Nice, those are some good ones.
Had a pretty good day. Caught around 50. Kept a few for Lake Crisco.
davebrown42, Hat55, sweathermon, Crappie Chatt, Frank300, GREENFISH, Bigskyfisherman, Crappie ciller, Blackdog40, redfin00 and 1 others LIKED above postrichard387 thanked you for this post
Between the wind and the fronts, fish have moved deeper this winter than I can remember in the past. Normally fish 12 to 17 ft in February but had to move into 23 to 30 fow this year. Talked to a lot of artificial minnow guys that are really struggling. With the water release, fish are holding just out of any current waiting on ghost minnows and shad to come by. All the fish we have cleaned are full of 3 to 4 inch shad and ghost minnows. Cover doesn't seem to be important as much as a ledge or drop off where the fish are out of the current. Water temp average is 36 to 38 deg. Need a break from the 30 mph winds. Something that may help on any Corps managed lake is always check to see if there is any water release before you fish or if there is any inflow. Crappie hate current. If there is current always fish the downstream side of any cover. Crappie schools will hold there out of the current waiting on baitfish.
JMDenney thanked you for this post
Keep em coming, Tim.
Proud member of TEAM GEEZER
Wind gusted out of the south yesterday over 30 mph and out of the north today over 30 mph. Gotta love Oklahoma weather
Redge, Blackdog40 LIKED above post
I have been trying a new method that I think is gonna work well. I am running my 12 ft rods from the side using a controlled drift at 02 to 03 mph along channels on drop shot rigs with minnows. Still playing with drift speed. Having to drift VERY slow in the 36 deg water. Never have been a fan of drift socks I use 5 gall buckets with multiple holes drilled in the bottom and replace the metal handles with rope I will sometimes drift up to 4 buckets and use my outboard set at angles for steering direction along with the trolling motor. Always trying something different makes it fun
richard387 thanked you for this post
Yes. The fish right now are not holding at any specific depth so I'm having to stagger them. Have a couple I'm bouncing the weight off the bottom and the others I have staggered at different depths. Using the lightest weight I can get away with to keep the lines vertical. 3/8 to 1/2 ounce are working best. I use straight 1/0 gold hooks. Found out when fishing in the winter I catch more fish downsizing to the 1/0 hook vs the 2/0 we use in the spring. Problem I'm having up here is getting minnows of any size. All I can get are 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inch minnows. Prefer them 3 to 3 1/2 inches. Don't fish for quantity so rather catch 10 to 15 big fish a day than a 100 small ones. The 6 to 10 inch fish are killin us on the smaller minnows. I will give you a hint that will help a lot when you make your drift buckets. The back end of your boat is naturally heavier and will drift slower because of the engine therefore the buckets you have back there will need more holes in them for less water resistance where the buckets off the front will need fewer holes that will create greater water resistance and keep your boat drifting straight. I make the ropes all around 10 ft long and adjust them in and out until I get the boat drifting the direction I want it to. I will show you a picture of one when I get a chance.
richard387, Lonnie84 thanked you for this post
Thanks for the information and tip on the buckets, I'll keep an eye out for the pic.