Thread: Maumelle 10-11-12

This is my standard weigh, measure and ear bone extraction setup.



The larger three fish were 12.25" and just over 1 lb.



Also, this is only half, my partner ran off with some too!!

We have been catching smaller to medium crappie at Maumelle over the past couple of weeks, an occasional really big fish but never more than 3 fish off a structure. Most crappie in the 15 to 20' debts around and under wood, but largemouth and Kentucky bass everywhere. The Kentuckys are small with some up to a pound but several largemouth in the 3 lb range. Lots of fun on my ultra-lite spinning gear. Using crappie jigs sometimes tipped w/minnows. Water temp yesterday was 77 degrees if I remember right.

The place is overrun with spotted bass. Keep all you can stand. I served a bunch the other day and none of the folks I was with could tell the difference btw them and the crappie. Out of that lake they are really tasty.

We been eatin the Kentucky's but I haven't told my wife, she thinks they are crappie. My fishin partner blackened a mess of Kentucky's and said it was great.

On your next Nimrod trip , I'd like to see you age a few.

Here is some footage I took on Maumelle last Tuesday, October 16th, 2012. A few warnings, though. This is the first time I have done underwater video footage. It was done with a GOPRO camera on a headband, and I'm looking around quite a bit. Also, whenever I was exhaling, the bubbles went right in front of the camera. Next time I'll strap it to m wrist, so it stays a lot steadier, and no bubble interference. Another problem is that Maumelle is no Ouachita. The visibility is maybe 4-5 feet at best. Because of this, I'm constantly looking back and forth at my dive partner to be sure I don't lose him.

Now for the good. about 0:50 seconds in , after watching a bluegill, then a spotted bass, black crappie just start fading in like ghosts. There were as many as 10 or more around us, and all of them were probably on average 11-12" fish. It was neat to see them like that. They were curious, and kept coming to check us out. I could see how fish grouped together like this appear to be "stacked up" when viewed on a depth finder.

Unfortunately, it's the end of the season for diving due to the limitations of my gear and cold tolerance. I will definitely be out there next year, trying to document fish usage of the artificial habitat we placed. Stay tuned.

Maumelle Dive 2012 10 16 - YouTube

Haha, i'd like to see you try that in Conway. Lol, you wouldnt even be able to see the bubbles. Pretty cool vid.


(C.J.)