Fishing Report Archives

Hello from the Excel 230 Elite.

I’ve covered a lot of miles on the road and lakes the last week. Cousin Rickie and I spent 4 days in Mississippi with old and new friends. We fished Enid Lake for two days then Sardis Lake for two. My intention for this trip was to learn some new tactics from experts. That we did!

I have long considered myself a dinosaur when it comes to fishing. I love the tactics that most crappie fishermen have abandoned for the latest technology. I own and use that technology at times and am trying to incorporate it into my daily fishing.

Both of the experts we fished with in Mississippi use the forward facing sonar along with different trolling tactics. What we learned was eye opening. What we caught there was exceptional.

The warming front we are now in is changing our seasonal patterns. I was on Kentucky Lake Monday with clients who have fished with me often. I decided to go old-school and push minnows while using my Livescope to target the depth that the crappie we holding at. This was new to the couple and we were all three amazed to watch the fish swim up to our baits, look them over, then swim off.

Some baits were attacked but the fish not hooked. It ended up being a frustrating trip. Crappie were caught but the sizes were on the small side. I think the main reason things were tough was the amount of baitfish that were all over the bay.

Gamefish have so much food right at the ready that I really think we were dealing with crappie that probably are like us as we push our chair back from that table after a Thanksgiving dinner. Bloated full!

For such a beautiful day, there was very little boat traffic. We dealt with heavy fog and chilly air all the way to short sleeves and sweating. Looks like we have this to face for several days.

With the lake at winter pool level, ramp options are limited. There are lots of gremlins just waiting to do damage to boats that end up in the wrong areas. A GPS map with lake level off-set is essential. Be careful out there. The surface temps will be creeping back into the low 70s but a dunking now is much more dangerous than a couple of months ago.

Wear your PFD when running at plane speed. Keep extra clothes in case you do end up wet. We never plan to get into an accident but they do happen. Being prepared can lessen the effects. Enjoy this late season summer spell.

Welcome to our slice of Heaven.