Henrik's Arrival

Jacqui started getting contractions at 7 am. She told me to not to go to work because of the intense pain. We walked the neighborhood for a 30 minutes and that really got the contractions going. Got to the hospital at 11:15 am and they admitted her at noon.

They broke the water right away and the contractions really picked up. The epidural was started at 1pm and she hasnt felt any pain since.

Pam and I are talking to jacqui while shes on the bed texting everyone!

It was 90 degrees all weekend and really humid. We've been waiting for this day for what seems to be an eternity!

Hungry Robin

Crappie Gear II

Using light tackle such as this light weight berkley lightning rod rigged with 4lb monfilament makes catching any fish feel like a trophy.

My rig. 12 ft aluminum v-hull with a up to date registration, life jacket for when I fall in, a must have anchor, pair of heavy duty oars and a fish basket for all those lunkers I never lie about. Coming soon - 10 hp mercury 2 stroke if santa can fit it down the chimney this year.

The ever so popular slip bobber that always takes me 3 attempts to tie correctly. Not my favorite style of fishing, but effective if used properly.

Of course a GPS to mark all the hotspots that I always think I'll remember the next season and never do.

Crappie Minnows

Keeping bait alive with an aeriator for convienence.

Standard shiner minnows you'll get from most bait shops. For crappies I always stay small. The bottom two are my choice 90% of the time. The larger minnows usually attract large fish like bass, which are fun but not when I'm targeting crappies.

Here is my favorite bait rigged with a fairly large minnow. When this travels through the water, the minnow will look natural. You can swim it, jig it, and still fish it. I prefer swimming it above the weeds with the occaisional jerk. It makes the minnow look wounded and often triggers less aggressive fish when they aren't feeding.[Photo]

Crappie Fishing Gear

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This lure from strike king has been my hottest lure when rigged with a minnow. When the crappie bite is hot fish it without the minnow and its just as effective.

This rooster tail is the most versitale of all my lures. Works well in warm weather when the fish are in the shallows since this lure runs shallow. Worden makes a heavier version for deep water fishing.

This reel is small enough for ice fishing. Its affordable and gets the job done.

First 2010 spring crappie.

Everytime I catch a 13 inch crappie I seem to think its much bigger. Something I'll never get tired of is pulling one of these slabs from the weeds on light tackle.

Fried with my favorite breading, Shore Lunch, it only takes a few of this size to fill even a guy of my size up!