Pacemaker Fishing Forum

Well, I thought a couple weeks ago would be my last chance out with the boat for 2020, but today was a gift. I called my dad and told him we had 3 options, Little Seneca Lake, Mattawoman, or the Occ. He's never fished Occ, so I told him what we would be doing, and at first he wanted to go back to Mattawoman because he still can't stop talking about his blue catfish from the last trip. He said when he cleaned it he found about 10 large crawfish in its stomach. So I finally convince him that it would be an incoming tide around 11 which would be perfect for the weather to warm us up by, but I was worried it would be a zoo out there.

We left at 9:45A and got there around 10:30A and was pleasantly surprised that the lower lot wasn't even full. We get set up and we're quickly on our way, first stop Hoffman's. There's another boat at the hole, and he's jigging a spoon, I get about 15 feet away and ask him if he minds if we jig about 10 feet away and he says no problem, he just got there too. Nice guy, he was out with his wife and enjoying the day like me and my dad. I see a lot of marks hugging the bottom so I pull out a silver buddy. I'm jigging but I couldn't get a bite and the tide is moving so the boat wants to go toward the other guys boat. I was orienting the boat more than I was fishing so I move on and head to the 95 overpass.

We get there and there were only 2 other boats, I expected to see a lot more and kayakers too. Didn't see one fishing kayak all day, just rec yaker's. I pull up on the first piling on the left and try to position with the TM, but the tide was ripping now and it was impossible without the potential of banging the motor into the concrete. I think it was destined to be a decent day because my dad had just restrung the anchor on the boat and had put it in the storage under the deck. I pull it out and we anchor up and it was perfect. We were catching them in about 15-20 FOW on a single electric chicken shad under a bobber letting the current take it into the pilings. We ended up with 15 crappie, and kept 7 that were over 10". We left at 2PM, as the bite died and the water was really muddy with the incoming tide.

Here's my dad with the fish he wanted to keep. It's funny how he wants to keep fish, yet I end up having to clean them....his trick is that when I get them out of the livewell, I try and hand him the bag, but he says he doesn't want them because he doesn't like to clean fish anymore...so I would end up with him. Then I ask him if I clean them would he eat them? Of course he will....