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Hope everyone had a fun Memorial Day weekend! May God bless all you folks who serve and all your families. Thank you! 🇺🇸

I was able to explore some new water and catch some grown ones with the Kistler Big Game 18' Moose! 🫎 It's so fun to watch that 18-footer bow up – it's almost funny looking, but I think it's awesome!🤣

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4 Qs with Will Duncan

Will 'Fishing by the Numbers' Duncan fishes out a kayak and he's been hammering finicky crappie on lakes around Houston, TX! Got with him for some intel on how he's targeting post-spawners, and got to talking baits too. Here's 4 Qs with him:

1. Is there anything you do with bait choice that's specific to this time of year?

> "This time of year, post-spawn, I usually focus on throwing baits that are about the size of fry. I'll start off with that because you'll have the shad spawn and a lot of baitfish hatchlings as well, so I try to match that.

> "A lot of times I'll also just go to the standard 2" baits. The Bobby Garland Baby Shad, I've been throwing that a lot, and I'll use a lot of natural colors during post-spawn – 'blue thunder' and 'blue chrome'.

> "I find those to be the best baits, especially for the water clarity I'm fishing. Both Lake Somerville and Lake Conroe weren't too stained, so those natural colors worked pretty well."

2. With that fry-imitation deal, is that bite better in certain areas or certain types of cover?

> "I really haven't paid close enough attention to say for sure, but I will say the shallower-water areas seemed to have a little more baitfish swimming around them.

> "...then as the day progressed, the baitfish moved out to a little bit deeper water."

3. When you see all that bait swimming around, are you trying to follow it or stay away from the clutter?

> "Most of the time I like to stay away from it."

Follow-up: Why does it it good to get away from that bait clutter?

> "Dilution, I think that's what it is. I feel like they have so many other options than my bait.

> "If I see a lot of baitfish around and the [crappie] aren't swimming around and actively feeding on the bait, then a lot of times I'm going to move from that area.

> "If I see them busting on the bait, then maybe I'll drop down or cast and see if I can get a few fish. It seems like if they're actively feeding, chances are they'll be willing to hit a bait better in that clutter.

> "If I see a lot of bait, I might switch to a true shad-color bait – the Baby Shad in 'threadfin shad,' or maybe even 'crystal' or 'diamond mist."

4. Are you basing your presentations on how you observe the baitfish moving or how crappie are reacting?

> "I base it on how they react to my presentation.

> "If I'm vertical-jigging and I'm not getting a response, then I'll pitch it and try to swim it over them. If I don't get a response there, then I'll deadstick it. Usually I'm going to get a response off 1 of those 3."

How Clay Wilson finds slab shellcracker

TN's Clay 'shellcracker snatcher' Wilson is a TVA crappie hammer and has a National Crappie League Championship – but he can't stay away from catching big ol' bluegill and shellcracker!

It's the heart of the shellcracker and bluegill spawn in his neck of the woods right now, so I gave Clay a call to see how he's taking advantage of that. Here's some shellcracker 🧃 from him:

What areas do you target that are high % for bigger panfish?

> "I start [looking for beds] in main-lake coves, especially 3/4 of the way back to the very back. I like places where there's deeper water close by, where those fish can come in, get the beds ready, spawn and then move right back out to deep water.

> "From there, I'm looking for grass and harder bottoms like clay. Any type of pea gravel is a good place to start too.

> "Crawfish like to hang around pea gravel, clay banks, gravel and that shell-bottom mix – that's a big part of a shellcracker's diet. So if I had pea gravel, clay banks, grass on points or shallow grass, that's what I would check first.

> "[Finding the right beds] really isn't all about water depth. People say, 'They'll bed in 6 or 7' and 'Bluegills will be on the bank', but I've caught shellcrackers in less than 2' before.

> "[Shellcrackers relate more to] certain types of bottom hardness or cover like wood and grass than a certain depth. Anywhere there's grass, there are usually fish this time of year."

What kind of tackle do you use to target big shellcrackers?

> "If you're fishing a bunch of grass, trees, laydowns or stuff like that, I like using a longer rod where I can flip it in holes in the grass and laydowns.

> "...I'll use a slip cork with a little jig under it, or some type of little bug-style bait that looks natural.

> "If you're planning specifically for bluegills, it's hard to beat crickets or red worms. But if you're crappie fishing and they're not biting, and you just decide to go catch some bluegills, I'd say small jigs are the deal. Use the lightest ones you've got: 1/64- or 1/32-oz."

His favorite artificial is the Northland Fire-Fly Jig with BaitFuel on the hair. It's available as light as 1/64-oz and looks real buggy like a cricket:

> "If I can throw it in there without getting hung in too much grass, that's what I'm throwing.

> "You really need to fish it under a weighted float so you can cast it. Without the float, it would be hard to throw even on 2-lb line."

Why add BaitFuel to a little hair jig?

> "Bluegills and shellcrackers are both all about natural food, live bait and scent.

> "If you have a small jig that's about the size of a real cricket and it has BaitFuel on it, that scent coming off the jig helps trick them into biting. 

> "When you're popping it under that cork, and that scent is dispersing off the jig, they don't know if it's a cricket or what it is. They're going to be interested and come see what's going on."

If someone is going in blind and doesn't already have beds marked, what's the simplest starting point?

> "Grass edges. Shallow-water grass edges.

> "If there's grass on the Tennessee River, there's going to be bluegills and shellcrackers around it. Side scan can play a big role if you have it...look for beds.

> "...if you're going in blind, start 75% of the way back to the backs of creeks or coves. That's where the fish are most likely going to be.

> "And these fish get shallow – shallow, shallow. Like I said, I've seen them in less than 2' before [even in the heat of the summer]."

What side scan are you running, and how are you using it to find beds?

> "You can use any side scan. Lowrance, Garmin and Humminbird all work for side scan. Personally, I think a Humminbird APEX unit is the best you can get. A Humminbird HELIX is a little cheaper and still really good. 

> "In my opinion, those 2 units are the best you can get for side scan. The HELIX was always awesome, and it still is good. The APEX picture and processor seem much faster than the HELIX. It also seems like when you see the beds, the picture quality is just better. It's kind of like 4K versus 1080 on a TV.

> "[With the APEX] sometimes you can see the white dots in the beds and tell how many fish are there. Especially when they're shallow, you can see them really well.

> "I like to ease around slow off the bank. Get about 80' off the bank and ease around until you see the beds. Then just mark them and go back and fish them."

"...I learned from an old-timer...that nobody eats steak and potatoes 9 times a day, but there’s always time for a snack."

Makes sense! That's MO B'n'M pro Matt Foster talkin' in this B'n'M post about how he feels like most crappie won't turn down a small meal. Not a bad idea man!

He likes a 1" Trout Magnet behind a 1/32-oz Crappie Magnet Eyehole jig.

If you're a Garland fan, there's the Bobby Garland Itty Bit series – especially the Itty Bit Mayflies with all of the different bug hatches happening or about to happen. Look at that 🧃-y thing!

Another tiny bait that does not get enough love is the Bobby Garland Itty Bit Swim'R – it's like an Itty Bit version of a Baby Shad with a little vibe-y tail. It gets bit man!

Find sneaky crappie spots on 📲

If your crappie like to hang out around grass and weeds, this tool could be a good deal for ya! 👀 Talking about the onX Fish app, which right now covers 11 states with more added all the time.

MN is 1 one of those states it covers, and here's how MN multi-species angler TJ Erikson is using the app to stay on the slabs – from an onX post:

> "I'll go through recent imagery and usually look back from last winter, then follow it from ice-out into Jun or Jul. That gives me a better idea of how the weeds grow up and where those shallow spawning flats are going to be.

> "Once I find an area that looks good, I'll switch to the high-quality imagery so I can see more detail – what kind of weeds might be there, where the shallow flats are, and especially where reeds are present.

> "After that, I'll move out to the first breaklines adjacent to those spawning flats. That's often where you're going to find crappies right now."

The onX Fish app currently covers MN, WI, MI, ND, SD, IN, OH, IL, IA and MO. If your state isn't covered, you can try doing the above with historical imaging on Google Earth Pro.

Real-world experience with solid state batteries

First of all, what is a solid state battery? Here's some quick info on 'em from BassBlaster – about Solid State Marine which is the only company making them for marine use right now.

> Made in the USA.

> ...CEO, Tom Calef, a US Coast Guard licensed captain and 7-time entrepreneur in consumer devices and services, commercial and industrial robotics, medical robotics, computer vision and artificial intelligence, with over 30 years of marine experience.

> R&D – "Over 10 years of testing and 2 years of field tests."

> "...uses a completely solid electrolyte to conduct lithium ions...roughly half the weight of traditional lithium and a quarter of the weight of AGM batteries with reduced fire or combustion risk....

> "Solid State Marine batteries can run up to 8 times longer than the leading lithium or lead acid batteries and are safe to charge and operate down to -4 F (-20 C).

> "...batteries are interchangeable with existing battery footprints...."

Cheapest battery they have is $999 for 12v 90Ah. 😳

Very new deal, but here's a little real-world experience on 'em from Bassmaster pro Alex Wetherell, who's been running them for a year:

> "I used to run AGM batteries...made the switch to some Amazon lithium batteries. Then I used a more reputable lithium company. I ran its 100Ah starting battery, but I was in the upper usage of amperage. I switched to the 210Ah Solid State Marine battery, and I don't need any more amperage. 

> "My biggest concern with switching to Solid State was that they wanted me to use one 36V battery for my trolling motor. I've always liked having backups.

> "Then I saw Solid State's 36v battery only weighed 44 lbs so I got 2 – just so I could have a backup and make myself feel better. But I've never had to use the backup. I have no second thoughts about having just 1 36V battery in the boat. These batteries are solid.

> "Besides being safer than lithiums, solid state batteries are half the weight of lithium and 1/4 the weight of AGM. Eliminating the weight from my boat and fitting all that power into the same space in my battery box was huge for me.

> "Living in the northeast, my lithium batteries didn't want to charge when it was really cold [below freezing] because of their safety cutoff. The Solid State batteries charge down to -4 degrees, so I never even worry about that anymore. 

> "I can fish for 3 days without charging my batteries, and these batteries charge faster than lithium or AGM.

> "The only con right now is the price. It was the same thing with lithiums when they first came out."

AGM batteries are usually under $500. Lithium batteries can run $600-$1,500. Solid State Marine batteries will start at around $1,300 and can go as high as $3,500 for the ones used in bass fishing.

There's wayyy more info in that Jay Kumar's BassBlaster post.

Seems like another step for the "not flashy" boat stuff – like graphs and trolling motors that make for some sweet upgrades in performance. Let's see where the fishing world goes next!

1. Bobby Garland's 'wanted monkey' looks 🔥

It's one of their new colors in the Baby Shad. I've been using that exact bait like crazy and the fish love it!

2. Have you seen these dock-shooting baits?

Flat-body baits made to do a slow, spinning glide on the way down. From L-R: Bonehead Tackle Brush Glider, Bobby Garland Crappie Shooter, BaitFuel Crappie NanoBug.

3. In-Fish spring crappie roadmap

In-Fisherman post with MN guide Matt Breuer breaks down the spring crappie cycle, from ice-out to post-spawn by water-temp window.

4. TX/LA: Toledo Bend slabs are sliding to summer spots

> From Louisiana Sportsman: Brushpiles give up their share of fish...but you don't have to have brushpiles.... One reliable hotspot year in and year out are the pilings – day or night – along Pendleton Bridge.

5. AR: Summer bite is getting good on...

> Cane Creek Lake: Anglers have been catching limits of crappie and bream this week.

> Millwood: Crappie have greatly improved over the past few weeks with warmer water temps and are biting well in 5-12' on jigs, minnows and 'smoke' Grubs with a 'chartreuse' tail.

> DeGray: Most crappies appear to be sliding into an early summer pattern, with some mid-depth brushpiles holding fish and others empty except for bream. Run and gun until you find them, then get your jig or minnow down 12-16'.

> Lake Ouachita: Crappies are fair over brush in 10-20' on small minnow-colored jigs.

> Bull Shoals: Crappies are mixed up and sitting in brush in the 20' range. Try a 1/8-oz jig with Tater Baits' 'crown royale' or minnows.

> Lake Poinsett: Anglers have been doing well with crappie near shore, with minnows and minnow-colored jigs still the top baits.

6. CA lake reports

Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake – Crappie and bluegill are spawning up shallow.

Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River – Gills are "everywhere" and crappie are around the bridge.

7. WI: Free fishing weekend is June 6-7

8. FL killed buying short-term non-rez licenses online??

Mostly at least? If so that's 🥜!

9. IL awards $670K for 4 boat access projects

10. Rapala VMC up in Q1

> "Our Sufix fishing lines division...continued to deliver strong momentum, further supported by the launch of the Sufix Defcon fluorocarbon [co-poly] range.

11. Yamaha Marine sales up but profits down

> The marine segment posted revenue of $937 mil, a 6% increase year-over-year. Despite the top-line gains, marine operating profit fell 19.2% to $101 mil. Yamaha said the decrease was due to the impact of US tariffs....

12. Here's what AI 3D nav can look like 👀

Ain't no brushpiles hiding now! 😁

Add suction to your slip corks...

...when you're trying to get your line through. Here's a quick tip from Calebd Wistad of Hookedupwi that might save you from pulling a little hair out next time 😅:

> "When you're threading a bobber, especially with braid, it can be really difficult to get that line through [the hole].

> "[When you put your line through] and it won't come out the other side, especially with wet braid – put your mouth on it, give it a little suction [with your mouth], and it'll pull right through."

Seems simple, but I saw that and was like, Dang he's right! I know that's going to save me a bunch of headaches on my next slip-corking guide trip!

Pretty sure this is how everyone in the boat reacts when you get that dinner-plate slab to the top of the water, only for her to toss that hook back at you and take off....🤣

Your "derp" fish of the day coming in from KP Fishing Guide Service on Lake of the Pines, TX! That fish is gonna trip over that bottom lip! 😆

National Professional Anglers Assoc.

MN-FISH