Fishing Report Archives

Hey y’all from the Excel Bay Pro 230 Elite.

I finally saw the lake surface temperature pass the 60 degree mark for more than a few minutes yesterday. I will say I got my wish of seeing the lakes levels rise quite a bit before the spawn started.

The tuxedo colored male crappie are showing up in shallow spawning areas awaiting the arrival of the egg burdened females. Looking at the 10-day forecast, it looks like the days in the high 70s will allow the water temperatures to continue the slow rise. With no heavy rains forecast south of us, slowly rising levels with a slow rise in temps are setting up ideal spawning conditions. My fingers are crossed.

Looking at the crowds in some areas of the lakes, it appears the word is being spread about the great catches many are seeing again. We may not be at the good-ol-days level yet but we are headed in that direction.

The lakes are packed full of crappie from 8 to almost 10 inches. Those are the future of our fishery. I got a report yesterday of a man being seen at a local cleaning station with a bucket full of these under-sized illegal fish. I will say it here and now, if I see this personally your photo with these illegal fish will be taken and I will do everything in my power to see that you are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Unless we stand up against this criminal activity, all of our hopes for great fishing in the future will be for naught. With the crowds there will be crowded conditions, then confrontations. I often hear of fishermen being crowed to the point of boats trading paint. Just because that boat over there is catching more fish than you are doesn’t mean they want your boat next to theirs.

I am often forced to make drastic course changes to avoid those who see our success as an invitation for them to crowd us. Arguments or worse make for a bad day for all involved. Give other boats a wide berth any time you are on the water. There is plenty of room for everybody.

This is Easter weekend and usually signals the beginning of serious fishing for many. Celebrate the reason for Easter.

We have been pulling Pico crankbaits for a while now. Our best catches are coming in areas 12-20 feet deep. Structure or depth changes like channels or drop-offs are always a plus. Several boats are trolling jigs and plastics and these can be fished in areas much shallower than our cranks.

There are still a lot of spider-riggers out there too. Not everybody has thrown away the long poles in favor of the forward facing sonar. Many have. The rising water is helping with ramp crowding by allowing the use of ramps that are too shallow at winter pool.

The rising water is also allowing debris to float into boating areas. Be very aware of these gremlins. They are equal opportunity boat destroyers. Ruining a great day of fishing by hitting something on the lake is not something anybody wants.

Be careful out there. Enjoy your time on the waters. Watch out for those who don’t watch out for you. Help those who need help. Towing a broken down boater isn’t going to ruin your day. If you are broken down and need a tow, don’t ask the person willing to tow you to take you miles down the lake.

Taking your boat to the nearest marina or ramp should be your best choice. I’ve been there!

Welcome to our slice of Heaven.