I fished some open water this morning. It was my first time out this year and all I can say is that I’m darned glad I didn’t pay any attention to “what should have been”.
Yesterday we had temperatures in the mid-60″s with nice sun and some warm southerly wind. This morning it was 37 degrees when I stepped out of the van at the water. The wind was straight out of the northwest and the clouds were thick. The barometer was going straight uphill when I check the weather things at 5 am.
I had a 1/32 head and plastic on the rod from last fall’s final trip and just cast it out. After about six feet of drifting with the wind the float disappeared. Fish on. This seasons first crappie was a fat 12″er. Over the next 40 minutes I caught 33 such brutes with 13 1/2″ being the pig. Not a single one of these fish could not be called a table sized fish. I iced up six for dinner tonight.
I checked things out yesterday to make certain I could find some open water. There was still some ice in the area. This morning there wasn’t a bit of ice anywhere to be seen. I check my journals and last year the ice departed a full month later than this. Today the water registered 45 degrees at 8 feet. I have never, in 30+ years of journaling my fishing at this location, seen 45 degree water on March 9th. Except for one year only a few years ago, I haven’t seen 45 degree in March period. Thank You El Nino!
Another surprise I got was yesterday buying my new fishing license. I am finally so old I am no longer required to purchase a trout stamp. lol
