The Crappie Bite Was On March 2021

 

As I continue to fish, I learn more and more about the crappie species and just how fun it is to catch them.  It just so happens that this particular pond has some really nice size crappie.  They all pretty much look like the crappie you see in my pictures.  No they are not 2-3 pound monster crappie, but they aren't tiny.

Location, Location, Location

I hear a lot of people who fish for crappie say you need to locate them.  I totally agree with this statement. You might have found a great location where the crappie are biting one time, but now they are not there.  I experienced this location change at this same pond.  I was fishing off a point in early mid to late January and was completely slaying the crappie.  There was a freeze over of the pond for about 2 weeks in February.  When I came back to the point in February and early March, the crappie had moved on and the bite was not there.

Pre-Spawn Location

It is now mid March, and I tried the point location.  Again, nothing.  A couple nibbles but not the ferocious crappie bites I was experiencing in January.  So, I finally decided to move to another spot on the other side of the pond.  My theory was also this..."Maybe the crappie have moved to a more suitable place for the spawn?"  BANG! Maybe my theory was correct because I found the crappie in a place that could be more of a "flats" location.  There is a good chance they are building their spawning beds in the location that I found.  I say this because it seemed like they were agitated by my lure in very specific places where I was throwing.  They also say that when the crappie are in "pre-spawn mode" they are aggressively feeding to get ready for the spawn.  So there is a good chance this is what I was experiencing.

It Is Fun

When you do find the crappie bite, it is hard to beat this type of fishing. I caught around 15 crappie in less than 45 minutes. Be ready to enjoy the fight! Crappie will hit your lure hard during this time. You hardly have to set a hook in these situations as they GULP your lure! 

My Gear

As the Lil' Shaka OG and I continue to fish more and more these days, we will eventually up our game in the ultra-light fishing department.  Right now, we have some cheapy four foot ultra-light spinning combos.  Quite honestly, that is really all you need!  We've caught a hundreds of crappie, bluegill, and bass on these poles.  We've definitely gotten our "money's worth" out of these poles. Nothing super fancy in the fishing line department either. We use 4 pound test monofilament from Stren. I like to use jigs and Gulp minnows as well.

This Year

I am looking forward to taking the Lil' Shaka OG out to this new location.  Hopefully we can get onto the crappie bite a few times this spring. Until next time! Stay Committed, Stay Driven.

Maslenitsa 2021

Maslenitsa

What is Maslenitsa? It is an event that my wife, kids, and I celebrate every year. This is one of my favorite times of the year because it is absolutely filled with some great food called "Blinchiki" which are basically crepes that can be filled with meats, cheeses, fish, and even desserts!

It is celebrated around the world and lasts an entire week before The Great Lent, or Great Fast which occurs for seven weeks leading up to Orthodox Easter. Orthodox Easter is May 2nd this year, which follows the old Julian calendar, which is why it is on a different day as Catholic Easter which follows the Gregorian calendar. The belly is full today!

An afternoon fishing session

It is Mid March 2021.  Today it was about 60 degrees out and I was at one of my favorite ponds.  The water was surprisingly clear considering the amount of rain we have had the last couple of days.  I caught this crappie in the picture on a little jig rigged with a Gulp minnow. 

I had no luck with bass on this day. I tried several tactics and received no bites. I tried jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, and even a shaky head with a worm.  I am happy I did catch a fish though! Stay Committed, Stay Driven!

Success at "Biggin' pond"

It was a spectacular Sunday! The temperature got up to 66 degrees. More importantly, I was able to connect with this beautiful mama. She chomped on a gold colorado blade spinnerbait in a black and blue color.

Lil' Shaka (my son) call this place Biggin' Pond because we've caught some of the biggest bass out of this pond together. If you follow me, I have a blog post from Thanksgiving weekend in November 2020 where we catch a couple of lunkers out of this pond.

The Drought

Of course, when you catch lunkers, you want to keep trying to catch them so we had fished this pond over and over again for months. From that lucky day in November in 2020 until yesterday in March 2021, we both had not had a single bite! We've tried countless lures...we've looked back at the pictures and at the videos just a reminder ourselves that we actually caught huge bass out of the pond! Hah Hah!

Some Thoughts to Ponder

I did try to do something a little bit different this time when I went out there. The water there right now, is very very clear. You can see your lures very clearly in the water. Maybe 6 ft of visibility is what I'm thinking I experienced.  I tried to stay away from the bank as much as I could.  I was making very long casts that covered quite a bit of area.  Even then, I really had to work and cast many times over.  I am not sure what it was about that big colorado blade but then all of a sudden CHOMP!  Somewhat felt like a snag but set the hook anyways and realized a big bass was on!

I was also able to catch a smaller bass (see above) on a jerkbait which gave me some hope for another day!  I did try and use the jerkbait quite a bit, but only received one bite, and one fish on it.  So, all in all this was a very fun day.  It was great to be able to catch a couple fish after a long drought.  It also re-affirmed that maybe there are additional techniques my son and I can try to give us a better chance.

I hope all of you are doing great today!  Stay Committed, Stay Driven.

A bass that couldn't resist the lure

The weather in our area is now warming up. I caught this beautiful mama on a jig and gulp minnow. I was actually trying to go for crappie, but this little beauty couldn't resist the lure! I've been outdoors trying to enjoy the weather as we break into spring.

I'm looking forward to hopefully some normalcy in 2021. It was this time last year that many of us became secluded indoors and separated from our normal work lives. 

I hope you are all doing great today. Stay committed and stay driven.