Hello Hello!!

[GrantH]

New guy here in Huntsville. I am looking to get into yak fishing for crappie and bass here in the immediate future and want to join a couple of guys that are patient enough to allow me to tag along. I just bought a Field & Stream Eagle Talon SOT from Dick's to get me started and really enjoy it so far. I have only spent about 45 minutes on it but I had fun! I plan to get my license in the near future as well so I can venture out a bit from my home lake.

If anyone wants to visit Lady Anne for a morning of fishing let me know. I don't know a lot about the lake (or fishing, really and truly) so I am just wanting to pick brains and enjoy myself. Let me know if you are local and don't mind an extra line around ya!

[Ditch Basser]

GrantH,

Welcome to the board, I fish from a kayak for Crappie in Lake Wheeler and anything that holds water between Ditto landing and Decatur. What area of Huntsville do you live in? I live in Madison. We'll see if we can link up one Saturday morning.

[gabowman]

Welcome from GEORGIA.

[GrantH]

GrantH,

Welcome to the board, I fish from a kayak for Crappie in Lake Wheeler and anything that holds water between Ditto landing and Decatur. What area of Huntsville do you live in? I live in Madison. We'll see if we can link up one Saturday morning.

I'm on Zeirdt Road, right by the Publix on Madison Blvd. Technically I live in Huntsville, but I say Madison haha. I am going to the coast for some deep sea fun this coming weekend but maybe the following we can link up. Do the crappie stay active in this type of heat?

[GrantH]

Do you hit the sloughs that jut off of the main waters or do you venture out into the main body of water on a yak? I'm not too terribly adventurous yet, thought about going to NACK and hitting that river but haven't done so quite yet.

[Blackhawk19]

Welcome from south Alabama.

[LarryDavid]

Hello Grant. Welcome aboard. There are some great yak fishermen here that will help you out. On down the road, you should take your craft out to Guntersville. Actually, you have a tremendous advantage in many places out there --- to go where no man has gone before! I have a light bass boat and that's where I've been going the last couple of years and have found such tremendous spots and these fish have never seen a lure before. Remember now, you're living next to arguably the greatest lake in the world. Where else can you go and catch 5 pound bass and monster crappie pretty much every time out after a little time and practice? And it's been like that for a long time there. Plus, these fish are edible, whereas a lot of these other places I would caution people about eating too many of the fish because of the pollution, mercury levels, ect.

[GrantH]

I have read about the pollution in pickwick/wheeler and such with the plants being there. I am not a meat fisher unless it comes out of the salts but then again I have never had crappie before. Is there a general area in G-Ville that is a good launching spot for yaks rather than just the dock areas and such. I have a rough time getting out of the boat, but I figure I will start to just step out into the water rather than killing my back trying not to get wetter than a SOT already gets ya.

[LarryDavid]

The Tennessee River is extremely polluted, including Ditto, Wheeler Refuge, ect. An easy launch at Guntersville right off 72 is at North Sauty, right where the broken bridge is and you can go all into that lily pad area early season. Mink Creek is good if the wind is right and you can launch there and go back under the bridge and fish that area which includes a spring. South Sauty, the new launch area and the old launch area and off you go toward Bucks Pocket. A lot of these areas grass up, but the little creek channels running through them stay fairly clean because of the water flow and actually, this time of year that's where the fish are because of the O2 and it's their highways ... Once you taste a crappie you'll know why anglers go out below freezing to catch them, awesome fried and really good baked: just toss fillets on a baking dish, salt, pepper, top with a little grated cheese, bake for 25 minutes, then broil for 4 minutes. I think a lot of people would be surprised at just how good they taste this way, too.

[GrantH]

The North Sauty location, is that where CR 114 and Porter Rd are split? Just want to make sure I am looking at the same place you are...I have not ventured to that area yet at all. I just moved here 3 weeks ago. I see the Mink River spot on Google Maps. Kinda nervous about going out on such a big body of water honestly. The boat is pretty stable, but I guess it still all depends on the winds and radar.