# Easily Amused



## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

Having no luck recruiting a bikini-clad deckhand, I made a solo trip (again) to Yates Lake in search of shellcrackers. The normally clear water was stained from all the recent rains, so sight-fishing for beds was not happening. I went "shopping" with wigglers under a float in places I've found beds before, but apparently the shellcrackers are not quite ready to bed up just yet.

I did enjoy a near perfect spring afternoon (didn't leave the house until noon) with a light overcast and a gentle breeze. With no one to entertain, and no pressure to find fish, I pretty much goofed off, enjoying every nibble and pole-shake, listening to fish jumping, birds singing, and woodpeckers drumming.

Wigglers are immensely entertaining to simple-minded morons such as myself. They pretend to be passive until you try to put one on a hook, then they display at least ten different gears and one speed - all out. Putting one on the hook is more of a challenge than catching a fish sometimes.

Bass seem to like them as much as the bream, which doesn't hurt my feelings. My largest bass of the day (16") ate my pencil float, spit it out, then found my wigglers, and then found my cooler. Bluegills were the main players today, some approaching the hump-nosed size, and they were so happy for me to grab them that they peed all over me - all in my lap, in my loafers, and in my peanut butter crackers.

Toward the end of the day, I finally found a few shellcrackers, with one going 12". Tally for the day:

18 bream (4 shellcrackers)

7 bass

2 yellow perch

All said and done, a very pleasant spring afternoon.


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## submariner (Oct 2, 2007)

some nice size fish will make a good meal or two


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## dhunter (Apr 2, 2013)

BO....Thanks for sharing....sounds like my kind of afternoon.....You've got to "Love it" to 
understand what you're talking about. That's really what it's "All " about. neil


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

Great going!!! Sorry fer the deckhand not being there, I could have filled in w/ a speedo!!! hahahaah


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## Rickpcfl (Nov 12, 2013)

As long as you put me on fish, I'll be your bikini clad deckhand. Just don't ask me to shave my legs, as that's going too far.


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## Mac1528 (Mar 24, 2012)

That is one fat cracker!! Have some good eats there.


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## wizardfishin (May 7, 2014)

I didn't know there were yellow perch in Yates. Good looking shellie


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

Sure  enjoyed the report and photos. That's a pappa shellcracker. Have never caught a 12 incher.


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## Rightbrained (Apr 5, 2013)

Very nice!


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## GROUPERKING (Sep 28, 2011)

Nice mess ! You need to come on down to Seminole and help me catch enough bream to set some flathead lines. Lol Got home from work today and went to the pier and tried the bream out. Caught 4 , so I guess that i'm only going to set 4 lines tonight. Well seeing your pictures has inspired me to go and try to catch a few more before dark.


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## SteveCal (Jun 21, 2014)

Hate it when the crappy pee on the crackers.:thumbdown:


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

Jason said:


> Great going!!! Sorry fer the deckhand not being there, I could have filled in w/ a speedo!!! hahahaah


I'm not even gonna take a raincheck on that one! :no:


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## Fielro (Jun 4, 2012)

Good looking mess of fish, congrats


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## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

Fine mess of fish, good job


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

Nice job and report. I really like fishing by myself. I am actually the only one that really enjoys my company! I really enjoy my jokes. I just laugh! and the people in other boats usually troll off pretty quick! My wife doesn't like me to go alone - she says I get stupid when I'm alone. Fair enough. Nice mess of fish and your musings about the wigglers were classic!


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## Sailor50 (Nov 8, 2007)

Nice mess of fish there, those are pretty fish.


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## Rickpcfl (Nov 12, 2013)

Try'n Hard said:


> Nice job and report. I really like fishing by myself. I am actually the only one that really enjoys my company! I really enjoy my jokes. I just laugh! and the people in other boats usually troll off pretty quick! My wife doesn't like me to go alone - she says I get stupid when I'm alone. Fair enough. Nice mess of fish and your musings about the wigglers were classic!


I enjoy fishing with my friends, but I can be just as happy fishing by myself and have probably fished alone more than I have with someone else. One of my favorite things to do was to fish at night and alone on Lake Jackson in Tallahassee. No conversation, no sound other than a buzzbait chattering across the water while I looked at the stars and the moon. Talking about a peaceful setting to recharge your batteries.

One night I was enjoying the quiet when some guys came up nearby and cranked up the music real loud. I lit them up with my spotlight and they got the message and left.


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

Rickpcfl said:


> One night I was enjoying the quiet when some guys came up nearby and cranked up the music real loud. I lit them up with my spotlight and they got the message and left.


At my age, it seems like everything reminds me of a story from my past.

About 40 years ago, a friend and I were bass fishing at night on a 30 acre lake near Birmingham. We were fanatical about no lights and no noise and no trolling motor noise - we only used a sculling paddle. Somewhere around drunk:30, three guys noisily put their boat in the far end of the lake and began shining the banks gigging frogs. We thought it was someone we knew, and decided to sneak up on their "dark side" and do the paddle slap thing on the water to see if we could induce group diarrhea.

As we made our stealthy approach, one of the guys said, "Dammit! I missed that one!" followed soon after by an impressive fart! One of his buddies said, "Dang! I thought you said you missed him."

That nearly broke our cover - but not quite. We silently sculled to within 10 feet of them when we realized - we didn't know these guys! Just as quietly, we eased away to the far side of the lake. The guys never knew we were there.


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