Chautauqua crappies

[Ivan]

A buddy and I took our daughters to another buddies cottage at Chq over the weekend. The 3 and 5 year old girls had a blast catching crappies and the guys had a great time eating them. Bonus largemouth, perch, bluegills, and bullheads too. What a great day!

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[BSmaster]

That's awesome.

[justtracytrolling]

Ditto! Way to get the next generation out there and involved...that's what's important! They think they're just fishing!

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[Sk8man]

Very cool!

[Ivan]

Thanks guys. It was better to see the girls having so much fun than if I would have been catching fish myself. The tough part is finding a good place with enough action to keep young kids interested. This was perfect. I don't know that my buddies 3 yr old had ever fished before. She wouldn't take much instruction but was casting like a champ by the end of the day.

[justtracytrolling]

I like to take kids bass fishing this time of year...plenty of action. Inline spinners work well with kids cuz the fish hook themselves and they cast easy...not to say there isnt better lures, but spinners fish easy for kids.

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[Nalod]

Sounds like you all had a great weekend, Adam!  Were you fishing the shoreline of the canal, or did you bring your boat?

 

--Joe

[Ivan]

We just fished from shore Joe. It was great for the kids because they could play with bubbles or watch cartoons in the cottage if things got a little slow or they just wanted a break.

From the way i understand it, those crappies are only in there for a couple weeks around spawn, but I'm certainly no expert. I think you have to time it just right so it was nice to have a friend with a place there and a little inside knowledge. We just used little fathead minnows on bare hooks or jigs a couple feet below a float for the crappies.

Are you on a canal also?

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[Ivan]

That's a good suggestion Justin. My family has a farm with some ponds. I need to get my daughter back up there for some bass fishing. I just wish i had some better options close to home for weekday evenings. Tough for me to break away from my muskie addiction on the weekends and my daughter isnt ready for that yet.

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[justtracytrolling]

Cant beat farm ponds! We have 4 that produce.

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[Nalod]

No canal property for me.  We rent a cottage every fall on the lake.  Other than that I am commuting or renting a hotel room nearby.

 

I guess the run has been a little awkward this year.  Sperry told me it was a good bite right after easter, but the cold spell we had at the start of this month slowed them down.  He said that a heat-up would get them going again....and here we are!  I always intend to get down there for the active bite, but seem to miss it every year with other commitments.