Trifecta at Milldam Creek

It was about 4 o'clock this afternoon when Ron Ameika launched his yak from the west side of the bridge that crosses Milldam Creek. He then "got real low and did the limbo," crossing under the bridge and heading eastward in Milldam.

"The water was murky, the wind was high, and the temp was dropping," said Ron. He was out for a recon with two poles and an XTS minnow. After trying a few skinny-water areas with no luck, he got fed up with the wind and decided to head back.

While trolling the XTS dead-center channel, his line suddenly went tight, and the pole bent hard. His prize was a 27-inch bowfin that weighed 5 lbs. 12 ozs.

After limboing his way back under the bridge, Ron threw the XTS minnow toward some cover in the swampy but clear backwaters. In no time, he had scored a 17-inch chain pickerel.

Ron was slow-trolling his way back to the bridge when he was rewarded with a 12.6-inch crappie that weighed 1 lbs. 12 ozs. "Yeah, tablefare!" he exclaimed. About the same time, his friend, who was bank fishing in the vicinity of the bridge, caught a 13.2-inch crappie on a live minnow.

All the surface action died down about 5:45, and, unfortunately, so did the bite. Ron was satisfied, though. "All in all, a successful, albeit cold and windy, initial recon of Milldam Creek" is how he summed up the events.