Fishing Report Archives

Hello from the Excel Storm Cat. I think we can finally consider winter to be in our rearview mirror and spring has sprung.

Every day the woods get greener and every day it seems the lake surface temperatures are creeping up. A sweatshirt still feels good most early mornings, but it gives way to shirt sleeves soon after the sun is high in the sky.

This week is also the first time in what seems like months that the winds are not preventing us from fishing most of our chosen spots. A calm cove may still draw a crowd of those looking for even calmer water or maybe just maybe, they saw somebody catch a fish.

Watching for others catching fish seems to be a regular fishing tactic for many. While the lakes are here for everyone, it can sure be frustrating when you raise the net and draw a crowd.

The past week has seen high–highs and low-lows on my boat, mostly weather related, namely east wind. A shift in the wind to the east can shut down good fishing. I guess the old-timers who said “Wind from the east, fish bite the least” knew how greatly an east wind behind a storm front can hurt fishing. We experienced it last weekend. I’m hoping the storms and high winds don’t return for a while.

The general movement toward shallow water has us pulling jigs and curlytail grubs. Some afternoons have found us in less than six feet of water. The bulk of our catch lately has been male white crappie in their spawning colors.

This is when they are the most attractive, both for the lady crappie and for fishermen. The egg-laden ladies are soon to make the move to the spawning grounds.

I’m not one of those who think the first day the surface temperature hits 65 degrees the spawn is in full force. We will see movement in and out of shallow water for a couple of weeks, maybe more.

As those big females move off the spawning grounds and out to the ledges, you can bet my boat full of crankbaits will be there to greet them. Most of the Livescope fishermen are still plying deeper water cover for some good catches and some very good quality fish. There are also some who are checking very shallow cover for their fish.

While the yellow bass and drums have been a constant catch all spring, many other species are just now heading to the banks. Monday, we caught all three species of bass, sauger, bluegills, and catfish along with the crappie and yellows.

While most were short of legal, they are still fun to catch. Last week one of my clients landed a large Bighead carp on a crankbait. The fight was memorable to say the least.

As the water warms up, so will the recreational boat traffic. The lake levels are around 357.4 feet so there are still some gremlins to be found as well as lots of floating trash and debris. Caution is always the name of my game. I have seen a couple of boats being towed in so not everybody is making sure their boat is seaworthy before hitting the boat ramp.

Be careful out there! Wear your PFDs. Watch for those who won’t watch for you. You won’t make any friends by getting so close to another boat that you can toss a bait into their boat. Have fun. Soak up some sunshine but don’t forget sunscreen. I have burned ear lobes and sides of my face because I forgot one day.

Welcome to our slice of Heaven.