Tim's Crappie 1/18
Well the first crappie tournament of the year is in the books. Left Devils Step ramp on Tim’s Ford this morning at 9am. We were supposed to Blast Off at 7am, but due to the sub freezing temperatures, aka 17F, the weigh master moved it from 7-3 to 9-4.
Here’s how it all went down. Spent last night rigging each pole differently. Browning ultralight went with bison colored panfish magnet on black 1/64 size 8 jig. One 12′ went with Danumeluer rig. Two 12′ with red Tru-Turn 2 hooks with slip bobbers, beads and split shot weight. One 12′ went with drop shot rig with 2 Tru-Turn hooks also. It was cold in the garage, enough that I ran my little Buddy heater. Well, I spent 20 minutes rigging up a pole, went to secure the hook to my hook keeper, and the line comes off in my hand!?!? Apparently when you get 8# line remotely near a heat source, it just melts in 2! Oh well, got that fixed and hit the sack.
Saturday morning, 6:30am. Get up, get the coffee running, hook up the boat and hit the road by 7:15. Rolling down the interstate and past Arnold AFB. Hit the gas station at Woods and fill the boat with fuel. No minnows. None, zip, zilch. Get through Decherd and Winchester and stop at the last gas station before Devil’s Step. Get three dozen minnows and file in line behind the other guys in the crappie club.
At the ramp, I get the boat ready and back down. Tracy says he’ll pull the truck out, and I head down to get in. I get in all right, right in the WATER! Get up off the ice, fall again. Sit and scoot up the ramp and get up. Start to get on the boat and slip AGAIN! Finally, finally get on the boat, fire the motor and she starts on the second turn of the key.
I get backed down, and realize I forgot my life vest in the truck. Start fishing and go everywhere on Tim’s Ford. Trolling, dock shooting, long lining, jigging. NOTHING. Again. Nothing. When I was shooting docks I had an owner cuss me because “this is the reason I have lures stuck all over my boat!”
I tried the drift sock. Still trying to figure out how it works. All it did today was irritate me. Put it in, drift just as fast. Why didn’t it work? Just something else I can add to my list of things to learn. Fighting the wind is not fun in the least. Even with it only 10-13mph. Reading today, it seems with the water temperature the best thing I’m supposed to do is find bait fish at the mouth of tributaries.
Weighed in a big whopping zero fish today. The winning fisherman had a 1.88 # big fish and a 7 fish stringer of approximately 8 pounds.
I caught a face full of wind, zero fish, and burned a tank of fuel, but all in all it was a great experience. I’m learning alot and meeting some great people along the way.
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