Colors Are King

Lake: Carlyle

Time: Most of the day

Crappie Report: Mediocre. I only fished Peppenhorst and fish were sporadic at best. Bite picked up in the afternoon.

Good Bait: 1/32 Pops Jigs hair jigs, white with red flashings

Bad Bait: Black hair jig, minnow, Slab Magnet “Therapist”

Outlook: Fish are starting to put on weight. Its coming…

Miley and I finally had the chance to hit the water today without any clients in the boat. The wind was great, but the fish seemed to have other plans.

I didn’t drive by the dam, but they were definitely pulling water. I could see the waterline dropping throughout the day, which we all know messes with the crappie fishing. They weren’t completely shut down, but they definitely made me work for it.

I started out fishing standing timber in Peppenhorst. I was drop-shotting a 1/32 black hair jig, but they just didn’t seem interested. I could get them to trigger, and a few would chase it away from the stump, but they wouldn’t eat.

I also had a rod rigged up with a Slab Magnet, Therapist in color, with the same result.

I happened to have leftover minnows from a guide trip yesterday, so I threw one on a hook and dropped it. I caught a nice little eater pretty quickly, but it was the only fish I caught on them. To be fair, my leader was a bit too long, allowing the minnow to swim too far away from danger. With the fish locked onto the lumber, I needed a much shorter leader for better control of my bait. Additionally, the minnows had been in the cooler for about 28 hours at that point, so they weren't in the best condition.

While Miley was at the dock, I dumped the minnows and tied on a new jig. I couldn't decide on a color from my collection of @popsjigs, so I went with pure white with a dash of red. It seemed counterintuitive in muddy water, but since nothing else was working, I decided to try something different.

After making two long passes on the main lake, I decided to explore a stretch I had been wanting to scan. With calm waters and slow fishing, it was the perfect opportunity. We enjoyed a leisurely cruise in the sun.

Before calling it a day, I wanted one more shot at the fish in Peppenhorst. I ventured deep into the cove, planning to spend about an hour working my way out. I decided to only stop for big fish since they weren't biting well and I wasn't keeping any fish anyway. I was determined to make it worth my while.

And it paid off! I caught four beautiful fish, around 1.5 to close to 2 pounds. It took some effort as I spent several minutes coaxing them off the timber and inducing a bite. They were reluctant customers but worth the persistence.

The lesson of the day was to keep trying different colors, even if they seem unconventional. You never know until you try. I've also noticed that the best bite of the day has been in the afternoon recently. They seem to be active for an hour in the morning and then pick up again in the early afternoon until sundown. #PopsJigs #BnMPoles #FirstLite #CrappieReapers #Columbia #TheNorthFace #AmVetsOutdoors