Still catching

[len johnson]

I guess everyone is getting ready for Christmas and not spending a lot of time fishing.  I am still doing the crappie thing in the delta.  The fishing is really great right now.  I have been catching lots of crappie, although not real big ones, and some of the largest redears that I have seen in a long time.  The crappie have moved into many of the marinas in the delta now.  You just have to find a marina and have a boat to be able to fish it.  Most of the places where I fish do not allow fishing from the bank in the marina area.  Two seals and two otters have moved into my spot and they are just gorging themselves on the crappie, catfish, and bluegills.  A friend of mine found another place to catch them and he went out yesterday with his cousin and caught two limits in a couple of hours.  I will be out there today after work and I will post pics later.  I have a picture posted of some fish I caught last weekend.  If you notice the redear is larger than the crappie.  

I'd like to take this time to wish everyone and your family a blessed Christmas.  May the joy of the Christmas season be yours.
Tight Lines,
Len

[len johnson]

This is the picture of the redear that was larger than the crappie I caught.  This redear was almost 1lb.  The picture does not do it justice

Len

[kraz88]

Thank you for sharing Len. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

[len johnson]

I did go after work yesterday.  Got on the water around 3pm when the tide was going out.  The first five casts I made produced five nice crappie.  Fished in two different places in the same area and after about 2 hrs of fishing I caught a limit of fish and my neighbor caught five.  He has a tough time getting the jig technique down.  After he misses a lot of fish, frustration sets in on him and then it really gets difficult.  I do what I can to help him get it down, but you have to have confidence in your ability to catch fish.  We still had a great time and called it quits around 5pm and headed home.

Tight lines,
Len

[fishingaddict]

He has a tough time getting the jig technique down.  After he misses a lot of fish, frustration sets in on him and then it really gets difficult.  I do what I can to help him get it down, but you have to have confidence in your ability to catch fish.
Tight lines,
Len

Len, I recall when I went out with you and Steve that he was using either 6lb or 8lb line, it just felt bigger then the 4lb that I was using when I helped him tie on a jig cause he couldn't see the line and the eye of the jig. I think the line has alot to do with and maybe it's a confidence thing too. When I went with my nephew on Sunday, He caught 5 and I caught about 40 and we were using the same exact jigs except he had on 8lb line.  I'm not sure how well Steves eye sight is, but in the winter the crappies bite alot softer and you have to pay attention to the rod tip all the time and most of the time you don't even see a tick only that the rod starts to load up.  Don't get me wrong I'm not telling you how to fish and i'm sure you've been doing this way longer than I have, but this was what I saw.

Were you able to find any of the jigs I showed you.  If you want some and can't find any, just let me know and I'll hook you up with some.  I'm down where you live quite a bit.  There is a business on west lane a mile or so from your house that I take service calls often.
Jim

[len johnson]

Hey Jim,
You are absolutely correct about how to catch these fish.  I have told guys the same thing you stated; you have to watch the rod tip to be able to detect the bite.  Guys wonder why I always catch more fish than they do, and when I explain it to them, they just don't seem to catch on.  Steve has vision problems, so it is really difficult for him to be able to see what is going on with his rod tip.

I have been fishing another area than when you went with me.  The fish where I am fishing now are larger and they are even closer to get to than the other spot.  I really believe that crappie are stacked in the marinas in almost if not all the delta.  I am hearing about more spots each time I go out.  If you remember this time last year the weather was so strange with all the rain and cold, that it was hard to keep them in one area long.  With no rain lately they are staying around longer.  I don't think they will leave until we get some rain, so until then It's Crappie Time In the Delta!!!!

Tight Lines,
Len

[len johnson]

I did find some of the jigs that you gave me at the store that you mentioned.  Thanks for the offer.

One thing that I have noticed about these fish in the area that I am fishing now is when they start to bite as the tide is going out the little ones start to bite first.  After ten minutes or so, the larger fish appear and the bite really takes off.  I caught fish yesterday that were a pound or better.  I am not catching any redears now, but that's okay because I am after the crappie.  My friend is going to take me to another spot that he found quite by accident on Tuesday while bass fishing.  I will be on vacation until after the New Year starting on Friday, so if I don't go out of town, I will be on a fishing marathon, weather permitting.  Maybe we can get together on another trip sometime in the near future.

Tight lines,
Len

[fishingaddict]

I want to head out this Saturday.  Call me when you get a minute and we'll talk.