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| Best gill so far in 2015 is this 10.25 inch hen. |
Wow! It's been a crazy spring...and a late one at that! We didn't have ice off of some of our local lakes til March 24th in the Mason Dixon area. As far as I am aware, that may well be an endurance record for ice cover round here. Throw in these nasty back troubles and surgery I've had and now my wife Linda with her knee replacement and, sheeesh, it's tough just getting around! Gettin' old ain't for sissies. But between it all we have managed to get out for some early spring panfish, with a few bass mixed in. Last week we totaled almost 300 bluegills, crappies and the like from several local public venues. Check out some of our recent slabs...
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| M'boy Matt, his wife Julia and Abby with their gills! |
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| Matt kept a few for the pan...cool! |
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| The Skinny Minnie in 1/80th ounce does the job. |
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| Good looking male gill here. |
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| A seriously big pumpkinseed at 10 inches...wow! |
One of our biggest surprises lately has been some serious slab crappie action where fish in excess of 14 inches have shown up, taking 1/64th oz shad darts and other small jigs tipped with maggots or mealworms. These exceptional fish for our waters were released to keep the gene pool in check for future bigguns'. Check these guys out...
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| Not a lot, but they are big! |
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| I love the body dynamics of these fish! |
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| I could handle a lot of this action! |
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| One of 5 Pennsylvania award crappies last week, all released. |
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| Just past my elbow. |
Yes, quite a treat, those big black crappies. They likely won't be available much after May 1st, as they are moving shallow, preparing to spawn. Here are some of the jigs we catch these fish on...
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| 1/80th ounce micros for the gills and... |
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| ...1/80th ounce Skinny Minnies for the crappies. | | | |
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Yes, it was a good week of fishing, and I feel that we have all been blessed with this wonderful sport that provides so much fun and enjoyment, along with an occasional nutritious meal as well. As a matter of fact, we have been blessed with many things...things like food on the table, good jobs and homes, loving family and lasting friendships. But the greatest blessing of all is that of a Gracious and Loving Savior. You see, Christ forgives us of our sins, our screw ups, and cleanses us to be righteous with Him in the heavenly realms. We can never 'earn' His graces or forgiveness by doing good things or being just a 'nice guy'. God sent His one and only son to die a horrible death on a cross so that you and I, and every body else who embraces Him as the Savior, would spend an eternity in heaven dancing, walking and worshiping the King. But you have to 'accept' the invitation to bring Him into your life, change it, and release the struggles of sin and death from you forever. It's not a 'given'.
There's a little more to it than just proclaiming 'Yeah, I believe in Jesus', then going on about our merry, sinful way. Believe me, as a man who deserves hell as much as anyone who ever walked, I can tell you that miracles do happen and lives are forever transformed. Stop dying and start living today. John 3:16 says it so simply by stating...
'For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son so that whosoever believes in Him shall have everlasting Life.' This truth does not apply to people who have mearly a head-knowledge of Christ or who are aware of the Biblical accounts. The key word is 'BELIEVES' in Him. Without belief in Christ there is no salvation of souls.
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| Eternity is a long time...think about it... |
