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Time for a little fresh.

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DoorGunner

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Water fishing that is. 

Living at the shore does create tunnel fishing for saltwater species. This past spring I did try a little freshwater because the cold and rain slowed down the arrival of many of our salt fish. Hit one lake on an old golf course that the state turned into a wildlife refuge and had plenty of fun with bass, trout and crappie. The great thing about freshwater species is they can't leave. Not much migrating in a lake. I can always pick up meal worms and all winter at the dock I can catch real small minnows that are perfect for what I want. 

The weather report for New Years day is clearing sky's and came up with a plan. Will be at my girlfriends house and her and her neighbor plan on going for their walk in the morning. So I can walk across the street and hit the lake up there that i had stocked with pickerel and crappie about twenty years ago. They took to that lake like fish to water and with no ice there should be fish to be caught. After that it will be the lake on the golf course thats about a twenty minute ride from my place. 

We just returned from a trip to New Hampshire and while we were there we skipped across the line to Maine where I hit an outdoor store and picked up some small jigs and floats and today I will respool with some light line and bait my minnow trap. Figure two rods so I will take a few larger minnows for New Years to dangle in front of the pickerel. 

Growing up in Philly I did a lot of freshwater fishing but not much since I moved to the shore in 83. Feels good to get back into it and just adds another way to get the line wet when most of our saltwater species have headed south. Plus my fishing license is free so I don't have to pay the state to have my fun. Will post pics if I catch anything. Happy New Year. 

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Stopped at Walmart this morning to see if they had any meal worms yet. No live bait at all. Just came home from the dock where the minnow trap had about fifty very small minnows in it. Didn't want the meal worms for tomorrow morning because the lake at my girlfriends house doesn't hold any trout. About twenty years ago it was loaded with stunted largemouth and some bluegills and that was it. Me and a friend stocked a bunch of crappie and a few pickerel and they did real good so small minnows should do the trick. Later in the week I will hit the lake down here and thats the one with trout.Figured I'd just go to Pet Smart because they sell meal worms for the lizard customers. Don't expect a lot tomorrow because I will be fishing across the street from a neighbors dock and it's the shallower end of the lake. My rods, camera, chair and lots of wildlife is a perfect way to say hello to the new year. Yay for lizard people. 

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8 hours ago, DoorGunner said:

Stopped at Walmart this morning to see if they had any meal worms yet. No live bait at all. Just came home from the dock where the minnow trap had about fifty very small minnows in it. Didn't want the meal worms for tomorrow morning because the lake at my girlfriends house doesn't hold any trout. About twenty years ago it was loaded with stunted largemouth and some bluegills and that was it. Me and a friend stocked a bunch of crappie and a few pickerel and they did real good so small minnows should do the trick. Later in the week I will hit the lake down here and thats the one with trout.Figured I'd just go to Pet Smart because they sell meal worms for the lizard customers. Don't expect a lot tomorrow because I will be fishing across the street from a neighbors dock and it's the shallower end of the lake. My rods, camera, chair and lots of wildlife is a perfect way to say hello to the new year. Yay for lizard people. 

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year, Fred

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Ton of rain then the new year started with some strong winds. Not the best for light tackle and to make matters worse I forgot my bag with my camera and all my cards including drivers license. Took a few pics with my phone but still can't figure how to put them on here. Sent them to squidder so maybe he will help out. 

Two rods with small hooks and small floats with about forty small minnows and trying to cast into the wind. The end of the lake I was fishing was shallow. Any more than two feet down from the float and I was in the bottom slime. Once I got set up I was ready to call it quits. Wind was just nasty so I had to wait for it to slow  just to cast and that took some time for that to happen. First cast and just as the rig hit the water the big gust hit and put a large bow in my line. Started dragging my float off to the side when there was a big swirl right behind my minnow. That right there was enough to get me back into the game. 

I mentioned earlier that my friend and I had stocked this lake because it just wasn't doing very well. All stunted largemouth and bluegills. We did two trips to a river about twenty minutes away and using a large minnow cart we held the fish we caught that included pickerel, crappie and yellow perch. We had a 100 gallon plastic tub in the back of his truck and when we were ready to leave we dumped about ten buckets of water into it then the fish and drove like maniacs to the lake. That was twenty years ago and I hadn't fished it since. This past summer I watched a guy who fished the end of the lake where the public could get to and he was heading to his truck with a stringer of fish. I walked over and was happy to see some real nice crappie. I told him we had stocked it and man was he happy because he said that his father had fished there when he was young and only caught small largemouth. This guy told me he always caught crappie and some real nice pickerel but no yellow perch. I figured two out of three taking to the lake wasn't bad. 

So this morning with the wind blowing I got to wet a line after twenty years. It was a fantastic way to start a new year with a final total of 9 pickerel from eight to eighteen inches long. One YELLOW PERCH so they did take to the lake and 2 of the biggest bluegills I have ever caught. No crappie but I do know they are there and probably in deeper water. I was amazed that for January 1st there was one big ass snapping turtle that kept coming to the surface. Figured they would have been hunkered down for the winter. So pissed that I didn't have my camera because there are four swans on the lake and each pair took their turn coming in for a landing and both times they did it right in front of me. Can't wait to hit the lake again and I guess as the temps stay mild these fish will keep checking out the shallow end of the lake. Happy New Year.  

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Depending on the weather tomorrow morning I'll be heading to the lake near me to see whats happening there. Stocked with trout and did real good there in the spring along with some slab crappies. Still have plenty of itty bitty live minnows but wanted meal worms to top it off. Wallmart around me isn't stocking live bait yet so I did my run to PetSmart. Girl working the back where they sell crickets and other live pet foods and I asked for the meal worms. She asked if I wanted 50 or 100 and I said 50 so she went into the back room and came back but with the 100. Said they were out of the 50 count so she would give me the 100 at half price. As I took the container from her she asked what kind of pet was I feeding. I smiled and said they were for bait and hopefully I would be feeding trout. She scrunched up her face and said, UG, you mean you put them on a hook. That sounds nasty. I wonder what she thinks the lizard people do with them. 

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I'll take any species of fish during the winter. Just go out wishing for one bite and anything more is a gift. Not keeping anything so a bend in the rod is what makes the day a success. Cold water will slow down all species but they do have to eat and that includes largemouth. Dangling a live minnow or a worm from a float is just about the best way for me to get that bite I want. Sure beats sitting around watching TV. I know tomorrow morning it will be a tough decision of heading out in the cold and damp or sitting here watching ESPN with a hot cup of coffee. Once you get dressed and walk out the door you realize you made the right decision. Tomorrow as long as it isn't raining I will head out only this time I won't forget my camera. Two buckets of minnows in the back of the truck along with two rigged rods and a container of meal worms in my bag will be enough to drag me away from ESPN. This lake has trout, crappies and largemouth and hopefully at least one will want to come out to play.  

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