 |
| My good friend Loren with a big crappie from the local 'big crappie' lake. |
Well, so far this year, things have really been crappie on the fishing front. Not bad...just a good number of big, thick spawning male black crappies that are hard to overlook when you know where to find them. Found some a few weeks ago and they are almost impossible to coax into striking. I have caught some on small garden worms and floating pink trout worms. Big fish...they ran from 12 to 15 inches. Here are a few of them...all released....
 |
| He's a biggun'! |
 |
| Never met a 14-inch crappie I didn't like! |
 |
| All guardian males were released for parental chores. |
 |
| Yeah, the Go Pro helps, but he big! |
Even my son Matt got into the act...here's his efforts for worm dunking...
 |
| Matt worked on this one for about 15-minutes...success! |
But as good a year as it has been so far for crappies, it has been just as good for bluegills. Check out some of these early season mombos we've been catching...
 |
| What's not to like about 10-inch bulls? |
 |
| Big hen...these plus sized gals make me happy, happy, HAPPY! |
 |
| Mottled colors and lack of barring make for a cool looking fish. |
 |
| Matt caught some big gills and punkins at the local piggy pond. |
And here are a few profile shots of some of our more impressive gills we have released so far in 2016...
 |
| Boy...do these guys ever fight! |
 |
| One of many 10-inchers we have released this spring. |
 |
| The spawn began on April 20...the earliest ever! |
 |
| Not quite eleven inches. This is how a big fish gets bigger. Any questions? |
 |
| Double-wide bulls are a sight to behold! |
 |
| Bull go home. |
|
|
The past few days have been tough...up and down weather and the gills aren't as easy to pattern. What's a burnt-out bluegill fisherman to do? Go bass fishing! Yup...bass are bedding , some are done and some are just getting started. Stank X Stix and seldom-used bobber/nightcrawler rigs on light line make for some exciting ultralight fishing. Easy and dependable, I tend to bass fish only when I can't rustle up some panfish. Here are a few from the past two days, April 26 & 27th...when we caught and released 39...
 |
| Spawned out girls sporting a trim figure. |
 |
| This 19-incher was the best of the lot. |
 |
| This one got in the way of bluegill fishing. |
 |
| Mr Ed got several nice ones on a drifted nightcrawler. |
 |
| A good un on the Stank X Stix. |
 |
| I think this one was caught more than once the past two days. |
Yes, this has been a crappie year, but certainly not a 'crappy' year for us. My wife is losing weight and
walking better than she has in years. I've lost a ton of weight and am eating better. Our grand girls are growing like weeds and my son is teaching Sunday school at church. I have made new friends and have a lot of folks to go fishing with. I am a lucky, no...blessed man! I don't have a lot of money, but I will tell you...I am a rich man. Most of what I have, well, you can't buy it anyway. Things like love, family, respect, integrity, health and peace. They don't happen by accident. I needed a guide, a plan, a blueprint for my life. That blueprint came in the form of the Holy Bible and the Savior, Jesus Christ.
I know there are some of you out there that might get to this point in this blog and stop reading...yeah...'Gronaw's goin' religious on us again.' To be honest, my faith has absolutely nothing to do with religion. My faith is based only on a relationship with my Lord Jesus Christ. It's that simple...really, it is. So many folks who are calling themselves Christians have yet to realize that it's not about religion...it's about a relation. No, I don't always wear the right clothes, drive the right cars, mow my lawn twice a week or attend the 'proper' events that 'religious people' are supposed to attend. But I know this...at the end of the day, I can kneel down at my bed, and thank Christ for everything...I mean EVERYTHING...that I have and every breath I take. And I can ask, guilt-free, for forgiveness of my sins, knowing I will be pardoned, yet expected to improve on my sinful behavior. Just like you and everyone else on the planet, I deserve hell. The only reason I am not getting that fate is because of this incredible relationship He has permitted me to have with Him. I am blessed.
I hope you are having a good year, not a 'crappy' one. If you are it is based on many things, but surely not totally of your own doing. If you have a heartfelt relation with Jesus Christ, you will be set free and your life will be forever changed. It is not of your own doing. Check it out in Isaiah 5:21...where it simply says...
WOE TO THOSE WHO ARE WISE IN THEIR OWN EYES AND CLEVER IN THEIR OWN SIGHT
 |
| A relationship with Jesus Christ will release you from guilt, fear, anger and despair. Be released today! |
