In what seems like an eternity, I finally found a weekend where I could get out with my Son for some much needed fishing time. We’ve been running so much, going biking, hiking and so much more that fishing has fell to the wayside. Saturday afternoon rolled around and I told William we were going to try and find some fish he could wrestle with.
I didn’t take long and we were into a monster school of Catfish, but while the quantity was impressive, the size left us wanting for more. In all actuality, that’s been my theme this year. Plenty of Catfish, but just no decent size. I can’t for the life of me find some bigger channel cats. I still have a few things to try and places to go, but the list is getting smaller and time is fleeting for this year.
William had a great time man-handling those “Denizen’s of the Deep” and each time he reeled one in he said that one would be bigger than the previous. In some cases it was true, but in others not so much.
Hoping to find something a little bigger, I pulled the plug on that area and started hopping from spot to spot, but the bites got fewer and fewer. Some areas hold promise for future trips and I hope to get back out to those spots real soon. It always astounds me why a Catfish will absolutely pound your bait just once and not come back for another try. Some things I just may never know. Such is life I guess.
Sunday, William and I found another opportunity to hit that water, this time our target species was Crappie. Our go-to presentation was working the trees with the all new Pro Series Slender Spoons from Custom Jigs & Spins. I had these spoons since last February, using them through the ice with great success. Not it’s time for them to shine once again in the open water. Again, they didn’t disappoint.
I like using the 1/8th ounce model and working it through the trees, letting the action of the spoon do the work. I love how they fall horizontally fluttering slowly as they go. The Crappies must love them too, because they were all over them. Many times the strikes were incredibly hard, almost startling me upon impact.
I tried to get William in on the action with a live bait set up, but he said he was too busy keeping an eye on the minnows, making sure they didn’t jump out of the bucket. I’m also guessing the leeches my friend Shane gave him added extra incentive to play in the bucket….I could be wrong though.
I did find it humorous that William had to give each Crappie a free minnow as a token of thanks for putting a bend in my fishing pole. He’s so thoughtful…
We had a great couple trips out while sharing a lot of smiles and laughs. I can not wait to get back out with my Son William very soon. Maybe this time those big Catfish will show up….who knows…
Until next time, good luck fishing!
Catfish love peanut butter….at least that’s what I had William believing. He was all about having himself some peanut until I told him to smell it to see if it’s still fresh….LOL!!
Are you sure William didn’t chow a spoon full when you weren’t looking
I’m sure he didn’t care about the size of those cats. Great memories I’m sure 
Great Job Tom !!!
Love the family time you have been reporting on !!
With the spoons do you have trouble losing them among the branches. I’ve thought about trying them but when they flutter off to the side so much I would thing you would be snagged in the brush constantly…
I like to keep my spoons on a tight lease, working them with shorter strokes so they don’t flutter so much to the side. Mostly what I do is jiggle them down about 5-6″ and then pump the rod up that much. You know as your working the spoon down if there’s any potential hazards. That way you can reposition your spoon or find another opening to fish.
The trees/spots I’ve been fishing don’t have a lot of branches on them. Most of the trees are older and well worn. That keeps snagging to a minimum.