Went Spinning this morning..very pleasant day..
 

I decided to try and get some tilapia this morning using Panther Martin spinners. I ended up also trying Hal Flys, Road Runners, Rapala floater Carolina Rigged, Rooster Tail and a Chartruese Grub...

The winning lure was a 1/8th ounce Panther Martin..powered by this 5.00 yard sale Mitchell.



I started off using a Rooster Tail...the bass were tearing up the shoreline blasting gizzard shad..dang!! Where's my bass rods??and on a long Rooster Cast something big attached itself to my outfit and quickly unattached itself.LOL

I stayed with my plan to chase tilapia...and low and behold look what Panther Martin picked up...Time to change plans and aim for a crappie meal {-;



A nice White Crappie ...yes sir ree bob!!!!






I need four more for a meal....UT OH!!! Fish on!!! Yes sir..a 16 1/2 bass...that likes Panther Martins too {-;



I ended up getting another bass..and 3 more crappie..Darn I needed one more for a meal..5 fillets a piece for my wife and I ..and looky here.. another boat coming my way..He speaks kindly,"Sir, aren't you a teacher?" I replied yes..He said "We accidently caught a crappie on a rattle trap about 13 inches while trying to hook into a bass;.would you like it?"..Smiling widely I thanked them and the Lord for #5..{-;
A very pleasant day after a 5 day tough work week...

That's awesome Chuck! 5 crappie makes a nice dinner indeed. Glad you had some decent fishing action, the bite has died off here. Man, I can smell those crappie already, yummy.

I WENT TO WALMART TO BUY SOME DEEP DIVING MINNOW..I GOT 3 Rebels and 2 Rapalas..supposed to go down 9 foot..that would do the trick...I have a trout fishing vest I use when pan fishing..I leave the tackle bag and all bass rods home..the pockets are huge..I have about 8 small Plano boxes in the pockets...needle nosed pliars and my camera...I love the vest..

Here's what I got in the boxes to cover all pan fish.

A. Shad darts. Grubs. Tiny floater cranks like you sent mr Aaron

B hooks , split shots and small bobbers

C, Bass fly bugs

D bluegill bugs

E Spinners...rooster tail and panther Martin

F. Mepps Comet spinners

G Deep diving 2 inch minnows

H tiny rattle traps

The vest goes a little past my belt and is a xxx big...I hope I can still wear it next year..I've already lost 15 pounds this month riding a bike and eatting smart...

I also wanted to buy another 5 1/2 foot light Ugly Stick but they were out..that little rod is awesome...had mine over 12 years...still looks and fishes perfectly...my other rods are medium ...they aren't much fun on panfish

I also need to say that the Rooster Tail is no longer my go to spinner...Panther Martins hold up much longer...and simply catch more panfish..The Rooster hackles disappear just by sitting..the hair seems to rot...not a fan anymore...As big cranks catch big bass..I think little cranks catch big panfish....

May go fishing like...right now..crappie bite great right before dark...c ya all ..it's 5:00 pm...I'm gone...

Been a change in plans..my. Wife needs me ..and we know wives are #1. (-; And always right

Thats a stout pan fish tackle setup you hav Chuck. I have some similar items and fish them on a Gander Mountain Ultra Light setup. A good sized crappie makes for a REALLY fun fight on the Ultra Light rod :). I usually have a tiny crank, small grub worm, rooster tail, hand tied crappie jig, or minnow hooked up (not in that order). That crappie bite is picking up here, but the weather fluctuations have scattered them pretty good and we cant seem to find them congregated in one particular location. You will get one of the first "cast" then nothing for another 30 minutes. Go to another spot, get one of the first cast, and then nothing again. It seems like you are moving from hole to hole and picking up one here and one there. Im thinking I might have to bite the bullet and dedicate an entire day to it just to fill up the ice chest. However, its hard to dedicate that much time to it when you know the possibility of striking out for a full day is very real.

Anyways, good luck to you Chuck, be sure to take some pictures!

Yes sir..I like the light rods..most of the ultra light {That I've seen are in the 5 foot range} the 5 1/2 are generally light..anything thicker than light isn't as much fun..I've never own an ultra light before..I'm sure I will though ..{-;

Bait has gotten very expensive in my neck of the woods..I'll probably just focus on artificial from here out..Those deep diving Rapala S 5 look very nice. 6.50 each..I hope I don't lose one. I bought 2 ..I also picked up 3 smaller deep diving Rebel's in a Walmart mark down box..they look good. I hope they swim straight..I'd love to go tonight..problem is , after a full's days work I'm mentally exhausted. I get up at 3:45 AM each morning to put in about 15 miles on a bike..I carry protection in the bike bag of course..little scary out there at that hour...lost 15 pounds so far this month..The older you get ,,the harder it gets..
I have a bet with Matt...If I dont' lose 15 I have to cut his lawn..good 2 hour job. If I do lose 15 or more he pays me 30.00 ..This will go on through Sept.

Here's what I do..
A. Read 10 chapters of the Bible per day...builds my confidence..keeps me from back sliding
B. 1 hour of vigerous exercise daily
C. 1 healthy meal per day..

That is what I aim for..sometimes I don't quite measure up ..but I get close [-;
Here's a quote I saw the other day..has inspired me alot

Winners Never Quit
and
Quitters Never Win

I ordered another Lite ugly Stick last night off of ebay..Man that rod is HARD to find..it's now improved with 6 guides and a tip...total and shipping is a little steep..BUT what do you do 51.00. Can't wait to see if those S R Rapalas work..they look identical to our minnow and it's size..I have a feeling an 8 pound bass will take it and snap my line. The lure looks like this except it as a one inch plastic bill

Winners Never Quit
and
Quitters Never Win

Thats a good lure, very productive and the bass will hit it. Also, dont forget the Rebel Minnow F4901. Its KILLER for crappie in shallow water. My all time favorite crappie lure though is the Bobby Garland Baby Shad in Electric Chicken on a 1/16oz jig head. I cant count how many crappie I have pulled in with that lure, I LOVE IT!!!



Congrats on the weight loss, its a long hard road but worthwhile for sure and 15 lbs is a great start. Make sure you are eating throughout the day though to keep your metabolism up.

The weekend after July 4th of last yeart I ate like crazy and my stomache hurt I ate so much. I jumped on the scales and weighed 290lbs. I decided it was way past time to lose weight and went on a self prescribed weight loss "plan". My goal was to lose 45 lbs by July 4th of 2013. By November 4th, 2012 (8 months ahead of schedule) I lost 45 lbs and couldnt have felt any better about myself, it was amazing how much better and healthier I felt. I'm sure you can hit your goal weight, just stick to your plan and next thing you know you will be at your goal. Again, congrats again on the 15 lbs, thats a HECKUVA start!

Sounds like you had some pretty good fishing Chuck.. As well as some decent fortune of being gifted a nice crappie.. I do want to ask you if you have tried one of those flys out I sent to you? If not you prolly should as I have a feeling it will bring in some fish for you. They work great up here and even better during our early fishing which for us is right after ice out. Just use your ultra lite rod and put a split shot up around 2 feet ahead of it. Then do a slow troll doing a few s patterns where you know the fish are. They should work great on your crappie as well. Most any kind of fish we have here will hit them. So if you get a chance give one of them a try.. Thanks..