Making orange juice from a lemon

[Zig]

The beginning of November greeted us with a crisp wind, and seasonal air temperatures. GZ's last soccer game was Saturday morning, making Saturday afternoon open game for a little panfishing. The plan was to launch the boat just after lunch and fish for bluegill till dark.
Plans never quite seem to work out for myself.
After an hour of waiting in our local Red Lobster, we were informed our lunch orders had been "lost".
That little fiasco took a 2hr. chunk of time out of our plans.
Faced with only a couple hours to fish before darkness set in, we launched the boat in hopes of at least finding a few fish.

What we found wasn't what we were after...................but we took advantage of it regardless. I called it adaptation, GZ called it "a blast".
We had the typical scenery:

The sonar showed us the ever changing natural structure:

Armed with thoughts of fall bluegilling, and ultra light tackle, we settled in for some vertical jigging. The first fish in the boat was fiesty, young bluegill. The second was a white crappie. Then it started..........................
The laughing, the shear joy, and look of complete contentment on the face of a young child made time stand still.
Even though it was a very short trip, plans were made to return the next day to continue making the memories.

Sunday dawned and found my boat partner invited to a fall hayride and party, and my other succumbing to a cold. I was now alone to face cold water panfish.
When the dust finally settled after vertical jigging 1/64 and 1/32oz. hair jigs for a combined 10 angling hours over two trips, the counter stopped at 143. Unfortunately this wasn't a bluegill catch - the white crappie were just too challenging to walk away from. While there were incidental bluegill caught, none were what we had targetted.

The small picture showed some outstanding angling on a waterway that was dishing multiple plates of humble pie to the numerous anglers on the water with me.
The larger picture continues to show either my complete lack of skill to catch mature fish, or the severe shape the fishery is in on this waterway. While some lengthly fish were handled (and lost boatside), the weight just wasn't present.
We ran, what I believe, is the complete gauntlet of year classes:

Each fish caught came to the same end:

The chance to offer someone else the same joyful memories they gave us.

[Jeremy R. Mayo]

Well if we really wanna get tech there Bruce!!!! hahah those pictures have both white and black crappie in em. Counting the dorsils is how to tell the differ. I have a new cuncauction that I put together monday night.

Take a lil butter, lemon juice, red wine, UNyuns, mushrooms, paprika, garlic, vanilla extact, salt, pepper, and tonys cajun season. 10 good ole fillets cut into nuggets, Flip it all around in a hot skillet real good till it flakes and dump it over in a pot with a couple cans of cream of mushroom couple cans of water and a lil milk. Put a lid on it for prolly 15 min and serv with toast.... Garlic and butter on the toast with a lil bit of parsley for color for yall sAphisticated folks. Thats some good eatn..... I like to let it cook a lil more while im eatin to get the water base out of it and put it in the fridge.... then tomorrow when you get home you got a real good dip to eat with some club crackers. DERN Tootin Ima good cook

Bruce your more than welcome to copy and paste this under what should be a good cookin tag on the home page.

[Bruce Condello]

For those of you who don't know--I think "white perch" to Jeremy might be "crappie" to some others. Jeremy: when you cook for other people do you use that same great recipe that you put on www.bigbluegill a few weeks back? That was awesome.

[Jeremy R. Mayo]

Im not sure if its fortune or unfortune. Ive experieced the same over the past 2 months now. Im a avid bluegill fisherman yet the call of the elusive white perch has hendered my attention as if I were a two year old and something shiney came across my perifferil vision. Ive experienced great catches of white perch the past few weeks culling my limits on almost every fishing trip. Ive started using shiners and with in the past 2 weeks it seems im culling bass now. Adaptation...... Its moving though my freezer. Ive decided I have a freezer full of bluegill. (close to 200) a rack of crapie (prolly 15lbs of fillets) and now im workin on the bass. What can I say.... I like to put meat in the boat. Some people think that Ive got way to many fish but Im constantly giving fish to those that need the meat and cooking for people that dont have the opertunity to go. I love fishing and whats the key to getting people that dont have the same interest....FOOOD!~!!!!!

[Michael J. Searl]

That looks like a beautifull setting to wet a line. I wouldn't have a problem losing the eatery fustration on that lake. Your photos and writing are great. Thanks, ole Mike

[crappiecrazy]

Man, what a story and pictures. I want to go fishin with you!

[Alex G.]

nice slabs! what beautiful fall colors in those trees to!