Eastern Shore - PB crappie, PB snakehead

[dsaavedra]

This report comes a little overdue as these fish were caught the first weekend of April, but I fished the same spot this past weekend. Anyway, this Eastern Shore river produced some nice fish last couple trips including my PB crappie (14.5") and my PB snakehead (31.5", 9.4 pounds). Small paddle tails (3.5") worked slowly were the ticket, and the fish were holding super tight to cover, mostly wood cover. When I was there last time the water level was high from rain and the snakehead were so deep in the flooded shoreline cover they were practically inaccessible, but I could hear tons of them all around.

[gliebig]

Nice snakey!

[dsaavedra]

Nice snakey!

Thanks! It was an interesting fight... the water was so shallow (less than a foot) with a very loose mud bottom and the fish kicked up so much mud and silt during the fight I actually never got a look at it until it was in the net. Netting it was a challenge because I couldn't see the fish, I was basically blindly jabbing at the water with the net trying to scoop the fish up. Lucky I didn't knock the hook out doing this.

[Jman]

Nice colors on the crappie and VERY nice snakehead! Were you fishing the paddle tail on one of those weighted weedless hooks?
I went down there last weekend after the front and had one hookup and one big perch on a white paddle tail.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dsaavedra]

Nice colors on the crappie and VERY nice snakehead! Were you fishing the paddle tail on one of those weighted weedless hooks?
I went down there last weekend after the front and had one hookup and one big perch on a white paddle tail.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, I was using these swimbaits: https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/cabe...to-swim-minnow in the 3.5" size which are quickly becoming my go-to. They are cheap, you get more in a pack compared to other brands, and they have worked very well for me. I see they're on sale right now, 25% off I might just stock up. 1/0 weighted swimbait hooks fit them perfectly but can be hard to find. Mustad sells some in the 1/0 size but I don't see them on BPS website at the moment.

[Jman]

Thanks - those look pretty good, especially for getting 10 in a pack. I need to try using the weighted hooks more vs. a chatterbait.

[dsaavedra]

Thanks - those look pretty good, especially for getting 10 in a pack. I need to try using the weighted hooks more vs. a chatterbait.

Weighted swimbaits and topwater hollow bodied frogs/mice are just about all I use for snakes.

[jsnyd86]

Great pics! and thats for the report. Im planning on getting over there sometime this week (hopefully) but still need pin down which launch. Those are some nice fish! Well done!

[YakMonkey]

Where did you launch from? I hit the eastern shore a few weeks ago, launched near the key Wallace and skunked.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk