Long Creek Report

[Don House]

Went out today and checkout a few things went down Long Creek into the Arkansas Side of the lake past the Cricket Creek Marine, very, very muddy! Had trees larger than my boat floating by, also there is a large log jam right at the marina, so be careful!

Water Temp right now was 47.6 degrees so it is getting there, found tons of shad all over the main channels. Ran into a few fish but nothing to really talk about, found some fish I think they were crappie right in the middle of the creek channel in 25 feet of water cruising with some shad, tried to drop down a swimming minnow but no takers, found even more along the bluff walls on the river but still no takers. Tried four or five colors of 2" and 3" tubes but nothing to talk about. Will be back out again this weekend hopefully they will start to bite for me. Really needed some crappie nibblets and may have gotten a bite.

Until Next time

Good Fishing or Dreaming of Fishing Everyone.

Capt. Don

[rlbrow]

I'm coming down from Iowa the first week of April to fish Table Rock for the first time. I'll be staying at Big Cedar. How about some tpis and locations to get me started?

[snakem]

Hi Don, It sure was nice to meet you last night. Made me feel at home talking with you guys. I do thank you for helping me with my 767. Dang after watching that seminar I want a $2000.00 Toy, That was awesome. Now that I am not working right now lets go have some fun looking 4 a good bite.

Holler back at me Cap. Don

Snakem

[snakem]

I'm coming down from Iowa the first week of April to fish Table Rock for the first time. I'll be staying at Big Cedar. How about some tpis and locations to get me started?

Talk to Capt. Don. He can help you out. He is a guide at T. R. One nice guy.

Good Luck, Snakem out

[Don House]

Snakem, it was good to meet you also, you and your wife are very nice folks! Glad to see that we could help you out on your graph, let me know how it works out!

Good Fishing

Capt. Don

[Leonard]

trees larger than my boat

Is it even possible???

LOL

Leonard

[Don House]

I'm coming down from Iowa the first week of April to fish Table Rock for the first time. I'll be staying at Big Cedar. How about some tpis and locations to get me started?

RLBROW, well lets see first of all you will be there right at the pre-spawn time frame. Fish should be preparing to move on in and start making beds. I would spend my time in the major creek arms like Brushy Creek right down from Big Cedar, come out of the BC cove and turn Left go under the 86 Hwy Bridge and stay to the right, you will see the big creek arm that goes back. Fish all of that one, if no help then I would drive back up past the dam stay left then go into Indian Creek, or as we call it Indian Point, it is a very large creek arm, start back about half way on the points and look for areas that would be great spawning areas and go into the little pockets. Fish should not be far away. Also try to find areas close to these spawning areas with stand up hard wood.

What to use, well that time of the year I would use a split shot rig with a small 4" Fish Doctor in Green pumpkin. Throw to the bank and drag it back to the boat slow! Next I would also not give up on a good stickbait bite also maybe alittle late but it worked for me last year, change up on your presentation from long pauses to short pauses let the fish tell you what they want. Sunny days I like a clown colored bait, cloudy days I like black or green back with silver sides. Also may be early but I would also try a Shakey Jig with a 6" Green pumpkin worm or a small 1/8 ounce jig with a small craw trailer in Missouri craw or PB&J colors with a green pumpkin trailer craw. Last don't forget on windy days to try a wiggle wart on those 45' bluff banks and points with cedars with chuck rock parallel the bank with your casts, or throw into the cedars and bounce it back threw them. Colors would be anything that looks like a crawfish, green, orange, brown. ect.

Now if you have never fished this lake before one last thing you might think of is to hire a guide for atleast a half of a day to really see what is going on. There is about 10 - 15 of us that do this for a living, Bill Babler, Buster Loving, Bill Beck, Eric Prey, Timmy Page, Mike Webb, Pete Winners, Phil Stone, Eric Olliverson, Jerry Snider, Chris Tetrick, Rick LaPoint and myself just to name a few, all of us guys are really good on this lake and can help you find fish and show you what it takes to catch them on this sometimes hard lake.

Well hope that give you a place to start hope you have a good time down here on the Rock!

Good Fishing

Capt. Don

[Lonestar]

I'm coming down from Iowa the first week of April to fish Table Rock for the first time. I'll be staying at Big Cedar. How about some tpis and locations to get me started?

Hey, rlbrow, I am from Waterloo, heading down the first week of April myself. Own a place in Shell Knob. Where in Iowa are you from?