McCormack Lake 2/4/25

[Ham]

 Always a struggle for me to decide where to fish. I want to catch everything and I want to catch Lots of them, but I can’t stand the thought of being a One Trick Pony and fishing the same way or the same place over and over. I’m also trying not to trailer a boat >100 miles each way more than once a week. This time of year I focus on cold water species or places where the water isn’t cold.
I’ve had some good trips to Arkansas Nuke One recently, but I just didn’t feel like fishing it again. I’ve been catching trout well in the White River which is Super Close for me, but I wasn’t feeling it. USCOE Little Rock app wasn’t functioning so I didn’t want to run to 11 Pt with Waldo in tow to find the water too low. I had an awesome trip to the Spring River near Hardy, AR but I didn’t want to fish it again so soon. 
I decided to go to this little spring fed lake and play with my fly rods and get a Chain Pickerel on fly. I’d give McCormack a couple of hours and fish somewhere else on the way home to add numbers. I had a new 8 weight fly rod that needed to be used and to catch a few fish on it, but I also carried a 6 weight, a 7 weight, and a spinning rod with 10 lb braid. 
I parked in the day use area and dragged the boat down to the water. I made a separate trip down with rods. Got into my Christmas waders (my wife got me some nice new ones that are super Comfy and I actually stay dry wearing) and finally got started.

I started with this one the 8 wtand this on the 7 wt

I took less than 5 minutes to get my first Chain Pickerel on fly for the year. I  caught my second one the next cast and missed a third on the cast after that. 

I put the 7 weight down and started with the 8 weight. It didn’t take long, but that fly didn’t get enough looks quick enough for me. I switched to an inexpensive conehead bunny something and the chain pickerel snacked on it early and often. 
I made my way around the lake getting bite after bite. Missed some, lost some, and caught more than a few. I was gonna leave to pound numbers elsewhere, but I was catching them there and having fun so I decided to stay. 
well, on a backcast with the 8 weight I tangled with the 7 weight and it knocked the fly loose from the 7 weight and the fly settled in the water. The wind was pushing me slowly along and I looked down and saw a fish trailing my 7 weight fly. I grabbed the rod and gave it a twitch and the fish ate the fly!!!I didn’t even know the lake had Black Crappie. 
The water is super clear and a lot of my eats were very visual. including this surprise Largemouth. I knew there were a few bass in the lake, but I suspected they would too chilly to play. 
I took a little lunch break. I put the 8 weight away. Got my 6 weight rigged up and grabbed the spinning rod.

I wanted to see if I could get more crappie. I could and did. Even some of those bites were visible. I tried slowing the fly down in deeper water and Chain Pickerel still ate it about as often as crappie. I used the spinning rod to see if the fly rod was being inefficient, but I didn’t really catch them a lot faster on spinning, but it was easier to deal with. I even got a chain pickerel on the spinning in deep water. 
I did pretty well checking my leader for nicks from the toothy demons, but my luck ran out and I lost flys on back to back bites. Bummer. I had a Great Day. I had hoped for A Chain Pickerel and 20 fish total. I ended up catching 22 Chain Pickerel, 8 crappie, and 2 Largemouth Bass. Not bad at all for 4 hours of fishing. 

[jdmidwest]

I guess they stocked crappie to feed the pickerels.  Never caught any there myself, but many of the pickerel, dink bass, and bluegill.  Looks like lake in pretty good shape.  Been a few years since I was back there.  Moss was pretty bad and campground and road was getting rough.

[Ham]

Road isn’t perfect, but not too too bad. I used the day use area, but I think the campground was ok.

Lillies had died back, but plenty of grass to fish over and around. 
The crappies ran small (too small for me to harvest) and they seemed slender. 
I did not see a single minnow. I wish MDC would add about 10 lbs of Golden Shiners. I think the Golden Shiners could get established in the skinny grassy stuff. When they wanted to get eaten, all they would have to do is go out into the deeper water. 

[BilletHead]

13 hours ago, Ham said:

 
I decided to go to this little spring fed lake and play with my fly rods and get a Chain Pickerel on fly. 
 

 

                              No,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no

                  This is serious stuff you don't play with your fly rods! 😁

[jdmidwest]

Not sure if MDC is even allowed in there, its NFS territory.

It has always been a nice place to stop.  We used to drive around it, and go down to the 11 Pt and drop the canoe in and take a short float down to Greer long ago.  That part has been abandoned.  Maybe a trail left.

It always seemed out of place, probably a CC project during the depression.  Dam up a spring branch and make a lake to camp at near the best river in the state for fishing.....

But, in past years they seemed to have abandoned it and let it go downhill.  The Aquatic Plant project got out of hand and over takes it during the summer.  Roads are grown over.  And the local scumbags abuse it.

[Ham]

Well, misbehaving locals are often a problem. 
I’ve only been a couple of times and I go when it’s the off season. The aquatic grasses are present, but the water lillies have died back. 
I had a good time. I might go again from time to time, but it will always be between 11/15 and 02/15.

[jdmidwest]

14 hours ago, Ham said:

Well, misbehaving locals are often a problem. 
I’ve only been a couple of times and I go when it’s the off season. The aquatic grasses are present, but the water lillies have died back. 
I had a good time. I might go again from time to time, but it will always be between 11/15 and 02/15.

But you will miss the bluegill bite in early summer.  Caught a nice on down by the drain spigot one time on a popper.  Lake was clear and I spotted him just suspended there.  Dropped the bug on him and could barely grip him to get him off.

Used to catch record longears on the creek that dumps in before you hit Mary Decker Shoals too.

[Ham]

19 hours ago, jdmidwest said:

But you will miss the bluegill bite in early summer.  Caught a nice on down by the drain spigot one time on a popper.  Lake was clear and I spotted him just suspended there.  Dropped the bug on him and could barely grip him to get him off.

Used to catch record longears on the creek that dumps in before you hit Mary Decker Shoals too.

I’ll be trying for Big Gills at Duck Creek and Big Redears at Bella Vista with @Quillback (I hope). 

[Quillback]

14 hours ago, Ham said:

I’ll be trying for Big Gills at Duck Creek and Big Redears at Bella Vista with @Quillback (I hope). 

Hopefully you can make it over here.  Copied this out of the MDC Table Rock annual prospects.  Interesting about the redears.  I need to get out and find them, I bet they are virtually unfished for in the Upper White.

For experienced bluegill anglers, Table Rock Lake can provide quality fishing. Good numbers of quality sized fish in the 7"- 9" range exist. The best time to catch bluegill is late May through early July. Look for gravel areas, points, and pockets in 10-20 feet of water. Fish on the bottom with live crickets or worms with light tackle.  Redear sunfish are also present, especially in the James River and Upper White River Arms.  In spring 2024 electrofishing surveys, 73% of the redear sunfish captured were greater than 9” and 11% were greater than 11”. 

[Devan S.]

1 hour ago, Quillback said:

Hopefully you can make it over here.  Copied this out of the MDC Table Rock annual prospects.  Interesting about the redears.  I need to get out and find them, I bet they are virtually unfished for in the Upper White.

For experienced bluegill anglers, Table Rock Lake can provide quality fishing. Good numbers of quality sized fish in the 7"- 9" range exist. The best time to catch bluegill is late May through early July. Look for gravel areas, points, and pockets in 10-20 feet of water. Fish on the bottom with live crickets or worms with light tackle.  Redear sunfish are also present, especially in the James River and Upper White River Arms.  In spring 2024 electrofishing surveys, 73% of the redear sunfish captured were greater than 9” and 11% were greater than 11”. 

I'd sure like to know what they define the upper white.