Using Goldfish for Bass and Crappie

    Right now, live bait is by far the best option for cold, lazy fish. The local gas stations that usually sell minnows, only sell them in "fishing season"...I don't have a "fishing season", if fish can be caught, I will fish. So I went to plan B. I headed to the local Pet Supplies Plus and picked up 50 small feeder goldfish for 6 dollars. Since I would be fishing a private pond, it would be legal for me to use non native baitfish that aren't sterile.
     I rigged up two ultra light rods with 4# line, #4 gold aberdeen hooks, a small float, and a couple split shot. I started fishing in 6-8 feet of water and only caught one small crappie and one bass, fishing at all depths from the bottom up. I then moved to 4-5 feet of water, and found the fish suspended at 3 feet. I kept missing the fish and losing them about halfway through the fight... I began setting the hook less hard, and figured it out. I landed 5 crappies, around 8-10 inches, one more bass around a foot long, and finally, as I was leaving, a 15-16" largemouth and a 13" crappie! The biggest crappie I have EVER caught! I released the largemouth and kept the crappie... Things are picking up...slowly...But hopefully things will begin to speed up as time goes by! Thanks for reading!

 

I was wearing my waders for warmth...It was COLD, and after posing for this picture, I couldn't have tied a knot, undone a snap swivel, or even put a grub on a jighead if my life depended on it because my hands were so numb! It was worth making the trip though! 

 

You can easily tell the average fish from the behemoth!