where to begin?

[JDB]

I camp quite a bit on Lake Degray. The shouse ford area to be exact. This time of year ,before the crappie truly stage up for the spawn,is a mystery to me. Where should Ibegin my search. The main river channel is sixty foot deep. I have a hard time fishing water that deep. I guess its my lack of experience or confidence. What about main feeder creeks in the fourty foot range? I am in the process of building some condos and would like some advice on where to place them? Does anybody know where Ican find a good topo map of Lke Degray? Thanks and good luck.

[Jason Piper]

If you wait till mid day or afternoon the fish will move into shallow cover. Every year in January and February on warm afternoons like we have been having, all you have to do is search the bank near deep water for cover, like lay downs, brush piles, stumps and so on. I sometimes catch fish in 4' of water down a foot or so with minnows or jigs on warm afternoons. A sharp bend in the river channel would be the first spot you should check for shallow brush!
I fish Beaver Lake in NW Arkansas and I would imagine that the two lakes are simalar.
Good luck!

[spikles2]

Hello,


I live 10 minutes from the lake and know exactly what you mean. Me and my wife fish the lower lake area this time of year. The fish tend to hold in water between 15 and 30 ft. deep on the main lake. The key to finding fish for us when we actually do find them is an old weed line. The fish tend to hold right off of it. Shouse Ford is a good area. We have done well past point Cedar near Amity Landing. River bends tend to hold fish. There are alot of fish structures off of the points.

The lower lake is a good area for bigger crappie. It is more riverine. The area from the bridge to the first island is good. The cliiffs area is also good this time of year.

Hope this helps some. We have not been this winter with the really low water. (Down 22 ft. at last report) Michael

[Jerry Blake]

I camp quite a bit on Lake Degray. The shouse ford area to be exact. This time of year ,before the crappie truly stage up for the spawn,is a mystery to me. Where should Ibegin my search. The main river channel is sixty foot deep. I have a hard time fishing water that deep. I guess its my lack of experience or confidence. What about main feeder creeks in the fourty foot range? I am in the process of building some condos and would like some advice on where to place them? Does anybody know where Ican find a good topo map of Lke Degray? Thanks and good luck.

Hey JDB:

I used to fish the Shouse Ford/Cox Creek area of DeGray but it's been years since I've been there. On Greeson we're catching fish on condos we put on points that extend into the major creek channels in 20 to 30-feet of water and I would think they would be in a similar pattern on DeGray.

Narrow points that extend into deep channels have been the most productive areas for us to place condos. If you place them at the ridge of the point at different depths down the point - starting in about 10-feet of water down to 30 or 40-feet of water - you should be able to catch crappie on them year around.

[JDB]

Thanks for the info. I have 6 condos Iam planning on getting wet this week.Ihave decided to put them on a point dumping into the main river channel at 10 foot intervals.