Patoka Lake Trip Sunday May 6th 2007

I got up to Patoka Lake and launched from the ramp near Hoosier Marina in the South Lick Fork Area around 11 am CDST. Fished the bay where the Marina is located. Went back to where the water was only 6 ft deep in the South Fork of this bay.

I caught a few small crappie and not much of anything else. I tried tight lining minnows and jigs. I cast with jigs and I cast with a slip bobber set to various depths with both jigs and jigs tipped with minnows.

Wind was up today. Gusting at 15 mph to 20 mph. Stead at 8 to 10 most of the day.

I found Patoka Larry later in the afternoon as he motored over to the bay I was fishing. He said he caught a boat load of crappie the day before, Saturday. He fished early Sunday and was tired so he went home early. I stayed for a while longer and still could not find any slab.s

I spent over 35 bucks in gas for the truck. Gas is selling in Boonville, IN for $2.869. Up around the lake it was selling for $3.049 or more. Huge difference in the price per gallon. Patoka lake business are trying to retire early I guess.

I should have taken my camping gear and spent the next three days up there.

Water temperature at the surface in the shallow bays was showing 70 to 71 deg F. Out in the main part of the lake near the Marina the surface temp read 66 on my Minn-Kota Temperature Gage.

It's probably around 65 deg F on the bottom at 8ft deep.

It's going to warm back up this coming week. Should get into the mid 80's the next three days. That should bring the water temps in the spawning areas up to the right temps

Larry caught a few crappie that had their spawning colors showing. He said he was still catching fish with the eggs in them. So not all the crappie have spawned.

I am going to stay closer to home even though I purchased my lake permit for $20 so that I can fish Patoka Legally.

If the idiots would stop taking short bass out of Bluegrass Pit maybe someday the bass fishing will recover on this pit. But as long as I keep seeing idiots taking out short bass that will never happen. Sometimes I wish I could stick a cattle prod up their butts when I catch them taking out short bass. That still would not get them to act right! Some people are just incorrigible and will not abide by the rules. Maybe they have lead poisoning.