# Personal best shellcracker



## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

Not a monster, but still my personal best length wise: 12 5/8". I've caught heavier, but not this long.
I take a lot of people fishing and lots of them have beaten my biggest 'cracker, including a three year old's 13" last year, so I made a solo trip and got to do all the catching myself. I went through two boxes of pink worms and half a box of wigglers. Cleaned 15 bluegills, 6 shellcrackers, 3 bass, 2 redbreasts, and one each yellow perch and channel cat. Sweet meat!

Oh, and the season is 365 days this year, 8 mile limit (distance from dam to dam), can keep 50 bream per person, no other boats were on any of my spots, and seas were less than 1/4" all day.


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## swhiting (Oct 4, 2007)

Those are fun.

Great report!


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## barefoot (Nov 3, 2011)

Bodupp said:


> Oh, and the season is 365 days this year, 8 mile limit (distance from dam to dam), can keep 50 bream per person, no other boats were on any of my spots, and seas were less than 1/4" all day.


Love this!!

Can you smell the crackers when they're bedding?
My dad could always smell 'em, go straight to where they were bedded up.

I didn't inherit that keen sense of smell I guess.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

IMO You have the three best eating fish in the world - the best one is the little one in the small picture!


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

That's one heck of a mess of fish. Should finish all filling your freezer> LOL


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

Try'n Hard said:


> IMO You have the three best eating fish in the world - the best one is the little one in the small picture!


The yellow perch?


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

barefoot said:


> Love this!!
> 
> Can you smell the crackers when they're bedding?
> My dad could always smell 'em, go straight to where they were bedded up.
> ...


Can't say I've ever bird-dogged shellcrackers, but sniffed out quite a few bluegill beds when I was younger. Not so much anymore, and I was right on top of them the other day.

One of the things I missed by fishing alone was having someone in the boat to let the bream pee on. Drives most people crazy and makes them fish harder so they can catch one to retaliate.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

The smaller shellcracker. A plate full of 4"-6" fried shellcrackers is my all time favorite meal. 
On the other subject I caught some bluegill pee in the mouth Saturday. I find it sweeter than shellcracker pee with a more pleasant bouquet

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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

Good job bringing em in.....What body of water? or is it a secret:shifty::whistling:


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## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

Fine mess of fish!


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## Spoolin Up (May 3, 2011)

I have never landed one that big, kudos!!

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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

Jason said:


> Good job bringing em in.....What body of water? or is it a secret:shifty::whistling:


Yates Lake on the Tallapoosa River near Montgomery. Locals call it the Middle Pond. About 2000 acres of generally clear water, but not this year. Usually we can find the bream beds by sight, but it's been kinda murky this year.


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## Donut slayer (Jan 16, 2009)

99% of my fishing is freshwater for bluegills and shellcrackers. Love 'em. Lots of people say they are kids fish, but I must be a kid at heart cause I love catching them. Pretty good on a plate too. And like tryin hard said, the smaller ones taste best.


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## swampbilly (Jul 5, 2013)

*personal best*

you mentioned "8 mile dam to dam". can I ask where you're fishin'? that sounds like river talk and I aint found one worth fishin' in the year I've been here...or I aint worth fishin' 'em..ha ha...one of the two. I got a 17 foot skiff and can get it in pretty skinny water. any advice would be much appreciated. "nevermind" sorry...your other posts were not showing a second ago..all I saw were the pics and the first post.


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## River Hunter (Apr 10, 2014)

Pic dont do justice but this is my personal best bluegill from Sat. I can palm a basketball and am 6'5" 270lb. This fish was 16" and just under 2.5 lb. I went up n down river tryin to find somebody to show him to


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

River Hunter.....that should be some kind of record for the Panhandle. I would have run up and down the river too to show someone. LOL


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

River Hunter said:


> Pic dont do justice but this is my personal best bluegill from Sat. I can palm a basketball and am 6'5" 270lb. This fish was 16" and just under 2.5 lb. I went up n down river tryin to find somebody to show him to


 I woulda showed him (and bobupps cracker) to the taxidermist!


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## Splittine (Nov 24, 2007)

swampbilly said:


> you mentioned "8 mile dam to dam". can I ask where you're fishin'? that sounds like river talk and I aint found one worth fishin' in the year I've been here...or I aint worth fishin' 'em..ha ha...one of the two. I got a 17 foot skiff and can get it in pretty skinny water. any advice would be much appreciated. "nevermind" sorry...your other posts were not showing a second ago..all I saw were the pics and the first post.


Before the rain a 2 man limit has been very manageable in both Yellow and Choctaw Rivers. Yellow has been very good the past couple weekends.


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## Rjw615 (May 26, 2008)

Splittine said:


> Before the rain a 2 man limit has been very manageable in both Yellow and Choctaw Rivers. Yellow has been very good the past couple weekends.


Yep! Yellow river was on fire, we went to Choctaw last Friday, no bites in two hours, loaded up, came back to yellow river, limited out that afternoon, good 3/4 to hand size fish too, some smaller, no monsters though.


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## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

Rjw615 said:


> Yep! Yellow river was on fire, we went to Choctaw last Friday, no bites in two hours, loaded up, came back to yellow river, limited out that afternoon, good 3/4 to hand size fish too, some smaller, no monsters though.


Yep yellow has been good lately, we have been finding some shellcracker here and there...


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## Rjw615 (May 26, 2008)

jcoss15 said:


> Yep yellow has been good lately, we have been finding some shellcracker here and there...[/QUOTE
> 
> That's a dang fine one for yellow river, we caught a couple smaller ones last weekend, threw em back, would be nice if they could sustain a population in yellow like they do on Choctaw, wishful thinking I know.


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

fishwalton said:


> River Hunter.....that should be some kind of record for the Panhandle. I would have run up and down the river too to show someone. LOL


Confucious say: "Man who catch big fish does not go home through alley."

That is a stud bluegill, River Hunter.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

I love Red-eared sunfish (Shell Crackers)


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## River Hunter (Apr 10, 2014)

Nice cracker but rather have one of them big ole flatheads


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## Donald811 (May 17, 2011)

Picked up a few at Lake Eufaula sat. Wound up with 27 cat, & 8 SC.


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

Donald.that's some whopper shellcrackers. With all the cats you can have one heck of a fish fry.


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## River Hunter (Apr 10, 2014)

Donald, them crackers are purdy. Eufala has some super fishing. Just too far for me to go regular


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## Donald811 (May 17, 2011)

Yea River Hunter, that lake has gradually gotten better for bream in the last 10 yrs. I've been cat fishin up there for 30 yrs & use to all you'd catch were 3 finger size bream. They do eat good too J.B..


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## eym_sirius (Oct 17, 2007)

I love shellcracker fishing when it's going hot! Finding where there are big ones is a treat!


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