Pop Rivers - Old Crappie Angler and Humorist

Rain this Saturday and Sunday is forecast.  Our crappie tournament was postponed due to forecast. I like to fish; it should only rain on the days I don't plan to fish.  Sounds fair to me ....  Since I  am not fishing this weekend,  and I have not been since November of last year; I am getting very irritable. Fishing is my nerve pill that relaxes me, and makes all my problems fade away for a little while. Being on the lake and seeing, hearing, and smelling all the beauty that God created just makes me feel better.  I have learned to truly appreciate the little things in life that we all sometimes take for granted. I am getting near 70 years of age, and everyday is a blessing to be enjoyed and appreciated.  Many of my friends have passed on; and that makes me appreciate every day even more.  Therefore; I fish, and every time time I do I enjoy my time on the water even more.  Sometimes I catch fish, sometimes I only catch a few, ...

February 1, 2018                        Weiss Lake Crappie Report Water temp. - 40 to 45 degrees         Water color- lightly stained     Weather for the next week is predicted to be pretty good - mid 30s at night - 50s during the day, rain on Sunday, and sunny on Friday and Saturday this week. The crappie are moving and suspended in the river and creek channels.  Look for the flocks of birds and boats.  When you see a lot of either, the crappie are there; but not for long. The crappie are following the bait fish and searching for warmer water.  Long line trolling, cork and jig, and pushing minnows are all working fairly well..  Find the fish and you can catch them. Little River ,  Little Spring Creek , the Bubble Hole near Cobia Bridge , and Cowan Creek are all holdin...

Time to Talk Politics I suggest we vote all politicians out of office after one term.  If they can not get the job done in two, four, or six years; why keep them there ?  They collect pay checks, insurance benefits, retirement benefits, and enjoy lavish expense accounts; all on the taxpayer's money.  They will lie, cheat, steal, accept gifts from lobbyist, and more; while promising us taxpayers they are looking out for us.  We know better, and if you don't you should. Washington lawmakers have been promising lower taxes, better insurance, and safer streets for years. Have we seen any of the promises come true ?  NO, we have not ! Drugs are killing our youth and destroying our culture, but elected officials can not stop the influx of illegal drugs into our country.  Why don't we send our military to Mexico and South America and eliminate the drug cartels for good ?  It shouldn't take our military but a week or two;  if we ...

My fishing partner and I fished in a 1/2 day Coosa River Crappie Club tournament, on Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Al., this past Friday ( June 16 ).  We weighed in at the Hwy 77 - Rainbow Landing Park.  The weather was great, until the clouds gave way to the sun at about 9:30 am.  We started fishing at 6 am and we had our 7 fish limit by 7:30 am. We caught over 50 keeper crappie for the day by 11 am. Most were released to be caught again another day.  Everyone in the tournament caught fish. The water temp was 82 degrees, and we caught our fish in 14' to 20' of water on minnows, spider rigging.  We also caught 9 or ten bass, a few stripe, and a catfish.  The skies were cloudy when we started and the air temp. was nice; but when the skies cleared the sun made it hot fast.  We loaded the boat and headed to the weigh-in at 11 am. The winners were Gary and Barbara Kendrick - with a 7 fish limit that weighed over 9 lbs. Sec...

My fishing partner, ( Mike ), and I went out this morning for a few hours.  We started at 7 am and quit at 11:30 am due to the heat and the fish had stopped biting.  We put in at the new - Graves Three Rivers Landing on Weiss Lake.  The weather was good - cloudy - no wind - and the water temp was 76 degrees.  We fished Yellow Creek and the main Coosa river channel between Leesburg Hwy. 411 bridge and Yellow Creek.  The crappie bite was good until 9 am.  We caught crappie, catfish, and stripe on minnows, on the river ledge, 12 to 19 ft. deep.  I am attaching a few pictures. The Coosa River Crappie Club is having a 1/2 day crappie tournament on Neely Henry Lake - Thursday 6-8-17, from 6 am until 12 noon.  $ 50 entry fee per team, includes big fish pot.  You can register morning of tournament 5 to 5:30 am at Rainbow Landing at Hwy. 77 bridge - Southside/ Gadsden.  Gary Kendrick is tournament director - phone # 205-405-0542.  Ope...

Where did the Crappie Go ?  This is the question being asked by many. The crappie are still there, but you have to find them to catch them. Early mornings and late afternoons are good times to fish for crappie at this time of year, and nighttime is even better.  The crappie have moved out of the shallows and are staying close to the major creek and main river ledges. The mouths of creeks are good when fishing 12 to 18 ft. deep with double minnow rigs with a 3/4 or 1 oz. weight.  I prefer the Eagle Claw light wire # 2 hooks.  If there is an old road bed and bridge underwater, try the road drop off where the bridge was connected before it was tore down. The Coosa River will hold crappie on it's ledges where stumps and brush piles are located in 14 to 20 ft. of water through June and move even deeper in July, August, and September.  Spider-rigging is the best day time tactic during summer, as it is on most large reservoirs  with river curren...