Lance34

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The month of December has just flown by. I guess things go by quickly when you’re having fun. Fishing the past few weeks has really picked up. I’ve gotten out about every week Search different places. Some places I put a big X on until the lake fills up more and some places are hit or miss. Mainly depends on wind direction on some. Then a couple just stay consistent no matter what. Best bite for me has been rigging shallow. 4-6 fow. Places I move deeper have fish but can’t get them to bite too good. A couple weeks ago it seemed like I could only pick them off of wood and roaming fish would run off. This last good rain we got really helped the shallow bite a lot. I would catch them with it being just a little stained but was a grind. Heavy cloud cover would help those days. Once when the water clarity got more brown after the good rain. That made them bite less finicky. Made a big difference. That’s what I’ve been waiting on the whole month. Just a good rain. Hopefully will keep getting these rains to keep dirtying up a little. Basically focusing various shallow mud flats. You can’t see these fish a lot of times on LS. It’s just over time of fishing this lake and knowing different lake conditions at certain times of the year. I just know they are there. Kind of like it that way. I don’t have to focus on the Livescope screen and just rig old school. Just stay attentive to my poles because when these fish hit and run. Being with such a short amount of line out you got to grab that rod quick before they let go or rip the hook out of their mouth. It’s fun a method to fish and have to be extremely patient with it. Set up was rigging 16 foot BnM BGJP’s with 1/2 double minnow rigs I tie up using Pico Lure/Vanguard Terminal Tackle. Drop down to 3/8oz if conditions are just right. Water clarity is brown. Lake elevation was 1122.2 and WT has been ranging from 45-50, depending on the weather. Good Fishing Lance

The last several weeks I’ve been fishing a flat that I traditionally fish now this time of year. One trip the bite is great. The next it’s a grind. One week their shallower 13-15 fow, the next their 18-20 fow and on the bottom. The days I’ve gone where it’s a grind. There’s zero wind and high skies. Just has always worked out the day I can go it’s those conditions. Yesterday they bit pretty steady. Not a grind but not stellar either. Have to get away from the shad. When the shad is stretched out for yards on end. Get out of it. Look for more clumps or nothing and just roaming fish. It’s been more consistent then. I guess it not really a grind just takes time to break the flat down each trip. Like fish are here, too much shad over there, there’s nothing here. Okay fish are located here today, fish here. Best consistent that last couple weeks is minnow rigging 17-20 fow, 15 feet deep to the bottom. Pic from the last few trips and a donate trip that went to homeless veterans in NWA Good Fishing Lance lh crappie guide service

I tell you what. I’ve caught more deformed fish this year on Beaver Lake than I ever have. I don’t know what’s causing it but, their head keeps being too close to their tail…. It’s gonna be insane in about a year or so though. Previous trip got started about 7am. Had to head up a feeder creek to escape a 15mph northwest wind. Tons of small fish are there and you’ll find a keeper mixed in between. Hopefully quality fish will start to show up in the coming weeks. Started out in 10 fow and caught a keeper right of the bat. That was the only keeper caught for several hours. At about 11am keepers started showing up more steadily but I didn’t want to keep them…. Then it happened I set the hook on something big that stayed down. It took several seconds to get it to come up. First thought a huge gar but then it didn’t fight like gar. Thrashed more like a catfish, than it was on the service. WALTER! A big walleye! I said to fellow angler that I know Wade that was fishing across from me. Well he’s going home with me. Just don’t catch much of them and they taste delicious. At about around noon the clouds broke and the sun started shining. I got on a run in 7-8 fow and started catching keepers. Had like 5 in a flash with one of those being a 2 pound white crappie. I started keeping some fish then to go with the walleye. That sun breaking through on and off seemed to help. I had plans to quit at noon but once the keepers started showing up I stayed at it for a couple more hours to get a little mess plus most importantly I ran out of minnows. I had a fun time and caught a lot. Set up was minnow rigging BnM 16ft BGJP’s with half ounce Capps and Coleman style rig tie that tie up with Pico Lures/Vanguard Tackle. Water clarity was stained, WT was 64-67 and lake elevation was 1114.85. It’s getting down and just a heads up to start tying your boat off at the ramp. It’ll slide right off that mud and float away. A man drowned one winter trying to in go after his one winter when the lake got this low. Be safe, Good fishing Lance Hughey Crappie Guide Service

Last couple of days of September and we are hitting 90’s. It’s looking like I’ll still be cutting grass into late October…. My wife came in the other day saying “This is embarrassing cut the grass!” lol…. Just hate cutting grass Alright the grass has been cut so let’s get a little fishing update…. It’s been a couple weeks since I fished Beaver so wasn’t for sure how things would go. The lake is turning over, we had several inches of rain and cooler temps. It just changes things. Started early morning. Lake elevation was 1115.30. Water clarity was a little stained and WT was around 74. I decided to fish were I’ve been the past few weeks and go from there. Main river flat along the channel. Marked a pretty decent amount of fish throughout the flat. The bite wasn’t fast and furious. But stick with it and cover every inch of the flat you’ll have a pretty decent day. Best bite for me was 10-13 fow and about 8-9 feet deep rigging. The bite was pretty steady. Caught a lot of fish but about mid morning the wind started picking up. I had to pick up my speed to about .6-.7 mph and sometimes 1 mph when the wind pushed me. That seemed to make a big difference with the bite. It improved and the bite got fast. I basically just quit looking at my Livescope and stayed on my headings to catch my fish. Like fellow fishing friend Les Smith stated. “Never seen a bait out run crappie that a crappie didn’t want to eat” Made a big difference once the wind picked up. I had a lot of fun. Setup was BnM 16ft PST’s and Pico Lures/Vanguard Tackle 1oz rigs that I tie up. Few more weeks and I’ll change things around. Good fishing Lance Hughey Crappie Guide Service

On vacation this week and about to head to MS to go fish. Got out started yesterday about 7am. WT was 76-78, lake elevation was 1115.00 and water clarity was slightly stained. Still minnow rigging along main river flats in 11-13 fow and about 9 feet deep. Being overcast they were more spread out and not grouped up in the shade. Also they full and being finicky to bite. There’s a lot of shad as usual right now and makes them not want to commit fully. You catch one be prepared to get slung with poop all over you. lol…. They full of it! Stuck with it and caught a lot. Ended with 13 before needing to head home. Setup was BnM 16ft PST’s, 1oz Pico Lures / Vanguard Terminal Tackled double minnow rigs I tie up. Caught a lot on a 1/16oz chartreuse Pico scope eye jig head and just a minnow as my bottom hook. They liking a little color with that minnow. Kind of like a crappie nibbles. Hopefully have pics to share from MS in a few days. Good Fishing Lance Hughey Crappie Guide Service

Past two weekends. 92 degree WT last Saturday. Caught them rigging along a flat in 15 fow at about 9 feet deep. Yesterday 82 degree WT and caught them rigging along a flat in 11-13 fow at about 9 feet deep. Stay on bluff side or hill side in the shade. They group up better along it. Get as close as you can to a bluff as sun gets over head higher. They want the shade. It’s a grind, just don’t give up on them Good Fishing Lance

Basically same pattern the past two weekends. 15 fow, 9 feet deep. Minnow rigging a main river flat. Lots of shorts with scattered keepers throughout. It’s a grind Good fishing Lance

Few more

It’s been a minute since I’ve got a report out. We had a lot going on the month of July outside of fishing. Basically family time and just wanted to take a break. Since my previous trip I’ve been wanting to fish a different area and get a look at something new. Decided to go fish the other river since it’s been like April that I’ve dumped my boat in it there. Got started about 6am. Figure just pick the first flat, put out, and start searching. Caught one right off the bat in 13 fow. Kept searching the 20-15 fow and started narrowing the depth range down as the morning progressed to 15-12 fow with baits down about 9 feet. Most of all the fish I seen were above 10 feet in the water column. The bite for me continues to be how it’s been all summer. Tons of shorts with a keeper mixed in about every 5 to 8 shorts you catch. It’s fun because you’re catching a lot though. It’s still you’ll either get just under or just over a limit trolling this year. It’s a good mess for a few meals. Lake level 1118.5. Which is much lower than it’s been this time of year in a long time. The CORP really pulled the plug and got it way down this year. If it keeps going like this, we’ll be fishing really shallow this winter. Fingers crossed! Water clarity was a little stained and WT was 85-87. Setup was minnow rigging BnM 16ft PST’s with 1oz rigs I tie up using Pico Lures/Vanguard Terminal Tackle. Felt good to get out and mentally reset. Nothing like it and look forward to the next one. Got a starting point. Pictures below are from trips towards the end of June and my last one a couple days ago Good Fishing Lance Hughey Crappie Guide Service

“How’s fishing?” It’s alright but sure ain’t like previous years…. We working for them…. Each day is unpredictable but will catch a decent mess but not gonna slay them. I’ll be honest with you…. That’s basically how the conversation goes with folks. Fishing continues to be a grind. Catching tons of shorts. Catching so many shorts I’ve been asking for a couple more dozen minnows to my traditional 10 dozen I ask for each trip. By the end of each trip we may have a handful left! Keeping the minnow farms in business around here lol… Keeping size fish are still far between. Scattered out. The good thing though you find one it’s highly likely gonna eat. WT is hovering right at the 80’s. Water clarity is slightly stained. The average depth I’ve been catching fish is 15 fow and about 8-10 feet deep. Started moving out closer the channel along the flats. Fish seem to be relating more to it now with the Corp dumping the lake level. I think someone said 6 inches a day. It seemed to drop almost 2 feet between trips that I had a couple days apart. They gonna suck all the fish out of areas. Lake elevation sets right now at 1121.6 Method is still minnow rigging 16ft BnM PST’s with 1oz rigs I tie up with Vanguard Tackle/Pico Lures. Speed I’m moving is about .5-.6 mph and constantly turning the trolling motor looking for a keeper. Gonna burn up a bearing with how much I’ve had to do that the past couple months. It’s been a fun past couple weeks though. Meeting people from Las Angeles and taking them to experience something they’ve never done to senior citizens that have been married for 67 years. A former professional baseball player and his spirted wife. Folks from all walks of life. Been a fun experience. Thank y’all Like I said it’s unpredictable. Gonna just keep plugging away at it Good fishing Lance

Fishing gets a little sweeter with time. Time on the water, that is…. Said it numbers of time in the past. You can have all those bells and whistles out there on your boat but nothing is more valuable than time. Got started early. Right at dawn. Just love this time of year. WT was 70-74. Water clarity was slightly stained and lake elevation was 1126.3. I dropped the trolling and wasn’t seeing fish in 17-15 fow and immediately went shallower. Just instinct I guess. I said to myself. You know I’ve caught them along this flat in July in 85 degree WT at this depth when the lake level is about where it’s at now. Don’t know why they wouldn’t be there now. So got a little shallower. Caught one right away in 13 fow. Followed by another in 12 fow. Said ok ones a fluke but two is a pattern. Stuck with working a little ways off the bank in 13-11 fow with baits down about 10 feet. Was steadily catching keepers and in between that was dink crappie. I caught so many fish I literally got tired of catching fish. By noon I was out of ammo…. 8 dozen Minnows lol…. Ended with 13 toads and 4 good size Kentucky’s. My uncle Sonny would say where there’s little ones there’s big ones too. There Absolutely was! Basically I went back old school minnow rigging. I never really saw them on scope. Just occasional back of one off the bottom. I only scope 2 good fish the whole day. Felt good Setup still minnow rigging BnM poles 16ft PST’s and 1oz minnow rigs that I tie up using Pico Lures/Vanguard Tackle. This will be the set up I use until October. Busy next several weeks. Hopefully everything will pan out good. Good fishing and God Bless Lance Hughey Crappie Guide Service

Is it just me or does it seem like our traditional weather patterns are off? March was just confusing warm, cold, hot, then cold. Got March winds in April. Now we are getting April showers in May… What’s June gonna bring? lol Previous trip. I didn’t schedule any guide trips due to Mothers Day weekend. Just in case she wanted to do something spur of the moment. She’s like that…. lol Had a storm roll in that morning but looked to be pretty much done by the time I would be getting to the ramp and dump the boat in the water. Well that didn’t go as predicted. Does it ever though? Time line got extended about 2 more hours. So I waited for about 45 minutes They kept updating it and it looked like one more storm would roll through. Once it passed I headed out. Once getting to the area I wanted to fish. I dropped the trolling in the water and saw fish right away. Still scatter but better. Didn’t have to cover as much water until you saw another group of them. The thing was they wouldn’t bite. The thunder and lightning seems to always make theyfinicky. I just kept turning the trolling motor looking for one to put a minnow in front off. Ended with just shy of a limit. I’ll take it with how they were acting. WT was 73-75. Pretty clear water. Lake elevation was 1126.5. The Corp dropping the lake faster than normal this year. So that’s gonna change the norm up maybe. Fished a main river flat in 12 to 17 fow. As the day went on they moved over deeper water. Best was 15 fow. They all seemed to be about 8-10 feet deep all day. Setup was minnow rigging BnM poles 16ft PST’s with 1oz rigs that I tie up with using vanguard tackle/Pico Lures I felt more confident after seeing them moving back out. It should be any week now that they’ll get mad. Got a rain coming in today . Went ahead cancel a trip out for today to be safe. Saturday gonna play it by ear with how much rain we got to determine where to fish. We’ll see…. Good Fishing and God Bless Lance

Conversation with my wife Lisa the other night. “What are you thinking about” Oh where fish could be at. “Their in the lake”. SMH… Started going back where I’ve caught them before this time of year. Figure that creek arm I was in a couple years ago is worth a shot. We might come home heroes or we might come home zeroes but the days already been made because we fishing… I figure the fish would be hanging at the mouth of the creek arm in 30 fow so started there. Started seeing fish scattered out but not as bad as it has been. I said we’ll come back. I want more grouped up fish and maybe they’ll be along the creek channel and relating to the trees that go down it. Right away tree after tree we pick a keeper or two off and weed through tons of shorts. Stayed pretty busy. Once you got to less than 25 fow pickings got thin. Later in the day about 10am fish seemed spread out and just disappeared. I said to Jerry let’s get back up to the front and see if they moved over deeper water. That’s all it took. Started steadily catching again. Shut it down about 1 with 16 keepers and burned very little gos… I’ll take it after how it’s been for me and a couple other good friends. Just been the weirdest spring. Water temp was 63-65. Lake elevation 1127.5…. Setup was minnow rigging with BnM 16ft PSTs and 1oz rigs I tie up with Vanguard Tackle/Pico Lures. Perfect set up for covering more open water flats quicker. Which for sure is the pattern soon. Back at this weekend if weather holds. Gonna go check other traditional areas and see. Good Fishing and God Bless…. Lance Hughey Crappie Guide Service

GOODBYEEEE ARIL!! I’ll just say this I think the crappie are about as confused as we are lol…. They’ve been pretty consistent on showing up and staying at their usual spots the past 4 months and then April shows up they scatter. I’ve never experienced it like this in the past 10 years… Just chalk it up Had a lot of laughs previous trip with two gentlemen that were wanting some crappie for their men’s group… We went up a creek arm I usually do good in throughout April…. Haven’t got to fish it much due to the wind this year but it was doable so, gave it shot. Caught fish right away and kept coving a lot of the creek arm. Eventually got over closer to the channel and got into 20-25 fow. Started seeing a good amount of fish about 15 feet down. More like a post spawn pattern. Stayed on them and got them a limit. The bite got tougher later in the morning as the sun got over us. They basically scattered badly. It’s been an early morning bite for sure the past several trips. Lake elevation was 1128.5. Water clarity was too clear. Clearest I’ve seen it in awhile. WT 58-63, depending where you fish. Setup was minnow rigging BnM 16ft Pro Staff Trolling Rods with 1oz double minnow rigs using Pico Lures/Vanguard Terminal Tackle. This time of year I switched to a stiffer pole and heavier rigs because I’m over deeper water plus moving faster. Crappie right now are in a lull. Some have spawned. Some haven’t and some are reabsorbing their eggs. The fish I cleaned last trip only few looked to have healthy eggs. The others are being reabsorbed. In like a little holding pattern right now waiting for things to pickup really good again. Once the water temp gets up in the 70’s, it ought to fire off. Good Fishing Lance Hughey Crappie Guide Service

Thanks Phil! I had so much fun fishing with the boys! Hope it’s a memory they keep for a lifetime.

https://www.bradwiegmann.com/trip-information.html Might see if Brad Wiegmann is available

There’s a full moon glowing. It’s kinda like a disco ball for the crappie spawn. Ought to get them boys to start putting on their tuxedos, moving to the bank looking for a prom date. But, this is the way I see it here on most of Beaver Lake at the moment… They all doing that fashionably 15 minutes late to the dance. Some desperate guys are already at the dance but the girls are a still playing mind games with them. The weather is kind of like the DJ that keeps playing fast songs. We need more warmer nights and hotter days…. That’s like when the DJ starts playing slow songs… That’ll get the girls ready to mix and mingle. Get it lol…. Just being silly I don’t ever fish the bank. I always stay out on the ledges down gravel banks catching the females. Don’t want those skinny males. They just don’t stand a chance. To me the females here move in at night and move out during the day. Not saying the all do that but a good number do. Last couple trips fish are terribly scattered and finicky. Pressure deal on one trip and gale force winds the other. If the wind would ever would quit blowing, I would be able to fish the ledges more effectively. Next two days look manageable. We’ll see. Lake level is full as a tick 1129.5. Water clarity is stained and water temp 55-56. Caught fish up a main feeder creek in 20-17 fow at about 10 feet deep. Setup still minnow rigging with 16ft BnM BGJP’s and 1/2 oz minnow rigs that I build up with Pico Lures/Vanguard Terminal Tackle. They mostly been tacking straight meat the past few trips. Back at again the next couple days, Looking prime next week weather wise. Good fishing Lance

Had to reschedule trips last week due the weather. Cold and windy. I’ll go out there in it because I just hate myself and will put up with it. lol…. But I’m not for taking people out in those conditions. This is for fun for them and that’s the goal. Lake elevation was 1125.5, WT 45-48 and water clarity was pea green. A little more on clear side of that actually. Wind was 5-10 but seamed to be more on the upper part of that. Eyelets freezing and the wind would cut like a knife. I fished a main river flat, off a channel swing. There was fish all over it ranging from 13-18 fow and about 8 feet down. They bit fast and basically would bite anything. I had my limit like in a hour and a half. Fished another hour or so. Probably caught another limit just catching and releasing. It was just too early to go home and was having fun. Slow vertical trolling minnows with BnM 16ft BGJPs and 1/2oz rigs that I tie up with Pico Lures/Vanguard Terminal Tackle. A lot of fish were caught with yellow/white tube and 1/16oz chartreuse scope eye jig head. My buddy coworker Mike is getting into tying hair jigs. I gave him a pack of Pico’s scope eye jig heads to practice with. Asked him to tie up a few yellow/white ones. Several came off of it. Thought that was cool. Just remember a sunny day and cold water…. Yellow and white It’s about to take off. Hopefully this weather will behave. Good fishing. Lance

Got out last Friday afternoon for a couple hours to pre fish an area that I haven’t fished in a few weeks. Had a guide trip a couple days later. With the flood and water levels changes I wanted see where the fish may have moved. I dropped the trolling motor and started seeing a good number of fish. I said to myself let’s just leave those a lone and go see if bigger fish are shallow. I fished 8-10 fow for a little over an hour and had nothing. Yeah that answered that question. Get back out there in 18-20 fow and see how those fish are acting. They bit fast…. Like the month of March pattern. Caught a 11 in no time and let them be. Didn’t want to work them over. Sunday after early church service I met up with a gentleman that’s trying to set up his boat for rigging and wanted to get some experience on how to do it. The bite was slow to steady. Had more turn away than they did two days before. Cleaning the fish I know why. They were full again and comparing to the ones a couple days before. All their stomach weren’t. I swear they eat like every other day and you better hope they haven’t ate the day you go fish …. Crazy fish… lol Fish were still where I left them. Roaming all over the place, about half way back up a creek arm in 18 or so fow and about 8-10 feet deep. Setup was rigging 16 BnM BGJP’s with 1/2oz minnow rigs using Pico Lures/Vanguard Terminal Tackle. They bit plastic yellow/white tube, Red/White feather jigs that Kent Williams tied up for me and minnows. Back at Saturday or Sunday…. Trying to see what the wind gonna do Saturday to decide if I want to run a trip or not. We’ll see Good Fishing…. Lance Hughey Crappie Guide Service

Absolutely! Same way my dad and I use to fish the Mississippi River oxbows in Northeast Arkansas

First week/weekend in March on Beaver Lake has never failed. For the past several years that week has always been a big fish week. It didn’t let me down this year either. From the big fish day with Brad to a guide trip a couple days later. Several 1.5’s and 1.6’s a 1.7, a 1.8 and one bumping 2 pounds has seen the end of a BnM BGJP and a Vanguard Tackle size 2 gold aberdreen hook this week. God is good… I say all that about the first week of March and been counting the days. It gets here and so does the rain. I had my doubts. With about every inch of rain we get is a foot rise. It seems to be worst now though. I don’t know maybe not but with all the dang concrete now around Northwest Arkansas it seems to flood more. I’m tell ya it’s all those roundabouts! lol! Ok Rant over Saturday I had a trip with a gentleman that has experience rigging. He told me while out there he was just wanting to see how I pattern fish this time of year. Wants to gain knowledge for when his son gets older to take him and doesn’t care about catching many fish. Yeah the pressure was off after that. That made my day. See…. When a father comes to me at the boat ramp, a store, a trip, whatever I know he’s out there trying to build or save his relationship with his son or daughter and not loose them to all the junk kids are exposed to these days. Knowledgeable anglers out there should do the same. Alright…. Got of tangent again there Ok…. We got 4 or so inches of rain and had the lake rise about 3 feet in 24 hours. Had the lake looking like a mud pit. I didn’t know what to expect but it was gonna be mid 60’s, sunny and hardly no wind. The gentleman I had and I both would rather be fishing than wishing we were fishing. Dumped the boat in at 6am and was set up fishing around 7am. WT was 48, water clarity was mud , lake elevation was 1123.3 and rising. Fished a creek I don’t fish much. Maybe 10 or so times. With others more but by myself rigging not much. It’s it hit or miss for me. The times it’s a hit has been some of the best rememberable days. This day is now one of them. I knew where I wanted to start. Dropped the trolling, turned on the map, pointed at the map and told him you see that orange. That’s what I want to fish. Right a long a ledge. Got on it and there they were…Mondo’s in 8-10 fow… Some just off the bottom and some up high in the column. Stuck a few on our first run. Told him it’s gonna be slow catching these fish shallow but every fish is gonna be a toad…. I remember one catch. Watching that fish swim through pressing itself in the mud. I panned over to the outside rod to where it raised it’s nose up to look at the minnow. It slowly eased up and that pole got a little extra weight added to it. Stick em bud… Man that’s a drug. We kept at it. Rigged shallow and then a little deeper like 15-18 fow. Seemed like I would push them deep to shallow. Back and forth. We ended the day with his limit of several around 1.5’s and 1.6’s a 1.7 male and a 1.8 female. Same setup still…. Rigging 16ft BnM BGJP’s with 1/2oz C&C rigs I’m tying with Pico Lures/Vanguard Tackle. I’ve gone out of my norm the past several months using these stiffer gold hooks they provide me but they sure stick a fish and don’t come off often. Gonna take Ronnie Capps advice and step down to a lighter rig weight when conditions are right rigging shallow again. Back at next week…. We’ll see what the weather throws at us Good Fishing and God Bless Lance Hughey Crappie Guide Service