5/16/2015 Causeway Crappie!

[Gatorjet]

A friend an I fished the East causeway Friday mid morning until about 1:00PM. We caught 21 keepers, and another dozen or so smaller ones. We started out pretty slow with one fish I caught on a chartreuse crappie spinner bait. My friend had caught a limit the previous week casting a tube jig out as far as he could, and letting it sink to the bottom. Then drag, and hop it along the bottom. Mostly casting from the middle of the bridge. (More on that later). That didn't work too well for him this time.

After an hour, or so, another angler joins us, and had his limit in a little over an hour. Before he left, he showed us his what, where, and most important how. He was using similar tube jigs, two jigs about a foot apart. But he wasn't letting them go completely to the bottom, and dragging them along. He was near the bottom, and swimming them slowly with an occasional hop. He also was fishing the corners of the bridge, not from the middle. Fan casting from near parallel to the bridge to about ten feet off the trip rap.

That's when we started catching a lot more fish, and had we not needed to return to the cabin to meet some friends I'm sure we would have caught another 9 keepers for our combined limit.

Two more guys came along, and we're also catching some crappie on tube jigs with crappie nibbled added, crappie spinners, and white jigs. They also caught a drum of about 5 lbs on the tube/nibbles, and a Hybrid about 15" on a white jig.

Now, as to the bridge fishing. You are saying it's posted, "do not fish from bridge". Well, thanks to MODOT wanting to punish the residents for not increasing road taxes, because of a small hole that could have been temporarily repaired, the road is now closed. Barricades at both highway C in College Mound, and highway 3 at Caseyville. Open to local traffic only, and completely barricaded, and dirt piles at each end of the bridge, and at both Golden Ave. on the West end, and Glider Ave. on the East end by the camp ground.

Now the boat ramp that we can see from my friends cabin is 20 miles away!!!

[Ken1949]

I used to fish TH back in the 80's. Bass fishing was really good then. We camped at the primative campground near the north launch ramp. Would like to go back there some day. Are there any accommodations, such as fishing cabins, on the lake now?

[Gatorjet]

I used to fish TH back in the 80's. Bass fishing was really good then. We camped at the primative campground near the north launch ramp. Would like to go back there some day. Are there any accommodations, such as fishing cabins, on the lake now?

There were some cabins down the gravel road from the campground, but I have heard they were closing. I'm going up this week, and will be making the twenty+ mile trip around to the ramp a mile away from my friends cabin. He doesn't want to put the Stratos he is selling to another friend in at the South ramp off of Hwy 3 because there is no dock, and you have to pull up on the rip rap, or concrete ramp. Don't make any difference to me, the Gator has bounced of off of rocks that hard @60mph! LOL.

I'll try to find out about the cabins. Other than that, the only other accommodations I know of is motels in Macon.

[Ken1949]

Thanks for the reply. I would appreciate any further info on the cabins. My boat trailer got hung up on that south ramp one time. I had a hard time getting it out because of a drop off at the end of the ram. I never used it again after that incident.

[Gatorjet]

Thanks for the reply. I would appreciate any further info on the cabins. My boat trailer got hung up on that south ramp one time. I had a hard time getting it out because of a drop off at the end of the ram. I never used it again after that incident.

Thanks for the heads up. You talking about the ramp off of Hwy 3? I'll keep that in mind. Sometimes I have to get the Gator down the ramp quite a ways to float it off the trailer.

[Ken1949]

I am talking about a different ramp. The one I had trouble with was on the east side of the lake in the warm water arm.

[Gatorjet]

Yes, we launched Saturday, and this morning from the ramp off Hwy 3. No problems, but the lake is a little high. Friday we put in at the camp ground ramp. My friend likes it better because there is a dock to tie up to. But with the bridge closed, even though we can see the lights, and campfires from the cabin, it's 30 miles away! The other ramp is 7.

First off, I didn't drive down to the cabins because I didn't know if I could get turned around without a lot of trouble. But set story I got from my friend is the husband passed away, and the wife has they place for sale.

Fishing was OK. Lots of people on the bridge. We caught a dozen or so crappie, and a few small chamber cats on tube jigs from the boats Friday. Didn't fish a long time. He sold his Stratos to another friend that wanted to learn it a little. Never had a boat, and this is a Stratos 201 Pro with a 175 Evenrude, so he's got some learnin' to do!

We fished off the bridge Saturday morning for a while. Another dozen crappie, acouple 15" channel cat, a 18" Hybrid, and an 8 pound flathead catfish. All on blu/white or red/white tub jigs.

Set weighted pool noodle jelly vs on the shallow area at the mouth of the warm water arm, and in front of the causeway. Had a small channel at the causeway before we got the other jugs set. Checked the other ones that were "up" by the warm water arm before we took out, two empty, and one small channel.

Took the jugs out this morning. Windy, and rough. The ones along the causeway were tough to get to without getting slamed into the rocks, and no fish. Tried crappie, but way to windy. Had one nice cat about 5 pounds on the shallow hump, but that was it.

Still a fun weekend, and enough fish for a couple meals.

I did hear that they were catching giant flathead in the warm water chute on live perch. Not really into catching giant flathead. Cats, and crappie. Quality over quantity!

[Ken1949]

Thanks for the report. Sounds like the cabins are not an option. I know from experience that TH water can be pretty rough when the wind picks up.

[Gatorjet]

Unless you want to camp by the causeway it looks like a motel in Macon is it.

I never went down to the warm water arm before. We ideled up through the winding channel to what looked like a levee dividing the cold water, and warm water. There were a string of large floats, some of which looked like they had broken loose, and floated to the levee. I assumed that was the end of the area accessible to the public. Interesting area. Very river like. We caught one small channel on a tube jig, and had a few hits. Looks like a good prospect for fishing though. Especially when it's cooler.

[Ken1949]

There used to be some pretty good fishing where the warm water outlet channel meets the warm water arm. I have not fished there for many years. I am sure it looks different now.