumping good I'd fish the foam line or seam that point will create as you enter the lagoon.

IF the river is flowing good then that last area is where I'd concentrate first. Look for fish on you sonar then drift two rods with trout mags/crappie mags at the depth along the seam slowly. Slow trolling... I mean slow (look up strolling for crappie) should catch them if you aren't finding them by casting. That is my go to if they aren't biting right away. Take the bait to them.

I know this probably isn't ground breaking crappie news but maybe if you just concentrated on the docks you were on and mouth then you'd eliminate a lot of searching/wasted time. If there are crappie in the lagoon you should find them at either location.

Thanks Travis, I will have to give that "strolling" a try. The 2 corners right at the mouth are my 2 favorite spots in that lagoon when I'm in the boat because the area on the left acts as a current break and has lots of big rocks under water. I have caught some nice white bass along that edge and this morning, I caught a decent spotted bass on the corner to the right. And the area in between the 2 corners has one zone where there's always water moving, but it's not the strong current of the river and it seems to attract some fish (I'm guessing that's the seam you were talking about).
The boat docks and slips are in the lower left hand corner of the lagoon; you can just reach the edge of one of the docks with a good cast from shore and that's where I saw a couple of guys catching some nice crappie on Tuesday. They were fishing rubber jigs/grubs about 3 feet under a bobber but the water is about 12-14 feet deep there right against the dock. Yesterday I was in the same spot, fishing with live minnows under a bobber and I varied my depth from 2 to about 6 feet but no takers.

[Travis C.]

And the area in between the 2 corners has one zone where there's always water moving, but it's not the strong current of the river and it seems to attract some fish (I'm guessing that's the seam you were talking about).

Yeah, that's more than likely the main part which should hold some fish but there are always smaller ones off of or within them as well. Mentally break that area down as a river itself and any obstructions within it will be a prime location. That area funnels the most food. You may heard anglers refer to a spot on the spot. That is the same scenario. Don't rely on just seeing the different current speeds. Keep an eye out for foam, twigs and even trash floating that may go a different direction than the current or spin or even hover. If you see that then there is a good chance you've found a small eddy in the current and a seam. Predator fish like crappie will hang behind that waiting for baitfish that are sucked into it or trying to seek shelter.

Observation is the key...

[nomad60]

Thanks again for the info Travis, good stuff!