Fishing Report Archives

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

The calendar says it’s still April but the midday sun some days feels like summertime fishing. I hope we missed the worst of the high water related problems and can now get on with fishing.

We are still seeing some storms on the horizon but hopefully no more Noah’s Ark type rains. The crappie are settling into a more seasonal pattern now with several, if not most, still holding eggs. With surface temperatures now in the low 70s, if the bulk of the spawn is still going to happen, they better get on with it.

Areas that were holding big numbers of crappie for me just a week ago, are now mostly vacant. Deeper water is now the place to be for me. Of course, that’s where I like to be anyway.

We have still had to fish where we could rather than where we want to some days due to the persistent winds.

Most of our crappie are coming from 14-20 feet of water, but just because the water is that deep does not always mean the fish will be near the bottom. Shallow and medium running baits are always close by.

Boat traffic during the week has been surprisingly light. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. Solitude is always nice when fishing but rarely are we allowed to enjoy it. I know the recreational traffic will soon be busy and the solitude will be replaced.

Bluegill, Redears, and catfish have all ventured into shallow bedding areas to start the next generation. Good catches of all have been reported. While none of these species have size limits, visitors and locals alike must remember that crappie, bass, and sauger all have size limits and just because you are not likely to be checked, you are still obligated to follow the fish and wildlife rules.

I recently received some negative feedback on one of my reports when a visitor to our lakes felt it was my obligation to advise the public to stay at home during bad weather or high water conditions. While I might feel an obligation to my guide clients to advise them of when they might have the best chances to have a great trip and in many cases reschedule, I will never tell the public to stay away. Never!

I will gladly discuss my thoughts on fishing and how the weather or water conditions might influence it with scheduled clients but it is not my place to tell anybody to go spend time or money elsewhere. If rentals, resorts, marinas, etc. choose to do it, that is their business. This forum won’t be used for it.

Please be careful out there. Welcome to our slice of Heaven.