The lake is about a foot and a half under normal summer pool and very clear due to little rain. Water temps have fallen to 55 in the morning on the north end. Warming as the day goes on. All signs of turnover appear to be done. Expect the crappie to continue to move shallow over these next few weeks. I am currently fishing anything in ten-foot of water from Bo-Woods over to Wilborn. Some places even shallower. We are fishing jigs both tight lining them and under a slip bobber. My 3/32oz. Deep Ledge Jigs and a Brushpile Hammer [...]

My white bass rods are soon leaving the boat since the falling water temps. will have my deep whites moving so for me that means concentrate on the crappie for the rest of the year. As of this writing water temps have fallen from 81 down to below 70 and this will trigger some of the best crappie fishing of the year. We need it to get below 60 then the crappie will move back shallow and the big white crappie on the north end will be vulnerable. Mid October on through all of November is my favorite time to [...]

Not much has changed since my last report. I am still splitting my trips half crappie, half white bass but not for long. Fall has to come before long and that will cool the water temps. Once they get to about 60 the lake will turn-over and my deep white bass will be gone. For now I am vertically fishing on points that drop off from 20ft.to nearly 40ft. so mid lake to south end. The trick is to identify what whites look like on your electronics. Several have reached out to me and not doing well. I tell them [...]

September is a month of transition for many species. The crappie are moving back into shallower areas as are a lot of game fish. Coves with feeder creeks are your first option. The cooler water coming in the back is the attraction for baitfish, gamefish will follow. This happens when the water temps get into that mid 60 range as of now it is 78 but it won't be for long. The bait for the most part has already left the main lake and finding the larger crappie is a full time job. Small crappie are so plentiful it is [...]

The lake is right at summer pool and very clear. Water temps have fallen somewhat to 77 after seeing them as high as 84 during all that heat. The bait has started to move from out on the main lake to back into the coves. Those with small creeks in the back will be the first to get shallow crappie, large mouth and white bass. These next three to four weeks will have fish moving. No longer see me setting out on a river channel bank on a big down tree. Just small fish are all that is left. Right [...]

THE CRAPPIE FISHING IS ON FIRE!!!! The lake is a hair below summer pool and gin clear. I am starting to see signs of a thermocline building. Just what I want to put the crappie at that 15-17ft. range. We are going through about 15-18 dozen minnows a day so lots of action. I am catching fish on my white hair jigs as well. It is fun to see all the fish chase it on my Livescope. I have my customers use a slip bobber and minnow set up. Since they can't watch the Livescope from their seats like I [...]

Due to recent rains the lake has come up a foot and is falling back towards summer pool. This puts some current in the lake and scatters the fish somewhat. We are only crappie fishing at this time and numbers of fish are not a problem. This time of the year I take out a lot of kids and their parents so if action if what you are looking for look no further. We use a simple approach a slip bobber and minnow rig and move a bunch. Down trees, brush piles, standing timber. All must be on points, leading [...]

Water temps are in the low 80's and clarity is about a foot to eighteen inches. The lake is right at normal summer pool. We have transitioned to what we do every summer and that is chase hungry crappie with a slip bobber and minnow rig. If it is too windy we tightline minnows on a drop-shot rig. Pretty simple everyone of all ages can do this and boy do we catch a ton of fish. I have three bait tanks all on air to keep the minnows lively and we go through at least ten to fifteen dozen a [...]

The lake is in great shape water color wise and at normal pool. Water temps are running 74-78. The crappie spawn is done but males are still guarding some nests. I am fishing mainly stumps near deep water. Right after the spawn they tend to move to stumps as they work their way back to deep summer spots. Livescope is really a god send right now. I am pendulum tossing a 1/8oz. casting sinker on ten pound braid then a fifteen inch fluorocarbon leader and a small 1/32oz. white hair jig. Swimming it is key they tend to stare at [...]

Water temps jumped from 59 to 77 last week so like I predicted the crappie spawn will wrap up quickly. Males will be on nests for another week or so but we have switched gears and are walleye/crappie fishing. The lake remains a foot low and water color is very clear. My shallow crappie spots are thinning but we can still get some so I have been splitting the day. For the crappie I am using a 1/8oz. trolling sinker tied on 12lb. braid. Then a fifteen in. 15lb.fluorocarbon leader and a 1/32oz. white and tensile hair jig. Used it [...]