The Best Way to Catch a Slab

[united jigsticker]

Now gather 'round and listen here,

Let me tell ya' 'bout the Crappie fishin' this year.

Out on the lake past a mile or three,

Out near the mud and the sucken tree,

Over by the sand, where it's twelve feet deep,

That's where I got a few Crappies to keep.

The way I caught em' was quite a mess,

But let me say that it worked the best.

First I tried a box of Quaker Oats,

But dem' dawg gone Crappies just wouldn't go.

Next I hooked on a Frosted Flake,

But the fish didn't bite for goodness sake.

So I retied with some Captain Crunch,

But the fish weren't taken that for their lunch.

Next I switched to a Fruity Pebble,

With 3 sharp hooks known as a treble.

But that didn't work either for me that day,

I was kind of stumped, what could I say.

So what I did to get them to bite,

Was the only thing that worked just right,

What I did when the Crappies didn't go,

I jigged off the bottom with some Cheerios.

Now you might think I was wasting my time,

Or even might believe I lost my mind.

But let me say for those who don't know,

There's nothing better on Red then the Cheerios.

They don't need to be honey or apple flavor,

But with a little sugar the Crappies savor.

I caught my limit, so if you doubt,

You might get skunked and start to pout.

So if you question my ways to angle,

Your line will lay limp, just hang and dangle.

So with my advice, don't pause or halt,

Just take it as they say, with a grain of salt.

[The Crappies behave much like the cheerios I eat in my bowl of milk in the morning.

Sometimes they all float to the right side, sometimes to the left, other times they scatter. And those last few O's can be hard to catch in the spoon sometimes.

There's no reason why the cheerios go to one side of the bowl or another, and everyday the cheerios group in a different spot of the bowl.

Sometimes I can eat all my cheerios before they get soggy, and other times...Well I was just too slow, and they go in the trash.

On Red Lake, it's not that you're "scoopin' the spoon in the wrong spot", but that you're "scoopin' the spoon" in that spot at the wrong time".

If ya don't scoop any cheerios, scoop in a different spot of the bowl, and ya might fill your tummy better.

Don't scoop in the right spot soon enough, and the cheerios get soggy and breakfast is over.

The size and color of your "spoon" makes a difference though, red glow and minnows are about best. Whether you use a jigging spoon, or a tear drop style is up to you.

The relation of cheerios to Crappies on URL is the fact that the structure we deal with is no more complex then that of a cereal bowl. Furthermore, the fish have no rhyme or reason for being in one particular spot vs. another. Even bottom types and content often have minimal bearing on the fishes location in wintertime.

With all this in mind, I ask you, What's in your cereal bowl?]

UJ will be performing this weekend on a lake near you!

[hanson]

UJ

Thanks for the insight as usual!

Cheerios Theory is a classic!

[crazyalbert]

WOW I don't know if I should fish or just have breakfast

[kelly-p]

Jigsticker, Love ya like a brother man but we gotta find you a date.

[kelly-p]

jigsticker, I sent ya an e-mail but i have the wrong address. Drop me a line.

[Random guy]

jigsticker

...and I thought my McDonalds bit in the muskie pike forum was "different". Cheerios? I love it!

[PYROPAL]

thanx to "uj" for the great poem, he seems like a great guy, though i don't know him. i understand what he says about the "cereal bowl", all spots are the same....no fish?, move the hole. oh, and if you fish from a truck, a sled, or even a car, you better have a marcum or a vexilar, and a few more things before you go, like a camera, some minnows and jigs that glow. SORRY, HAD TO JUMP ON THE BAND WAGON! Great rhyme "UJ"!