A Crappie Lesson at Cachuma. Vietnamese New Year's Day 2/3/11

[Wingnut]

Decided to take a couple of days off to celebrate the Vietnamese / Chinese New Year and sneak in some fishing time. :Envious: Got a call from Mikey (Exfactor) saying that conditions looks great up in his backyard lake and I should join him for a "Slab" hunt. :Twisted: A chance to fish with the Lake Cachuma Master? I'm there! :Thumbs Up: Made the drive North and joined up with Exfactor and Crappie Mike for a fun day on the lake. :Cool:

Beautiful sunny day with mild wind and cool temperature. Water temp. around 54 degrees and lots of action. Mikey & Mike both knows this lake like the back of their hands and we zipped from one end of the lake to the other slaying Crappies all day long. I told them that I wanted to bring some slabs home to Mom for New Year and they gladly obliged to my request. :Big Grin:

Mikey & Mike... I learned so much from the two of you today. Thanks for the Crappie Slaying 101 lesson, some of the techniques that you guys use are just plain deadly. Great Crappie fishing in the dead of Winter... amazing! Mom was totally stoked to see the mess of beautiful slabs that I dumped in her kitchen sink. Then she handed me the fillet knife and said, "Thank you, now finish the job..." :LOL:

I want to wish those of you who celebrate the Lunar New Year "Chúc mừng năm mới".
May the New Year brings you Health, Happiness and Prosperity. :Cool:

Arthur (Wingnut)


"Always try to be kinder than necessary. Remember, every person that you meet is afraid of something, love something, and have lost something..."


Here are some pics of our perfect day.

Mikey (Exfactor) and Mike (Crappie Mike).
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/001-19.jpg

Crappies loves structure.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/008-15.jpg

First catch of the day (released).
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/003-17.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/004-15.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/002-18.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/011-14.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/013-11.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/018-7.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/015-10.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/010-14.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/012-14.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/006-15.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/017-10.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/016-9.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/014-12.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/020-5.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/019-6.jpg

Osprey.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/005-16.jpg

Crappie Mike hooked up to a big fish... after a brief tussle... what do you think, Carp scale? :Shocked:
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/021-6.jpg

Some weird looking Water Fowl.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/024-4.jpg

I'm giving Mikey the traditional good luck New Year's gift in the little red envelope. :Wink:
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/009-15.jpg

Mom's New Year's gift. :Envious:
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/022-5.jpg

Done for the day.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/023-5.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/025-5.jpg

Parting shot.
"Hey, how come Wingnut Pug got more red envelopes that me?!?" :Envious:
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r135/Wingnut32566/Wingnut%208/001-18.jpg

[troutdog]

What a serious slay job by the "Cachuma Crappie Crew", great report Arthur...wishing you and yours a very happy, healthy new year!


TD

[Ifishtoolittle]

Nice catch Wingnut! Gung Hey Fat Choy!

[Nhatster]

Cool Smallie, looks like a fun day on the water. Those are some huge slabs. :Shocked:

[TroutOnly]

CRAPPIE-KINGS,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I WANT A CACHUMA HOLDOVER TROUT,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,t/o,,,,,,,,

[Sublime-Steve]

Niiiiice slabs... im jealous.. :-)

[jnitrobass49]

GREAT JOB ON CATCHING THOSE CRACKERS THEY WILL BE GOOD EATING.GOOD JOB ON RELEASING THE SMALLIE.
NICE LOOKING BOAT.<>((((o>

[Fishthewhaler]

Looks like some fun out there, I love catching em, hate cleaning em...You guys killed em
FTW

[murrieta angler]

Hey Arthur,
Looks like you guys had a blast catching all those crappie.
How many were in that bucket? Is there a limit on crappie? Just curious.
Happy New Years to you, my friend.
Robert
<><

[fish4anything]

Awesome report, Arthur! You guys did a great job out there!!

[crappiemike]

what a report and pics... thnx for the ride
again mikey, what a day, the size of the
slabs were off the hook!!!! but the dinner
afterwards hit the spot!!! fishing with
wingnut was cool too,,, man i want to
do that kind of trip again and again!!



cm

[ToadsToadsOnly]

Chúc mừng năm mới Arthur my the fish gods bless you with that 40'' halibut. Awesome job on the crappie with the boys. I have always released crappie that I caught but late last year I ate my first crappie. Oh boy they are tasty. Have fun playing the dice game with the crab, deer, and shrimp on it ha ha.

[NachoFish]

I love that lake! WTG guys. We had been making plans to go up there. I'll just have to grab the kids and go. :Big Grin:

[Troutman65]

Nice fishing trip . Those Crappie sure look tasty . :LOL: Happy New Year Arthur . Thanks for sharing .

[VIVID_FLY]

those some nice crappie


Chúc mừng năm mới

that scale looks to be around a 12-15 lb CARP ... just a guess

[Hometown]

Arthur thanks for the great report I need to get up to Cachuma in the worst way and get my fix.

[wetsideconnect]

what a report and pics... thnx for the ride
again mikey, what a day, the size of the
slabs were off the hook!!!! but the dinner
afterwards hit the spot!!! fishing with
wingnut was cool too,,, man i want to
do that kind of trip again and again!!



cm

Wing nut great account of the days work with the cachuma connect..lol
Mike what were the numbers? Depth that you hit them at and colors of jigs.. Those were some pigs..

[Bassnman Mike]

Very nice crappie. How deep were ya fishing

[bsp]

Arthur,

Nice smallie and those are some very solid slabs! I fished Lake Cachuma a few years ago without much to show for it, so it's great to see that there are some nice fish in there. Maybe I should hit up the crappiemike and exfactor guide service next time I'm in the area.

Crappiemike and Mike, glad to see you guys slaying the slabs. You've got that lake dialed in!

Marc

[bones]

Chúc mừng năm mới ....Crap.....I think I just coughed up a furball :ROFL:
What the hell did I just say anyways ?

Seriously guys.......Awesome job to say the least. I've only fished Cachuma once about 6 years ago but it was a blast catching smallies all day.It got too hot in the afternoon so we played in the Santa Ynez river swimming holes to cool off before going back to the campgrounds. Good memories for sure. Can't wait until I get a ride on that crappie killing vessel ....Hint....Hint ! Great job on the Home lake guide service Mikey your knowledge of the northern area is second to none in either the saltwater or freshwater!
Those are the biggest crappie I've seen in a long time......Be on the lookout for Seng (inside joke)
That bronzie is beautiful for sure Arthur....I bet she put up an awesome fight on that light tackle!
You better be careful dude....Your going to get Fish Elbow or Pelagic Tunnel Syndrome if you exceed your monthly limit on different species!
Take care and tight lines to ya boyz.......Weather is going to be great this weekend.......
Good job once again......Time to stick some fish ---------<><

[Native Gal]

WN,
Chúc mừng năm mới ........ NG is multi-lingual, thanks to copy & paste, lol!
Happy Vietnamese New Year!, hope it brings you much happiness my friend.
Wow talk about Serious Slab Slayage, those are some sweet looking Crappies. I love eating delicious Crappie, so how did your mom prepare them, after YOU cleaned them, heehee!

NG

[exfactor]

You crack me up Bones......lol. Get your scopace, and we'll roll! I showed Arthur some other goodies today, so look for his latest report to come in the surf forum. Appreciate all the replies, but only so much I'm gon na share on here folks, I'm a C and R guy, and let Art take some home for the family on this one, but usually do a photo op, kiss, and a wave.

[Badbeat]

Damn, those are some serious slabs! :Envious: Mr. Exfactor knows his craft that's for sure.
Thanks for the New Year's goodies you dropped off at the house Arthur, my parents appreciates it very much. :Big Grin: I'll see ya at the Super Bowl party. :Wink:

[Hometown]

I wouldnt tell to much eathier to many folks out there fish to kill i just take a few crappie or red ear once in a while and c@r the rest .

You crack me up Bones......lol. Get your scopace, and we'll roll! I showed Arthur some other goodies today, so look for his latest report to come in the surf forum. Appreciate all the replies, but only so much I'm gon na share on here folks, I'm a C and R guy, and let Art take some home for the family on this one, but usually do a photo op, kiss, and a wave.

[FishNFurious]

Fat *** slabs. :Shocked: haven't seen such nice crappies in a long time. Nice to have good friends showing you the ropes. :Cool:
Always a great report Art, see you at the party on sunday, packers all the way baby!!! :Twisted:

[jerryG]

Outstanding job out there guys. Mikey you got it dialed up there in both fresh and salt. You even have the shell fish figured out.. Very impressive.. Arthur is just a (BIG) fish magnet. With a name like Crappie Mike no doubt he is a legendary slab hunter.. Well done guys. If you guys ever have room for an extra person and for some reason Bones can’t make it let me know. I would love go fish slabs with you guys.

[klocked]

Holy Crappies!! Nice slay on the slabs guys!

[blackwater]

Happy new year brotha, glad to see you took some time off to relax. :Cool:
Damn, you and Mikey sure got around this week, i was too busy with all the festivities.
Great job on all the nice slabs, your mom been busy cooking lately. :Envious:
It's going to be fun at the Super Bowl party, see you tomorrow my friend. :Big Grin:

[flyngby]

Sweet day on Cachuma guys.

I have got to get out on the fresh waters more often. I'm missing out on some great fun!

[Wingnut]

What a serious slay job by the "Cachuma Crappie Crew", great report Arthur...wishing you and yours a very happy, healthy new year!


TD
Thanks Aaron, Happy New Year to you too buddy. :Big Grin:


Nice catch Wingnut! Gung Hey Fat Choy!
Thanks man... Happy New Year. :Cool:


Cool Smallie, looks like a fun day on the water. Those are some huge slabs. :Shocked:
The Smallie fought like a champ, pound for pound the best fighter in the fresh.


CRAPPIE-KINGS,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I WANT A CACHUMA HOLDOVER TROUT,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,t/o,,,,,,,,
Hey Bob, I'm sure Mikey would love to have ya onboard one of these days. :Wink:


Niiiiice slabs... im jealous.. :-)
:Cool:


GREAT JOB ON CATCHING THOSE CRACKERS THEY WILL BE GOOD EATING.GOOD JOB ON RELEASING THE SMALLIE.
NICE LOOKING BOAT.<>((((o>
Great tasting fish, this is the first time I've ever eaten Crappies and they're great!


Looks like some fun out there, I love catching em, hate cleaning em...You guys killed em
FTW
No kidding, took me a couple of fish until I got the hang of filleting them. Piece of cake after that.


Hey Arthur,
Looks like you guys had a blast catching all those crappie.
How many were in that bucket? Is there a limit on crappie? Just curious.
Happy New Years to you, my friend.
Robert
<><
We put the Crappies in the bait tank. The limit is 25 Crappies per angler. Before we started fishing, we set the limit at 20 fish for me to take home. That's plenty enough... and that's how many I took home plus a Trout. Always limit what you catch, and don't catch your limit.


Awesome report, Arthur! You guys did a great job out there!!
Thanks man, where have you been...? Fishing I hope... :Wink:


what a report and pics... thnx for the ride
again mikey, what a day, the size of the
slabs were off the hook!!!! but the dinner
afterwards hit the spot!!! fishing with
wingnut was cool too,,, man i want to
do that kind of trip again and again!!



cm
Mike, had a great time fishing with you. Thanks for all the help & tips, you sure live up to your screen name. :Big Grin:


Chúc mừng năm mới Arthur my the fish gods bless you with that 40'' halibut. Awesome job on the crappie with the boys. I have always released crappie that I caught but late last year I ate my first crappie. Oh boy they are tasty. Have fun playing the dice game with the crab, deer, and shrimp on it ha ha.
Thanks Jonathan, Crappies are tasty! You forgot the fish, the pear and the chicken... lol Happy New Year bro. :Cool:


I love that lake! WTG guys. We had been making plans to go up there. I'll just have to grab the kids and go. :Big Grin:
Would definitely be worth the trip, beautiful lake. :Cool:


Nice fishing trip . Those Crappie sure look tasty . :LOL: Happy New Year Arthur . Thanks for sharing .
Thanks Patrick, Happy New Year.


those some nice crappie


Chúc mừng năm mới

that scale looks to be around a 12-15 lb CARP ... just a guess
Thanks... yeah, we also figured that it was a Carp scale. Would have been a great fight on our Crappie gear. :Wink:


Arthur thanks for the great report I need to get up to Cachuma in the worst way and get my fix.
Right now is a good time to go to get your Crappie & Trout fix. :Wink:


Wing nut great account of the days work with the cachuma connect..lol
Mike what were the numbers? Depth that you hit them at and colors of jigs.. Those were some pigs..
Yeah, I was with the Cahuma "in" crowd... that's for sure. :Cool: We found them on structures at different depth. We use a variety of color jigs, but the best I think was red, yellow and green. :Wink:


Very nice crappie. How deep were ya fishing
All different depth, find the structure and you'll find the fish. :Wink:


Arthur,

Nice smallie and those are some very solid slabs! I fished Lake Cachuma a few years ago without much to show for it, so it's great to see that there are some nice fish in there. Maybe I should hit up the crappiemike and exfactor guide service next time I'm in the area.

Crappiemike and Mike, glad to see you guys slaying the slabs. You've got that lake dialed in!

Marc
Marc, none of these Crappies compares to the monster slab you pulled out of the surf on Sunday. :Envious:


Chúc mừng năm mới ....Crap.....I think I just coughed up a furball :ROFL:
What the hell did I just say anyways ?

Seriously guys.......Awesome job to say the least. I've only fished Cachuma once about 6 years ago but it was a blast catching smallies all day.It got too hot in the afternoon so we played in the Santa Ynez river swimming holes to cool off before going back to the campgrounds. Good memories for sure. Can't wait until I get a ride on that crappie killing vessel ....Hint....Hint ! Great job on the Home lake guide service Mikey your knowledge of the northern area is second to none in either the saltwater or freshwater!
Those are the biggest crappie I've seen in a long time......Be on the lookout for Seng (inside joke)
That bronzie is beautiful for sure Arthur....I bet she put up an awesome fight on that light tackle!
You better be careful dude....Your going to get Fish Elbow or Pelagic Tunnel Syndrome if you exceed your monthly limit on different species!
Take care and tight lines to ya boyz.......Weather is going to be great this weekend.......
Good job once again......Time to stick some fish ---------<><
That Smallie was the biggest fight of the day, love how scrappy they are. Mikey sure knows his stuff. It was a little slow in the morning hours and he says, "Don't worry boys, it's gonna be an afternoon bite today..." The bite took off in the afternoon. :Big Grin:


WN,
Chúc mừng năm mới ........ NG is multi-lingual, thanks to copy & paste, lol!
Happy Vietnamese New Year!, hope it brings you much happiness my friend.
Wow talk about Serious Slab Slayage, those are some sweet looking Crappies. I love eating delicious Crappie, so how did your mom prepare them, after YOU cleaned them, heehee!

NG
Thanks NG, Happy New Year to you too. Sorry you're stuck here in So. Cal, but while you're here, get some fishing time in! :Wink:
The Crappies were fried, steamed and made into soup. Mom can do it all! :Big Grin:


You crack me up Bones......lol. Get your scopace, and we'll roll! I showed Arthur some other goodies today, so look for his latest report to come in the surf forum. Appreciate all the replies, but only so much I'm gon na share on here folks, I'm a C and R guy, and let Art take some home for the family on this one, but usually do a photo op, kiss, and a wave.
Mike is hopeless... even Scopace won't help, he's stuck on the sand forever. :Big Smile:
You're showing me all kinds of neat stuff Mikey, thank you! :Big Grin: I've been missing out all these years...


Damn, those are some serious slabs! :Envious: Mr. Exfactor knows his craft that's for sure.
Thanks for the New Year's goodies you dropped off at the house Arthur, my parents appreciates it very much. :Big Grin: I'll see ya at the Super Bowl party. :Wink:
Mikey is da man! :Cool: You're welcome Binh, you guys are like family to me. :Cool:
Had a blast at your Super Bowl party bro, good times cheering for the Packers along side with you, we cleaned up... cha ching! :Envious: Sorry I could stick around for the poker game, hope you doubled your winnings. :Wink:


I wouldnt tell to much eathier to many folks out there fish to kill i just take a few crappie or red ear once in a while and c@r the rest .
Agreed, too many people out there who just wants to fill up their ice chests. :Neutral:


Fat *** slabs. :Shocked: haven't seen such nice crappies in a long time. Nice to have good friends showing you the ropes. :Cool:
Always a great report Art, see you at the party on sunday, packers all the way baby!!! :Twisted:
Always nice to have connections Vince. :Wink:
I told you the Packers would cover the spread... but we did sweat it out a little bit late in the game. :LOL:


Outstanding job out there guys. Mikey you got it dialed up there in both fresh and salt. You even have the shell fish figured out.. Very impressive.. Arthur is just a (BIG) fish magnet. With a name like Crappie Mike no doubt he is a legendary slab hunter.. Well done guys. If you guys ever have room for an extra person and for some reason Bones can’t make it let me know. I would love go fish slabs with you guys.
Mikey can do it all Jerry, I'm beginning to find that out rather quickly. :Big Grin: Crappie Mike is one cool fish slayer himself. Great couple of guys to fish with. :Cool: Hey Jerry, you'd probably be a good alternate for Bones. Afterall, it's illegal to chum in freshwater... LOL


Holy Crappies!! Nice slay on the slabs guys!
Thanks John, hope you put out all the fires at work and we can plan a surf assault soon. :Wink:


Happy new year brotha, glad to see you took some time off to relax. :Cool:
Damn, you and Mikey sure got around this week, i was too busy with all the festivities.
Great job on all the nice slabs, your mom been busy cooking lately. :Envious:
It's going to be fun at the Super Bowl party, see you tomorrow my friend. :Big Grin:
Happy New Year brotha... the Super Bowl party was a blast. So much food, I stuffed myself silly. :LOL:
And all the pretty ladies cheering on their teams, my oh my... :Big Grin: Good times!


Sweet day on Cachuma guys.

I have got to get out on the fresh waters more often. I'm missing out on some great fun!
Steve, we're overdue for a slay session... anywhere, you name the time and place and let's do it! :Wink:

[Red Drum]

That lake definitely has its share of slab Crappie...Mikey owns that lake!

Thanks for the report and pics.

[exfactor]

Thanks Vince, hope your getting closer to doing your charters, and that said, Vince owns MDR

[Trout-Chaser]

Very nice catch there, Wingnut--and an awesome report. Looks like a fine way to bring in the new year! WTG!

TC