Fished a couple of days this week (Big M area)

[Quillback]

I have been digging them out of the rocks and trees, mostly spotted bass with a few small largemouth and smallmouth thrown in.  Caught 11 one day and 15 the next.  Some keeper sized spots, couple of fat 16 inchers being the best.  Can't find any deep-water concentrations of bait, but when the water is calm, you'll see some scattered top water activity so there are some shad out there.  

Ned rig and 3.3 Keitechs have been my fish catchers, I have thrown jerkbaits and crankbaits, but lately if it has trebles on it, I can't catch fish with it.  The fish I have been catching are sometimes shallow, as in 5 FOW or so.  Some are out at 20 FOW, but near trees.  

Have not seen a loon this winter and only a couple of gulls, that stuff isn't happening on this part of the lake.  

I'm enjoying the fishing, enough fish to keep me going and the weather has been pretty darn good for this time of year.

WT 49-50

[Bill Babler]

Fished up there 2 days this week and did fair to middling one day and embarrassed myself the next day with the bass  

Only plus for me on the tough day ie 2 short bass was catching 19 crappie, 13 were released unharmed but maybe smarter. 
Everyone I caught was over 10”.  Most were 13” to 15”, Crazy. 

Had the neighbors over for crappie last night, that’s  4 adults and 6 crappie. Fried 4 and grilled 2   Becky and I each had a crappie sandwich for lunch today and there is still enough for another sandwich.  

Last nite we hade Mac and cheese along with a big salad and cornbread with the fillets. 

Each crappie made 8 nice filleted pieces.  

Looking online it seems like the crappie are just being hammered on TR right now. You can see some huge limits of Monster crappie  

Mine came out of a deep channel  off multiple limb hardwoods. I fished 3 trees in a 100 yard circle. There were also some roving packs just suspended and swimming in the channel. 

Water was 50’ to 60’ with the tree tops in 15’ to just above the surface.  Crappie were 15’ to 25’. 
Surface temp was 54/57 degrees, in January. 

I know the guys from Red’s Guide Service. were doing the same as I heard lots of cheerful yelling come from the guide boat. They were fishing live bait. I was swimming a small 2” Keitech. 

There are lots of walleye from Baxter to Beavertown on the White River and they are shallow but for me super hard to catch.  Eric Olliverson told me how he is catching them but I’ve not tried his method yet. They are schooled up and I’m guessing starting to head up the White and Kings. 

I might try some live bait next week.  Eric is using totally artificial. 

Didn’t mean to hijack your thread Jeff but I didn’t have any pictures. 

Good Luck. 










 

[Quillback]

Those crappie are some good eats.  I ate my walleye last night, they are always tasty.

I'm going to try and get a buddy of mine that lives in Neosho to fish crappie on Grand Lake this spring.  I like to fish for them when you can go down the bank with a jig 3-4 feet under a cork and catch them.  Love to see that cork disappear.