straw hat

I can get an estimate. Be back soon with the info.

Lifeis2Short My wife and I used to do a lot of winter fishing for crappie in years past (It is too hard on us at our age know, lol). We had noticed the same thing as you. black crappie run about 5 to 10 ft shallower than the white crappie. We mainly fished bluffs though. if we were catching black crappie and the bite slowed down we could usually drop a few feet deeper and pick up some white crappie.

Now this is interesting. Fishingwrench - Your article on old sayings, well to say the least, makes me feel old as I am familiar with most and have used many. Uggghh. I remember gas at 17 cents a gallon. Us old folks need to go take a nap.

I thought it was moonlighting but I can't find a reference to it in any of the internet old sayings websites. Are you sure Laker 67? Don't worry, I won't ask about your age. lol

I am brain dead (not unusual). Back in the early 1900's men would often take their date out at night and pour gasoline or oil on a puddle of water and watch the rainbow effect of the moon light shining of the surface. There is an old expression for that but I just can't remember it. Does any one know. This has been eating me up for 2 days now. Help!!

Oh Boy...Another flood warning has been issued. Aren't we lucky!! NOT!!

Well obviously I am computer illiterate. lol I couldn't get the post to print the name right across the top so I was going to cancel the post and re-enter it and it wouldn't delete the post. I just hope everyone can read from the top down like the Chinese do. lol

305 Straw Hat Report post Posted December 5, 2019 I am just curious on everyone's thoughts on the lake level. Usually by November the Corp has started to draw down the lake in preparation for the spring rains, Certainly by this date the lake is at least a foot or so below normal. This year they are letting the lake level actually rise. This makes me concerned about what kind of high water we will have next spring. Last year was bad enough. Any thoughts? Boy I don't know who this guy is but he sure is a genius!! lol I agree with what you all are saying. It will be another year of ramp closures and flood water. Yeah!!! NOT!!!

Best wishes on your recovery. Don't worry about the fishing your health is a lot more important. Take care.

Happy New Year to all. Be safe on the water this year.

Well, 5 days on the lake in the last 9. Total - 2 crappie. You name it we fished it. Mostly I wanted to say Merry Christmas to al of you and a Happy and healthy New Year.

"Perhaps they are keeping it high so Truman can be drawn down to winter pool first? It appears they have been dropping it. " That is a good point. My6 wife and I do a lot of bank fishing in the spring so last year was a wash out for us. Literally. All of our favorite launches were way too high to even consider launching. If I remember right we made our first trip in late July.

I am just curious on everyone's thoughts on the lake level. Usually by November the Corp has started to draw down the lake in preparation for the spring rains, Certainly by this date the lake is at least a foot or so below normal. This year they are letting the lake level actually rise. This makes me concerned about what kind of high water we will have next spring. Last year was bad enough. Any thoughts?

A blessed year on this website with all my friends here. A fine group of people. God bless.

I believe that Texas has some in a couple of lakes or they use to anyway.

Olfishead, I remember that. The days of Bill Pfleiger and Spence Turner (one of the best trout biologists in my opinion). Ahhh, to be that young again.

I agree Mr Giggles.

Curious. Did not mark hardly any fish on most brush piles or the bluffs. The bluffs are a particular puzzle for me and the wife. For twenty years when the water temperature was between 45 and 66 we would consistently catch good stringers of crappie (10 to 20) on very steep, almost vertical bluffs without exception. We had 3 bluffs we focused on. In the last 3 years this bite has completely disappeared. We averaged a little over 4 crappie a trip 4 years ago and this year it is only0.5 crappie a trip. Yup, that sucks..

You broke my heart with that post. lol Went Saturday and Sunday both. Fished bluffs that in years past have always been great for crappie in this water temp. One fish is all we caught. Switched to several brush piles in the 15 to 20 foot range. Not one fish. Tried brush piles in the CC, Stockton State park, and twin bridges area. Nothing at all. Not even a bite. I guess I need to go. I have to have a good cry. lol Water Conditions Twin Bridges - Water stained, 5 ft visibility, shad on the surface. 51F CC - Water stained, 3 ft visibility, 48F Stockton State park area - Light stain, 7 foot visibility, 52F. lots of nice bass (up to 3 lbs) at 20 to 25 feet.

52 F at Ruark today, 4 or 5 foot visibility. No fish at all, not even a little bass! Water a little stained. 49 F at CC, water dingy, maybe 2 ft visibility. A couple crappie suspended in 15' but a lot of nice bass at 8 to 15'. 2 keepers (which I di not keep). Caught the bass on very large shiners and they were very aggressive and nearly white in appearance.

Great post Zarraspook but it is too bad I am color blind, lol.

When you feel uncomfortable doing something it should always make you rethink the situation. Error on the side of safety when in doubt but at least be sure to wear a life jacket and carry your cell phone on a water proof bag just in case.

I looked at dozens of definitions which all said a depth a which a sudden change in water temperature occurs. Well, that is no help. What is sudden to one person may not seem so for others BUT I did find this definition in several research journals. It sounds as good as anything to go by. By this definition there would be no clear specific thermocline in many of the values on the MDC data. But that is not much of a change over 3 ft of water distance. I always measure my surface water temperature at the 5' depth mark because the probe is not exposed to too much direct heating and the top ft is often a few degrees warmer than at 5 ft. Does that mean the thermocline is in the top 5 ft. Not even. The definition I saw the most often was "where the steepest change in water temperature on a temperature/depth graph. More of a common sense approach. So in hind sight I would say I don't really see that sharp a change in the earlier graphs but I agree with you guys that the July 10th graph does reflect a thermocline round 21'. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_thermocline_a_summer_phenomenon_in_michigan_inland_lakes The thermocline is defined as the “depth at which the temperature gradient is steepest during the summer; usually this gradient must be at least 1 degree Celsius per meter of depth” according to the University of Minnesota’s Water on the Web.

you brought up a good point mojorig. I was taught in school at least a 10 degree drop. Around 3 degree drop centigrade. I will do some checking around and see if I can find a "standard" definition.

Thanks for the link Mojorig. I use to monitor that information regularly and then in 2016 the website was shutdown. I am glad they have restarted it again. I looked at those graphs and am afraid I saw no thermocline in any of those 9just my opinion). Usually with a thermocline there is a sudden drop in temperature at the depth of the thermocline. Those graphs generally looked like a slow steady decline in temperature as the depth increases.