Hello, from ours to yours hoping all stayed warm this past week. We had some great reports on crappie fishing this week. Some of the best reports were from Xieng and Juan, team members of Hooked On Fishing Guide Service, LLC.
Most of the time when I`m talking of these guys it’s all about the stripers, big stripers, and plenty of them. You can see those pictures on Facebook. But this week all they talked to me about was crappie bites and some nice fish were caught.
One of my more enjoyable scouting trips was with these guys, a boatload of serious fishing and fun all at the same time. Pictured is Juan with some nice slabs caught on Beaver Lake this last week.
So, crappie are still kicking it. If you choose to go out on your own, try using minnows or jigs (Monkey Milk and white/chartreuse colors are best) on brush piles in 20-25 feet of water.
The black bass are fair. Use swimbait (dark and green pumpkin colors) or anything resembling baitfish. Catfish are still good. Use stink bait, nightcrawlers, dough bait, bass minnows, and trotline minnows. As for the White River below Beaver Lake, trout are plentiful.
The hot flies have been olive Woolly Buggers with a bit of flash – cerise, and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Hitting Woollies and Y2Ks on good days and nymphs on slow days. Try grasshopper with a dropper a zebra midge would do the trick, or I would experiment with double fly nymph rigs.
Nightcrawlers and power baits in colors of pink, orange, and/or white. Silver and red spoons. Crankbaits on these overcast days might produce a walleye this time of year also. Seeing a few more Brown trout caught in this cooler weather.
Traffic on the river is slower in January and February months than any other time of the year, so you should brave the weather and have the river to yourself for a few hours. I love looking all the way down the river and not seeing a soul. Again, a great outfitter once told me “Never bad weather, just bad clothing.” Bundle up and be safe.
For more info and great pictures like these be sure to look up Custom Adventures Guide Service on Facebook. To book your sightseeing tour, (still seeing eagles) or guided fishing trip (still catching trout) give us a call at (479) 363-9632. Take a kid fishing.