Splitrockin' - 9/22/11

[acabtp]

Fished SRR this morning for a few hours. Very dense fog when I got there.


Funny story: I launched my kayak into the fog figuring that I would make it across to my spot with dead reckoning. It did not take long until I could no longer see the shore. Because the water was flat calm, reflecting the fog, there was no sense of direction, or even of the horizon. So I am paddling a while, being amused by the novelty of the dense fog, wondering when I will be able to start to see the other side... When all of the sudden I found myself back at the launch. I was able to navigate much better once I pulled out my compass...

I alternated between my usual gold panther martin and drifting medium shiners. I brought the shiners hoping to get into some crappies, but did not. I did however get into a bunch of real chunky bluegills over 9" that were eating the shiners, as well as a bunch of smallmouth to 16".







Total for the morning was 17 gills, 3 red breasts, 2 largemouth and 7 smallies. Invited a couple of the bluegills and one of the smallies to dinner. They accepted.

[The Fluke Kid]

nice report. if your looking for the crappies we have had much better luck with fat heads for them

[AJFISH13]

Nice job. Suprised to see other people keeping bass besides me. They taste pretty good, and some lakes have become stunted because everyone thinks thinks throwing back is going to help.

[AndyS]

Great talking to ya on da phone. Glad to hear people are keeping it clean and there was no damage from the storm.
No comments on keeping fish, it's totally legal.

[jmurr711]

good pics and i do not think i ever ate a smallie how they taste?

yes i have not eaten something ahhahah

[AJFISH13]

Originally Posted by jmurr711

good pics and i do not think i ever ate a smallie how they taste?

yes i have not eaten something ahhahah

Just like a largemouth. Although freshwater wise Ill take crappies and perch over anything else, bass are still pretty good eating.

[jmurr711]

yellow perch are like lays potato chips to me i cannot eat just 56

[acabtp]

yep, i do like to keep a bass from time to time, but i keep a lot more panfish... perch and bluegill mostly.

good talking to you too andy, we'll have to get out there sometime soon.

Originally Posted by jmurr711

yellow perch are like lays potato chips to me i cannot eat just 56

haha, nice, me too

crappies, perch, bluegills, bass, are all tasty, but i like to use them for different things.

crappie is very delicate texture and sweet light flavor, i usually like to bake it. probably my favorite.

yellow perch is a little firmer, slightly nutty sometimes, very good eating. good for bake or saute.

bluegill and pumpkinseeds also have a nice light flavor and are a bit firmer than perch. pumpkinseeds have a little bit of the nutty perch like flavor, but rarely get big enough to be worth taking the time to fillet. in my opinion, 8 or 9" sunfish make it worth while. i like to saute and fry them.

smallmouth and largemouth taste about the same to me (and nothing like mud, I might add)... little more flavorful than the panfish, but not fishy by any means. they have nice big fillets with a firm texture that are great for fish and chips, or cutting into chunks and adding to jambalaya, etc.

we eat fish about once a week, so it is important to have some variety (and enough freezer space) to keep the wife pleased.

[acabtp]

Originally Posted by The Poacher

nice report. if your looking for the crappies we have had much better luck with fat heads for them

yeah, i usually like fatheads for crappies too, but i was finishing off the last of the shiners that i had in my bait tank from pickerel fishing a few weeks back. switching gears for fall (starts tomorrow 9:04 am)!