We all met at the pond. I had heard from Pondboy that the bite wasn't happening for crappies today in his normal crappie spots. That didn't bode well for us but we walked the pond anyway.
It is always nice to get out and fish with members of DuPage Angler and it was a pleasure to meet PWoody this mild Saturday morning.
We had figured live bait is best for crappie today so we came prepared with crappie minnows (fathead minnows of a smaller size, not actual crappie fry), wax worms, and red worms.
The standard live-bait rig I use for crappies is similar to the way I drift rivers. In place of the circle hook I use an ice jig for weight and presentation and replace the spring-float with a slip-float.
None of us got skunked but none of us caught crappies; all bluegills, all day.
It got dark in a hurry. I guess if we'd have started walking to our cars when we heard the thunder none of us would have gotten as wet as we did. "One more cast" was the mantra until the small rain drops turned into big ones.
As we loaded our cars and said our goodbyes the heavens let loose and gave us some rain to fill in a small part of the gap left in our ponds, lakes, and rivers by this past dry year.
Autumn into Winter is a challenging time of year to fish. The weather and temperature fluctuate and days get shorter. Fish know the ice is coming. Signs posted around this pond ensure the fish will be safe from anglers under the ice. That's a pitty. I'd love to search for slabs here this winter. I will ice fish for crappie this winter, just not at this pond.
