Hello from Texas.
I have an uncle who lives close to Lopez and he wants to get into some crappie there. I don't know what I can do to help him other than ask you guys for some assistance that I could pass along. Everything I've read feels like it's a pretty decent crappie lake.

I think he'll be fishing from the bank (no boat).....but here's the kicker.

He wants me to make him up some jigs and I was hoping someone could give me some hints on what sizes or colors might get him going in the right direction.

Thanks in advance ya'll.

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Lopez is a great crappie and red ear lake. I usually use white horsehead jig with a white tube or a black head with a charteuse tail. WRWEST said that he has been using YUM beavertails and doing pretty good too. Fish around the marina and cottonwood cove. Hope this helps you and your uncle out.

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Keep those jigs wet!

Dave

Jeff, Lopez is a good lake for crappie. The most popular spot is Cottonwood cove. Further down the arm of the lake is Mallard cove good too. Like crappiencali said fish around the marina, behind the store, this place gets over looked. A lot of bluegill fishermen will fish here. Go deeper for crappie. There is a big cove on the west side of the boat launch, this area is deep and good. There is a nice cove by the main gate good in the evenings. I am still learning the lake, I like to avoid the crowds.
I have been using Wooly Beavertail by YUM, in 1 1/2" and 2 inch. Pumkinseed / chartreuse. That has been my producer this year. An other good grub is a solid yellow body and a white curl tail.
As far as tying jig, white, yellow head and white body, red head and white or yellow body. I tried a jig yearly in the year work ok. Red head / yellow body with a white strip down the back and a white tail.
All the grubs and jigs range in size from 1/8 - 1/64

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Gonefission
Bill

Thanks for the help. I'll see what we can put together for him and if/when he has some luck, I'll report back.

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Ooops. One other thing on technique.

If he fishes in the Cottonwood area, will he be fishing standing timber, vegetation or any other visible cover?
Is your jigging technique a vertical presentation on long(er) rods or is a cast and retrieve?

This sure bites not ever having seen the lake or what he will be targeting.

If he fishes the marina area, I'm assuming that he'll be targeting the marina itself or is there visible cover to fish around the outskirts of the marina?

Sorry for all the questions...but if any of ya are ever in the North Texas area, look me up and we'll go fish.

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If you are fishing from the bank he will do a cast and retreive. The water is still high but there shouldn't be any standing timber, just a lot of submerged brush.

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Keep those jigs wet!

Dave

Lopez lake is on the come back. For the past several years they had the lake drained down below 50% while they worked on the damn. In this time the brush has grown up all over the place. With the work done now and the last two years of heavy rains the lake is at 85% full, covering most of the brush. It is only going to get better in the coming years.

From the bank he will be making long cast and retrieving, Sometimes I use a weighted bobber for longer cast. I am using a 7 1/2 ft U L rod with 4# test line. Most of the time I am casting and letting the jig sink before I start to retrieve.
In Cottonwood, there is a beach as you look down from the parking lot. This area is mostly clean of brush. On to the left is submerged brush. On the right is pretty clean. Keep walking to the right around the point you will enter Mallard Cove light to heavy brush. There are places you can get out to fish the out side of the brush.
In the marina area, I walk the path around the far side of the cove, to where I am looking at the back of marina store. Long cast to the back of the store, and long cast to the docks. This is a deep area so let your jig sink.
While you are tying jig for your uncle, tie up some of your favorite patterns too, and send to him. I have been reading how ya"ll fish crappie on this site and I try them out here and they work here too.

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Gonefission
Bill

Thanks ya'll. I'll get him some jigs here shortly and hopefully he'll have some heavy stringers to report back with.
Of course, then I'll report back to you guys.

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