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My Fishing Reel Review

About 3 years ago I bought a new open face reel. LEWS is the brand name from Cabelas. Most reels last me a year if I'm lucky, the raceway where the line runs over starts to groove within a couple of months, but not with LEWS brand fishing reels.

 I'm an avid fisherman, going at least once a week and some weeks 3 or 4 times, that's a lot of casting, retrieving and stress put on my reels. My LEWS Open Face Reel is the best fishing reel I've used in 45 years of fishing.


Shop Cabelas Memorial Day Sale and buy your own Trusty LEWS open face reel you'll be glad you did just like I am! <(:HF+< jono

Crappie Storm

The clouds were boiling, the storm was brewing, but... The Crappie were biting like crazy! I knew it was going to start raining soon, no worries that's the best time to catch fish. So about an hour and a half before the rain set in I hopped in the truck and headed to the ole fishing hole.

When I get there the wind is just staring to pick up, just enough to make my bobber dance on the waters surface. The very first cast something hits my jig, short striking so I miss. The next cast is a solid strike!

As I set the hook this fish runs for the lillypad roots and hangs me up, I get it free but this is a determined fish. It feels odd too, more like a catfish. Finally I get it worked lose and up where I can see it, I'm surprised, it's a nice crappie a 13"er, in the bucket it goes.

Now I walk off the dam to the other side of the lillypads, the fish are really biting hard! I catch a few small crappie and toss them in the bucket to stock another pond close to home and then the bluegill start biting, all small ones though so they go back in the lake.

It's just starting to sprinkle a bit off and on and now I'm not getting bites further out. The crappie have moved towards the bank so I short cast and catch another couple small ones. I cast in front of the lillypads and start retrieving.

About 5 feet from the bank a big crappie nails my jig, this one makes my drag sing! I get it to the bank and wow that's a nice crappie!

I just had to show this baby off properly beside my rod and reel. Last spring I caught 8 this size, over 15" and one was nearly 17". I've fished this lake for over 40 years, the same family still owns it and I've caught many nice crappie, channel catfish and bass from this old lake.

Well folks, enjoy the pictures, I sure enjoyed catching the fish before I got rained out. <(;HF+< jono

Fishing Missouri Creeks and Ponds

Hi Folks,

Creek fishing is something that I grew up doing. From about 8 years old I began roaming the area surrounding my childhood home, there was a creek behind our house just down the hill. As a boy I'd grab my rod and reel and walk down to the water to fish and play in the creek.

Catching bass, perch and catfish just about anytime during the year was my kinda fun. Bullfrogs, crawdads, minnows, turtles, lizards, and most any water creatures were my quarry and fun as a kid. Children now days make pets of those critters, for me they were everywhere I looked.

So for me creek and pond fishing are second nature, how I 'cut my teeth' so to speak. When it comes to reading the water, well I learned that as a boy, and haven't forgotten how. When I fish a new pond, as happens every year, if they're biting I'll find them and catch them .

A couple weeks ago I went to a local creek. This time of year it's not wading weather, for me anyway and this section I fished has limited access. The fish just weren't biting there, but I was watching a school of bass from 2-6 LBs swimming around. This about drove me nuts since they saw me too and just wouldn't bite.

Oh well... I moved on to a pond that was close by, fished for a while and finally started catching fish. Normally at this pond the crappie were snapping at my jig, this day however they ignored everything I threw their way.

I walked around to the farthest side which is really shallow and started getting strikes, caught some bluegill and tossed them back. That's a good sign at least, for the first 45 minutes I didn't even get a strike. Tossing my jig/bobber combo out, nearly across the pond something attacks my bobber.. A Bass!!

No hookset though so I keep casting. For the next half hour I catch some bass and perch, one of the bass is 3 and a half pounds and 2 are about 2 LBs which gives me fresh fish dinner. Anyone who's had fresh fish from the water, to the skillet, to the plate, knows just what I mean. That's all I really wanted anyway so I'm happy. <(;HF+<

How to Fillet Crappie Easily & Quickly

Crappie!! Filleting The Easy Way

Hi Fishing Folks

Here's a little 5 minute "How To Video" that I just made and added to you tu.be this week. Please bear with me folks, this is my first ever video. By now you know I'm just a simple ole country boy, but I can sure enough learn! I filleted quite a few fish that day and I'd been wanting to make a video for a while, so here's the result. About 40 years of fish cleaning practice wrapped up in a 5 minute video. <(;HF+<

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K9tPVbP91rk/VQfYH79yZVI/AAAAAAAAAqE/G7QZop0exAs/w380-h675/20150312_171205.mp4

Early Spring Crappie Fishing

Hi All Fishers
The Crappie Fishing was amazing today!! Yesterday...Not so much. But today my fishing rod and I, had great fun. And I even have some pretty cool 'crappie fishing tips' for you, in good time. hehe. ((-;

So for the 12th of March, we here in central Missouri near the Lake of the Ozarks, are having beautiful weather. It was 55 by 11:00 AM today and I was already at my favorite lake. For this early in the year the water temp is warming nicely, so I was hopeful the fish were biting.

3-12-15 First Fishing Trip in March
My Favorite Lake

I love crappie fishing folks, when they're biting the action is hard to beat. Today it started off slow as I walked to the shallow end of the lake, making a few casts along the way. When I get to the willow trees (red arrow) I start to see some fish movement beneath the trees. So I ease my way close enough to cast near the swirls.

Strike...And a miss! A few more casts, still nothing hooked, so I walk on down to the point of the cove. Now usually there's some slab crappie hanging out in this area, not today though. I started here because the water would be slightly warmer, but the wind is blowing towards the dam, the opposite end of the lake.

So after catching a couple of crappie, I work my way to the dam. Now here's a little "crappie fishing tip", whichever direction the wind is blowing, fish at the bank that it's blowing towards. The choppy water stirs the baitfish and that's where the bigger fish will be feeding, and that increases your chances of catching more fish.

I've been here about an hour, and it's warmed up a few more degrees, the fish are starting to bite more, so I've added a couple more to my bucket. This time of year in ponds and small lakes, the crappie are usually hanging close to the bank. I was casting 4-5 feet out from the bank and catching some 9-10" fish.

I like to use a bobber this time of year, about 12-18" deep. This keeps the jig at a consistent depth where the crappie are feeding and with a solid weighted bobber you can cast farther even with a strong wind

3-12-15 First Mess of Crappie

So I'm walking along the bank, casting ahead of my direction of travel. Finally a good solid hit, there's a slabbie, a nice 13 incher, in the bucket she goes. Prespawn crappie fight like the devil and I'm having a blast. I've added 8 to the bucket by now, and since crappie like shade I'm headed to the tree lined side of the lake.

Now it's warmed up to about 70 and the fish are really starting to bite. My next 5 casts I land 3 nice slabs. Next I cross the fence and sit down on a boat that the owner keeps there, this is a nicely shaded area, and the crappie have really started to bite.



For the next hour I land over 30 fish, some small 7-8" but out of those I have 14 nice keepers 10-13". I also kept a few small bluegill to fertilize my tomato plants, that makes those tomatoes taste so good! I ended up keeping 22 nice filleting size crappie, what a great relaxing early spring fishing trip.

Thanks for visiting folks
(-: jono

Pond Fishing at my Childhood Fishing Holes

Hi Fishing Friends


I grew up on the outskirts of town, there were 6 houses on a mile and a half stretch of road where I lived. With a nice little stream running beside the road, that also flowed behind my house. To the east & west of my house were 4 pits, 2 clay pits to the east with 2 rock quarry pits to the west.

#3 H&W Claypit One of my
Childhood Fishing Places 

One of the rock quarry pits, is where I caught my first big bass, the ignited that fishing passion that I hold so dear. But it was the 2 clay pits that I fished the most later on. After a short quarter mile stretch, with rod & reel and my gear in pockets, I'd usually bring home a fine fish dinner. (After I cleaned them, of course)

I recall one trip where I even got a pierced ear. Using a mini-Lazy Ike, dual treble hooks, I'd been catching some decent 2-3 lb bass that day. The wind started blowing pretty hard in the afternoon, I was making a cast, had too much slack in the line, and the wind caught it. The next thing I know I have a fishing lure for an earring, ouch!!

It took a bit to gather my catch & gear up, but I did, then headed home, walked into the house shouted MOM! She came running, I told her, " Mom I caught the biggest one ever". Then I turned my head so she could see my new orange and black spotted earring. After she quit laughing, she scooted me to the hospital. (((-:

 I was pretty fortunate that the hooks only stuck in my ear, not my head. And lucky the doctor didn't trash my favorite Lazy Ike, he just clipped the barbs from the hooks, pulled the hooks from my ear gave me shot in the butt, then gave me my lure back.

And again Mom laughed, (behind her hand this time) So I squalled a bit, sit funny on the way home, but was back fishing the next day.

I still hate needles!!

Well folks that happened over 35 years ago, now for the fun part of my story.

I started fishing that pit again this spring, and the catching was even better.  When I got to the water, it was still a clear lite green. At first, all we caught were a few small perch, but after walking around to the far side I started to see the bass..

And that my dear fishers, is tomorrows story. ;-)

Hey happy fishing to you folks, see ya soon. (-: jono

Catfishing in the Extreme

Hi Fishing Friends

Pursuing catfish on a regular basis can be an extreme sport. On  Sunday Oct. 19th that's what I did.

I was at a new pond that I fish from time to time and at first the catching was slow. After about an hour and making one round of this fishing hole, I'd only caught a couple of perch. So not being a quitter, I caught me a few grasshoppers and walked around to the old dock.

<(;HF+< (Tip) Now here's a very important 'how to' tip, my friends. Catfish love grasshoppers!!

I set up a catfish rig, with my favorite live bait, and put it out there. I secured my pole on the dock, then picked up my other rod already setup with a crappie jig and started casting. Then the fish start biting, so I toss a couple in my bucket.

Spring fed pond that I caught this Catfish from
 (pic taken- 3-11-15)

Seeing movement out on the surface, like a big catfish swirling, I reel in my cat rig. Recasting it near that splash I secure my rod back down and start catching nice sized perch with my other one.

Making a cast, my jig gets hung in a tree, I break my line and begin to retie. Hearing a noise, I look up. My catfish rod is bent over, hanging by the biggest eyelet on the dock rail.


Quickly dropping my rod I run the 25 feet to my rig. Grabbing my rod, I set the hook and the fight is on. WooHoo it's a bigun' too. With my drag singing to me, (love that song) I walk down off the dock to a good spot on the bank.

It takes a few minutes to bring in my fish, oh man, what a fish it is, a big fat catfish. When I pull it out of the water, flopping around, I know it's well over 10 lbs. Loading everything up, I head to the local bait shop to weigh my huge channel cat.

Now a 10 lb channel is a big fish, I've caught many under 10 lbs. This monster weighed in at 14 lbs with a huge belly on her. Biggest channel that I've caught on a rod & reel. That's some catfishing in the extreme to this ole country boy. :-)

Hoping you have a great day my fishing friends.
Jon

Ponds - What I mean

Hello All,
      
Today I want to start by telling what I mean by "Ponds".
It's a pretty generic term really, so let's clear the waters, so to speak.

This includes, small to large farm ponds, lakes, to lets say 50 acres, all pits such as, clay pits, coal mine pits, rock quarry pits, for a few examples.

Pits are my personal favorites, due to their depth and ability to hold an abundance of  large & diverse fish, most are also harder to access so that fishing pressure usually isn't a factor in catching larger fish.

In addition along large rivers you will find 'scour holes' from flood years that are really interesting because of the size & diversity of the fish there.

Many a trip to these 'scour holes' or  'blue holes' as some folks call them, have netted me 18" Crappie, large Flathead Catfish, and even Spoonbill in the 50 lb range. I know, sounds unbelievable, but still it's true.

I've personally fished these river 'scour holes' for over 20 years now, having many incredible 'catching' trips.

In fact one of my most memorable fishing trips was...(see "Throwback Thursday")

That story is for another time, sorry about that I almost got sidetracked with that Awesome Memory.

River 'scour holes' to me are in a class all by themselves, not ponds, not pits, or lakes either, just some great fishing nonetheless.

One more thing before I wrap this up, any body of water that is less than about 5 ft deep usually isn't worth wetting a line in, yes there are some exceptions, such as spring fed waters, but in dry years fish quickly die without depth to the water.

Thanks for checking out my fun little project here at the "Pond Fishing Club" I have some really cool stuff coming for you all in the near future, Please help me get better by leaving a comment, if you would be so kind.

I promise I'll respond to you as soon as possible, have a Great Day & Happy Fishing.
                                                                       Jon