Some crappie before the snow

jason_purdy · December 16, 2020, 03:15:09 PM

With the weather system expecting to bring us 6-12 inches of snow, I snuck out to the Occoquan River (just south of Washington DC) for a little kayak fishing. I found an area of rocky bottom in 25' of water that held a number of fish suspended from 12' -16'. I set up spider rigging with Bobby Garland jigs and had steady action until the tide stopped. After that I moved under the I-95 bridge and "shot the pilings" with my favorite fenwick ultralight. A 1/16 oz jighead with a 2" chartreuse and red flake body proved to be the ticket. Once the smoke cleared, I caught about 40 crappie, keeping 18 ( enough for a couple of family meals). Happy Holidays everybody.

-Jason

thorhammer · December 16, 2020, 04:09:13 PM

Man, that's good eats, nice work!

You should contact Nick, Reelfishingproblem, he yak fishes and is right up by you (as much as you can say "right by" in a sentence also containing DC and I-95). Great guy.

John

Crow · December 16, 2020, 04:30:37 PM

Nice catch ! Thanks for sharing !

foakes · December 16, 2020, 04:33:30 PM

Nice slabs and a good day, Jason!

Thanks for showing us how it's done!

Best,

Fred

Midway Tommy · December 16, 2020, 05:04:27 PM

Nice catch! That's some good eating, right there! We just had a couple of crappie & a couple of "eyes" Sun night. Nothing better than walleye, crappie, perch or slab 'gills.! Yum!

happyhooker · December 17, 2020, 02:59:52 AM

Fantastic day.

Frank

bhale1 · December 17, 2020, 03:20:10 AM

Ditto on what they said.... great job...
If you have time, next time you cook up them chunks, send some pics of the process please... they look yummy

Brett

Benni3 · December 17, 2020, 07:54:25 AM

Fantastic job,,,,,

that is 2 trophy fish white and black I still got to get,,,,,

but it's some of the best eating freshwater water fish out there,,,,,,,

Bryan Young · December 17, 2020, 08:30:00 AM

That looks all crappy and all crapped out

Sweet. I love crappy fishing. It's fun and they are great fighters especially using ultralite fishing gear.

mo65 · December 17, 2020, 11:02:56 AM

Quote from: Midway Tommy on December 16, 2020, 05:04:27 PM
Nothing better than walleye, crappie, perch or slab 'gills.! Yum!

Agreed...the four best "eating" fish in the water!

ReelFishingProblems · December 17, 2020, 01:18:13 PM

Jason,

That looks like quite a haul. I'm in Arlington and have been fishing the Potomac and 4 mile run. I've been planning on getting down to the Occoquan to try for some stripers.

It looks like you've got it all dialed in.

Nick

jason_purdy · December 17, 2020, 06:35:14 PM

Thanks for all the kind words gents!

Nick, I live in Brambleton now. I was in Reston for the last four years. If you want any pointers for Occoquan, I'm happy to help. I'm by no means an expert, but I usually put some fish in the boat.

-Jason

steelfish · December 17, 2020, 07:32:17 PM

Quote from: jason_purdy on December 16, 2020, 03:15:09 PM
....... my favorite fenwick ultralight. A 1/16 oz jighead with a 2" chartreuse .
-Jason

1/16oz jighead yay!!
I have never fished with those kind of light jigs, but I bet fighting a 1.5# crappy on a UL rod would be pretty cool.

I have two UL fenwick rods that I would like to try on the shore in my beaches, but kind of afraid that a triggerfish take my bait and break the rod, its pretty fun to fight triggers on M or MH Bass rods, it feels like fighting a big grouper but a trigger on a UL rod I dont know $:-\$

my plan is to catch a spotted Bay bass on a UL Fenwick rod but when triggers are present they take all your offerings,

ReelFishingProblems · December 17, 2020, 08:27:47 PM

I guess my real question for the Occoquan is whether or not there is a point in the winter that fishing is dead. I just finished a course up here and will have some more time to fish now

jason_purdy · December 17, 2020, 09:23:49 PM

Nick,

The Occoquan is a consistent producer year round. Crappie are generally found around Hoffmasters Marina and/or the I-95 bridge pilings. Large flathead catfish move into the river in the winter, and bass can usually be found along the drop offs on the north shore of the river fishing creature baits or dropshots SLOW. You have to respect the temps, dress accordingly, and always wear a PFD. Some of my most productive days have been in January or February when the fish get bunched up, but you'll be breaking some ice off the rod guides for sure.

Steelfish,

I have some great memories of using undersized spinning tackle on triggerfish when I lived on the Gulf of Mexico. We would chum them up to the surface, and pitch a chunk of bait (usually squid or shrimp) on a yellowtail jig or stout, unweighted hook. With 60-80 feet of water down to whatever structure was there, a light rod with 6-8# test was great fun.

-Jason