# Finals approaching...Crappie Day!



## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

What do you do a week away from finals? Go fishing of course. Guess I got a bad case of senoritis...

Buddy and I hit up Lochloosa this morning. Got there around daylight and fished until 11:30. The catching outweighed the fishing today (as it does most days at Lochloosa). Trolled jigs on the north end of the lake. Caught them on a mixture of stuff; lightwire hooks with southern pro curly tail, strike king shadpole, and some new handtied jigs made by Lights Out Jigs (pic below).

Finished with the counter on 32 but after cleaning fish my buddy and I are quite certain that we cleaned more than that. Had to of boated over 60. Debating on trying a new lake tomorrow...:whistling:...or studying :thumbdown:


----------



## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

The days haul


----------



## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Very nice.


----------



## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Study WHILE YOU FISH! Worked for me. I crammed 4 years of college into 8 that way.


----------



## GROUPERKING (Sep 28, 2011)

Good fish !


----------



## Splittine (Nov 24, 2007)

hjorgan said:


> Study WHILE YOU FISH! Worked for me. I crammed 4 years of college into 8 that way.


Overachiever


----------



## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

That's fine right there! When I saw the last pic, I could smell those crappie. No, really, I could.

Or the ol lady cropdusted me.


----------



## etrade92 (Jul 30, 2015)

When I fished Lochloosa back in November I was shocked at the amount of crappie fisherman out there. I know Floridians like to Crappie fish, but dang! We noticed tons of guys just out in the middle; so us being bass guys, went and graphed for some structure but found none. Talked to a guy at the launch and he claimed that there is very little structure or contours out in the middle but the crappie just school up out there. Either way good catch!


----------



## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

etrade92 said:


> When I fished Lochloosa back in November I was shocked at the amount of crappie fisherman out there. I know Floridians like to Crappie fish, but dang! We noticed tons of guys just out in the middle; so us being bass guys, went and graphed for some structure but found none. Talked to a guy at the launch and he claimed that there is very little structure or contours out in the middle but the crappie just school up out there. Either way good catch!


Yeah, on any given day the parking lot will be full by 8am lol. There are a ton of crappie in that lake even though it isn't that large. 

The lake isn't that deep, has basically no structure, and the contours are very gradual. Not much to catching them other than keying in on speed and color. After that just get ready cause when you hit them you will have 4 or 5 lines bobbing all at once. 

A lot of lakes around Gainesville are this way. A lot easier to fish than lakes like Talquin, Seminole, Jackson (Opp), Eufaula, etc. Plus we don't have snags :notworthy:


----------



## etrade92 (Jul 30, 2015)

Dat boat launch tho.... The one across the railroad tracks. Its an awful design. Anyways, it was a beautiful lake. Can you access Orange through the canal or is it still grown up? We ventured a little ways down it but didn't try to go all the way.


----------



## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

etrade92 said:


> Dat boat launch tho.... The one across the railroad tracks. Its an awful design. Anyways, it was a beautiful lake. Can you access Orange through the canal or is it still grown up? We ventured a little ways down it but didn't try to go all the way.


Yep, same boat ramp I use, I think the locals call it the post office ramp. On a crowded day the people who can't back a trailer or start their Merc's can make for an interesting AND annoying sight. 

You can access Orange Lake from a little canal that connects the two. I've been down the canal to the entrance but Orange Lake has huge floating grass mats and sometimes the wind blows the mats into the entrance so sometimes you can get into Orange but can't get back in the canal. I have heard the quality of crappie on Orange is much better than Lochloosa though. May chance it one of these days.


----------



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

hjorgan said:


> Study WHILE YOU FISH! Worked for me. I crammed 4 years of college into 8 that way.



I got 2 in 7 but hunted also


----------



## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

Try'n Hard said:


> I got 2 in 7 but hunted also



Most days my only motivation to finish is so I can get a good job so I can get a new boat and better equipment. Hoping to get a "newer" and BIGGER rig within the next year. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Baknaction (Aug 3, 2014)

Tyler, does your boat have foot controlled trolling motor or I-Pilot?
My boat has MK foot controlled and I'm not ready to replace, so I can still long line, correct? Just bought rod holders from Lake Talquin Lodge. I don't have rods longer than 7'. Just getting started at long lining, very green. Enjoy your post & pictures, they are providing me with needed help. Thanks.


----------



## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

Baknaction said:


> Tyler, does your boat have foot controlled trolling motor or I-Pilot?
> My boat has MK foot controlled and I'm not ready to replace, so I can still long line, correct? Just bought rod holders from Lake Talquin Lodge. I don't have rods longer than 7'. Just getting started at long lining, very green. Enjoy your post & pictures, they are providing me with needed help. Thanks.


I do not have an I-Pilot or foot controlled. I have a hand controlled MK. Dad's boat has an I-Pilot and I will tell you it is worth EVERY PENNY!!! Foot control is only useful if you plan on pushing jigs off the front of the boat. For trolling, your foot will get tired of having to constantly have your foot on the motor. The hand control is nice but I'm constantly having to run from the back of the boat to the front to adjust direction and speed. 

As far as rods go, I highly suggest B'n'M poles. For now you can fish with the rods you have but you will want to get longer poles so you can fan them out more to cover more water. 

Glad my reports are helping. Dad and I got into longlining by reading reports on crappie.com so I have been in your shoes. Let me know if I can be of any help. :thumbsup:


----------

