Would like info on Hurricane WMA

[jt1970]

Hi all,

I have some questions on the lakes on Hurricane WMA. I did my first scouting there today, and I really like the area. I would appreciate any input that folks with experience there might have to offer.

I'm not just asking about crappie--I know this is a crappie forum and I do like catching them when I manage to find them--but I fish more as a relaxing hobby and I'm not very species specific (read: I'm lazy). I just enjoy fishing for any quality table fare (crappie, red ear, blue gill, channels) when I can fish without spending 80% of my time trying to control the boat or looking at electronic gizmos. By the looks of Mallard Pond, Bell, and Honey, man these look like awesome fishing holes to me. Looks like you could just lazily drift around all those cypress trees and have a great time. I'm really not looking for limits, but sure, I hope to catch some fish. But my catching fish is just old-school pole-in-hand method. I'm not a spider rigger or troller. I don't have the coordination to manage more than one or two poles at a time.

I did look through some older posts that I could find, but I was wondering if somebody could offer some recent input on this area. Are some of the lakes better for bream than crappie or are they all pretty equal? I did find by searching the interwebs that AG&F stocks them all with channels, and those are fun to catch (and eat). But they aren't listed at all on the AG&F weekly reports, it seems.

Today, I only saw one boat out, and that was on the Red, but I did pass a few folks that looked to be scouting like I was. Does this area get a lot of pressure usually? I know it's the middle of the week, but I took the week of and rain was called for today so I went scouting instead. I'm guessing there's probably a lot more folks out in the prime times.

Oh, and just how bad are the snakes? Man, I hate snakes! Part of the attraction of this area is all of the places to pitch a tent. I just don't want to share it with too many belly crawlers.

Appreciate any info you might share.

-jt

[Iron Man]

Snakes have never been a problem for me on any of the lakes. Mallard, Big Bell, and Little Bell have always been my favorites but for bream fishing. I am trying to learn to catch crappie but am not doing too well. Friends that crappie fish seem to do the best on Honey and Big Hurricane. Most of them yoyo Honey and troll Big Hurricane.

[$hane Ghent]

I covered this in someone's post in a thread on here just recently

[$hane Ghent]

bell

Wt-58

Went to bell water was beautiful and 4-6' Crappie were nibbling caught 8 trolling!

Big hurricane

Wt-56

Very cloudy water

Big hurricane was full of cypress blooms caught 8 good ones out in the middle

[$hane Ghent]

Hope that helps

[jt1970]

Appreciate the input. I did see your other post, Shane. I was just trying to widen the net than just on crappie. I ain't too proud to do a good bit of bream fishin. You just have to catch more of them. Appreciate your info, Iron Man. I'm with ya.

[$hane Ghent]

I didn't catch anything that day but crappie, which is unusual my favorite brim lake there is big hurricane though

[DRPEPPER]

I haven't been there in years. But, I used to fish the Big and little bell frequently. Loved to drop an "ant" on 4LBS line next to a cypress tree. Those bream would make that line sing. I did fairly well during the spawn catching red ears during back in the trees. I got tired of cleaning all of the dust (dirt) out of my boat from the trip back there.
DP

[$hane Ghent]

Dp I 2-3-4-5th that

[blairarnold]

I used to do very well on bream in the Tom Thumb lakes there, or at least I believe that was the name.