Breaking Down Lake Dardanelle for spring Camp 2013

[CrappiePro]

At first glance Lake Dardanelle AR appears to be an intimidating river reservior with 35,000 acres of surface water, 315 miles of shoreline and a length of just over 50 miles east to west running along US I-40. The lake was built in the late 1960's as part of the McClellen-Kerr Navigation System. It is home to Arkansas's only Nuclear Power Plant.

Since it's conception the lake has become one of the top producing crappie fishing lakes in the country and is also well known for it's bass and cat fishing.

With all it's water, you would think it would be one tough lake to fish and as with any body of water it has it's moments, but with a little effort and persistance a crappie angler can find Silver Glory!!! time and time again.

I have fished this lake extensivly for the last 3-4 years and can tell you it is without a doubt one of the best crappie lakes I have ever fished and most always sends me home with at least enough for supper. I really believe you can just about pull up into any of it's many coves, narrows, tributary's, and catch fish if you can just figure out the pattern for that area of the lake.

There are many ways to catch crappie and areas to fish depending on the seasons but for this read... I will concentrate on the SPRING BITE for Crappie Camp, and what you should be looking for to help you out, especially for those who have not had much or any time on the lake and driven a long ways to attend camp.

First off we all know Spring Camp will be taking place right in the prime of the spawn on Dardanelle and if everything goes well weather wise we should see some good stringers of fish being brought in with several two to three pound fish.

The waters around Dardanelle State Park are primarily fed by the Illinois Bayou which is a cool water stream originating out of the Ozark Mountians...so one can see why the crappie will spawn well into June in this area of the lake.

There are many ways to catch crappie on Dardanelle, but for me vertical jigging and spider rigging are my favorites. At the time of our camp you must be able to use your depth finder and GPS to locate brush piles along creek channels and tops on flats and in coves in 7-15 feet of water. Locate as many brush tops as you can and mark them with your GPS. Remember guys...it's around these brush piles is where your going to find the BIG FEMALES and NUMBERS. Dropping a 1/8th oz or 1/4 oz jigs or minnows down through the brush is a great way to bring them out. Make sure you maintain contact with the brush for best results. The best brush piles I find are the ones close to he main channels, but allot of times just an ordinary pile on a flat of 7-8 foot of water can hold the motherload. It's not uncommon to fill a limit off one or two piles.

Do not be decieved by the open water...there are hundreds of sunken brush piles below the surface and it does not take allot of work to locate them along the channels or on the flats. Also you can go to the COE website and find several waypoints to COE piles and they are great fishing right near the State Park.

Sometimes for whatever reason the fish will suspend around the brush piles and just off channel drop offs. This is where spider rigging can really shine...in the same area. Make sure you work the flats in 7-12 feet of water when spider rigging. I have seen it time and time agian where the fish will just suspend on the flats chasing bait. More times than not if vertical jigging isn't working for you, sprider rigging is... and vice versa.

Other ways I would recommend spring crappie fishing Lake Dardanelle is for you to pound the banks or near the bank...but just remember if you fish the banks you will most likely run into the spawning male bite. Not saying you wont catch some nice females or males but you most likely will be catching allot of keeper sized males. All around Lake Dardanelle you will notice a straw type grass sticking up out of the water, most of this grass will be growing along the bank out to 5 or 6 feet deep. Guys this grass is like a spawning magnet to crappie. You can litrally find areas where your pulling a fish out every dip of the jig. I prefer the grass you find off the bank which seems to be the best, but I have also found areas close to the bank holding fish. Vertical jigging or casting a jig and bobber along the edges of the grass nails em. When vertcal jigging I love to pitch the jig and let it fall in a pendulum motion or just ease the jig through the grass in openings or pockets in the grass. Concentrate on the openings and pockets you find in the grass.

There are many coves on Lake Dardanelle, vertical jigging or casting a jig and bobber around the docks, grass and timber you find can fill your livewell. When fishing with a jig and bobber I like to fish about 3 feet deep this time of year casting to the banks and slowly rolling it back. Try shallower or deeper if your not getting bites. If I know im fishing a deeper bank I will deepen up and vice versa if im fishing shallower. For me the 1/8th oz head in pink or Chart is my favorite colors...a 1/16 oz head is great for bank fishing and a 1/4 oz is also good for deeper open water brush.

I prefer bright colors on Dardanelle like white/chart, yellow/chart, all wht/chart, red/chart or pink/chart, but in fact when they are on you can just about catch them on any color. I really think the head size at times can be more important than color. I really like the 1/8 oz head here because it works well shallow on the banks or deeper out chasing the spawning females waiting in brush to move up and spawn in that grass we were talking about. Also don't shy away from tipping with minnows or nibbles here both work well, along with anchoring and slipbobbers with minnows while anchored near the brush piles.

Guys the area's of Dardanelle State Park, Illinois Bayou, Dardanelle Bay, Deleware Bay, the nuclear outflow bay, Piney Bay, and Shoal Bay are all great places to spring crappie fish. If you want to get away up river Horsehead and Spadra Creeks along with the Okane Chute are also known to have some great crappie fishing. Well I hope this will help somebody to have an even better 2013 Spring Crappie Camp April 19th and 20th and I look forward to seeing you all there..Now Let's Go Knock their lights Out. Tight Lines.

[RLCRAPPIE]

Russ, thanks for taking the time to post this extensive report. I have only fished Dardenelle a couple of times this winter but really look forward to trying it during the spawn. If we make it to the spring camp maybe we will have the opportunity to meet.

[Cmj]

Thanks for the tips Russ, very informative.


C.J.

[RCC]

Great report.

Thanks.

[Crappiejeff]

A great report, Dardnelle is rapidly become one of my favorite places to fish. Thanks for the time to write this report

[riptide]

Thank you very much for the breakdown.

[Buckrub]

Wow.

Thank YOU!

[501mooney87]

Great post CP! Thanks for sharing!

[ski trip]

Thanks, buddy.

[Mickey]

Russ, thank you for taking the time to post this extensive report. I have only fished Dardenelle a couple of times . I will be on camp site A 11 a day before spring camp maybe we will have the opportunity to meet.