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Kayak Trip Report, Cotaco Creek
Work, family and the holidays have kept me busy the last few weeks, but I finally found some time to get on the water today. I figured the water had cooled off significantly with the single digit temperatures over Christmas, so I decided to give Cotaco Creek a try since I always have good luck there in the late winter. That ended up being a good call catching fish all day six to eight feet deep in laydowns. All fish came off single pole with a Pink and Chartreuse tube jig on a 1/32oz jig head. Equal numbers from the bridge to the river as above the bridge. Visibility was good at about 18 inches with the water 39 degrees at 7AM. It had only warmed to 40 degrees by 3PM when I left. I kept a half limit for lunch tomorrow of the 9-to-10-inch Crappie I like and returned another 40 to 50 that would have measured including several fish in the 14-to-15-inch range. Returned numerous shorts, gills, stripe and endless 12-inch Spotted Bass.
Keeper
We fished out at Cotaco today as well. I wondered if that was you in the kayak after talking to another guy that told me there was a guy further in.... in a kayak pulling them in from tops. Never caught up with ya, maybe next time. We caught 5 at same depth as you mentioned and several gills and bass as well. It was slow for us but probably should've moved more.
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Kayak Trip Report, Cotaco Creek
Once again,you are the man!!!Lol. Read about skunks everywhere including myself Wednesday and you just go and slayem!!!Awesome!!!But your posts help me keep trying.
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Awesome! Thanks for the report
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I never pulled more than two from any laydown and they wanted it very slow, almost dead sticking it. Hard work with the wind, but once I got on a pattern it was a productive day.
By the way no secret too it, cold front coming through this afternoon. That usually gets the fish eating. If I'd gone yesterday, I probably wouldn't have caught a fish, LOL!
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Jcpate3, I'm sure it was me, didn't see any other kayaks today. Hope to meet you next time!
Slabmaster
Great job DB! Nice to hear a good update like that.
Any particular reason you fished Cotaco over Indian Creek this time of year? Just better results historically at Cotaco after it’s been really cold? It definitely seems like the water is clearer at Cotaco and probably a few degrees cooler almost year round than Indian.
I like fishing both creeks but Indian creek is much closer for me since I live in Madison. Just wondering!
Thanks!
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Great question. I love fishing Indian but reckon I’ll have to give cotaco a try.Originally Posted by 153Crappie
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I love Indian Creek but with the off-limits area at Redstone only being a mile in from the river you can quickly run out of creek if the fish aren't in that mile during the winter. I seldom drop an anchor or stop moving. I'll pull into a laydown and jig around it looking for active fish then keep moving. Even if I catch a few and the tree is covered up with fish on my fish finder I'll start moving again in a few minutes without a bite. I've often fished Cotaco creek and only caught fish above or only below the bridge at Sharps Ford.
Once the water comes up a couple feet and warms into the upper 50's/low 60's the Crappie move heavily into Barron Fork Creek also. I hit Indian Creek much more then. FYI, I live in Madison off Slaughter Road so Indian Creek is very close for me also.
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FYI for those following my post yesterday, all the Crappie were stuffed with shad when I cleaned them. Looks like as I suspected the fish turned on feeding ahead of the weak front that came through. I can't wait to hear of everyone's reports from today. I suspect those that went early did very well, but the bite probably slowed after the sun came out.
Thanks: 
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