Labor Day Crappie Report

I made my way off to Shearon Harris with Chris Jordan and Rick Allard for some Labor Day weekend Crappie Fishing, yesterday. The hope was that the incoming front would produce a fierce bite. So, I decided that an afternoon crappie hunt would be our best bet for tight lines and off we went.

Water temps are beginning to fall; after a summer where I found surface temp at around 89 degree, the temps are now around 83. Which means that the big bass of Harris are going to be feeding up for the winter. Evidence of this was around us, as schooling bass were breaking the surface as we tried fishing for crappie with an envious eye on the bass action.

We started fishing with crappie rods out by slow trolling with minnows attached to Coleman-Capps rigs just from the ramp. Though we hadn't planned for bass fishing, Chris tied on a black Rooster Tail and began casting toward the bank and it wasn't long before he had the first fish of the day, a respectable 2 1/2 pound largemouth on 4lb test line is enough excitement even for a grizzled veteran of fishing and it set the bar for this trip.

The action ended up being a bit slow, though we caught every species except for the pickerel. Rick and I both had the pleasure of having our lines slimed by White catfish and Brown bullheads, but it provided us with a pleasant inconvienance. We only ended up catching 8 or so of our target species, crappie, however Chris landed one of the largest crappie that I seen out Harris, a respectable 11 inch slab, and I had another to the boat.

Though the fishing has been better, it was still a great day with a couple of great guys that I call friends. Already, looking forward to the next trip.

For you die hard Bass fishermen, keep an eye on Harris. It won't be long before the weeds begin to break up and the bass are biting hard. The fall is always a special time of year for fishing and the action at Harris is no exception.