drsnag

hey, really excited about your post. we have been minnow fishing stockton for 20 years because we don't know any other way, I am interested in broadening our approach but have no insight. we only fish around the ruark bluff area where we camp, so birch, greaser etc are the only places i can get my dad. he is 70 and challenging to try anything new, but i want to give him that opportunity to do something new. any idea for this weekend while I have him there, i can get whatever lures needed tomorrow, just want to surprise him with a new technique. thank you so much for your perspective.

jason, We ended up only having time to fish for a few hours tuesday morning. Dropped down to sons and tried the timber structures with no luck. Ended up moving due east into the lake over one of the only two trees in deep water and fished at about 18 feet and caught several nice keepers. my four year old daughter caught more than me due to keeping her baited and entertained. My dad was tightlining and pulled in a 5 lb catfish and a few keeper crappie. White bass were really hitting topwater, wished we had time to troll, talked to some folks who limited out trolling jigs about 20 feet off the bank. If you get a chance hit the northeast end of the bridge that crosses over on the way to mutton. There is a hole about 15 feet south of the east most pier that has proven very good for walleye for us over the past several years. Good luck and good fishing.

My dad is up staying at the lake this week and has a little trouble really getting into the crappie. I know it is happening but I have not been able to direct him to a good area near Ruark where he is camping. I know Sons creek has had some success, anyone have any other ideas that do not include trolling?

packer, gonna give the lake a try tomorrow also and hope for the best. Talked to some folks who limited out on crappie today in sons creek. They moved up far enough that the water was clearer and they used jigs, worked out well. I think we will probably check out greaser and then probably move down to sons and check it out. Good luck, let us know how you do.

Congrats Dave-you have a very convincing report to lead me away from the tree stand and into the pontoon. I may buy stock in minnows the way you go through them. Gonna be up to Stockton next weekend, hope the bite holds on. You have vindicated so many of us that fish that area exclusively and have come up short, though this year has been better for crappie for us than several of the last years. When is the fish fry?

I was just curious what the regulations were for archery season around stockton lake. Has anyone hunted the corp ground around the ruark bluff region/greeser creek/birch branch. I am going to be up there in October and thought if the fishing is a little slow I might stalk a doe. I would really appreciate any info anyone has.

Hit the water from ruark bluff about 7am and worked greaser creek timber in 18-25fow with minnows. Caught 16 keepers, a few shorts. Grabbed some more minnows at Mutton creek marina and moved south to Birch branch and continued the same pattern and caught 15 more keepers from 12-3pm. The bite was much more aggressive in birch, don't know why but would like some insight. I wish we could have stayed till dark, white bass were breaking water all day. Get to the lake NOW, crappie are ready and willing!

Fished wednesday evening 2 hrs up greaser creek against steep bank in 30 ft of water, crappie biting in 14-16 ft of water. Took 15 nice 12-13inch with only 2 shorts, all on minnows. Mostly females that were pretty aggessive. Took 24 the prior weekend in exact same spot with only 3 shorts.