Debbie, Savannah and Nicole with some more Christmas Crappie on Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental's Dock yesterday. 
The lake level is 554.21 and has dropped 2-1/2 inches in the last 24-hours with both generators running about 1/2 the time. I finished grading the road that the big rain washed out last week and then went fishing. It looks pretty good now and is getting wider and wider and you can meet another car on it. The surface water temperature was 57 degrees and the ambient temperature was in the 70's and it was sunny with light winds. The wind completey stopped about 4:PM and the water was like glass. That was really a welcome change from the wind. The water is clearing and you could see your lure down about 4-feet and I could use a spoon straight down which is the best lure at this time. I went to a different brush pile that I had not fished in a while because it is right on a windy bank that you cannot get out of and found a few fish. Not as big as the day before but still some nice ones. Bass, bluegill and crappie were all in the same place but were at different depths with the bluegill being the shallowest followed by the crappie and then the bass. I was using the Bink's white with a red eye 1/4 ounce spoon with 4-lb. test clear line and keeping it straight up and down and tapping bottom. When the line goes slack when falling it is usually a bluegill or crappie so set the hook. If not do not set the hook unless you are sure it is a fish or you will lose your spoon. The spoon going through brush feels almost like a fish and you will bury your trebble hook in it. If it is a bass you can set the hook after he clears the brush maybe a couple of times. Try to keep him from jumping if you can but set the hook before he does again. If you keep light tension on him he will not jump as much. Use the net and do not do it like the guys on tv do and swing him in the boat or you will hear a pop and he will be gone much of the time. They like to suck the lure down and jump and spit. I have hooked big bass in my less experienced days and fought them with too much drag until they jumped and were gone. I liked to use bass assassins in those days with a weighted nose hook and the hook that came up through the bottom of the lure was not even pulled up through the plastic after fighting a big fish. He was never hooked and just spit it out. Bottom line: try to not let him jump by not setting the drag too tight and reeling too fast. Use your rod. If you cannot stop him set the hook again before he does and set it hard. The wind is light again today and fishing looks good and the lake is in excellent condition. Blackburns has a bunch of good fishermen in this week and it looks to be a fun time. Maybe rain in the middle of the week but we can dodge that.
