Thread: Old Town lake

Originally Posted by blairarnold

Do you think they will be on the banks or around the cypress trees?

My guess is that will change as the day goes along because the water temperature will change. I think early they will be around the Cypress trees in about 3 or 4 feet. Maybe people will disagree. When I fish Old Town this time of year, I will try the Cypress along the edges to about 50 feet from the bank for about an hour and then if no luck, I will go fish the Cypress in the center parts of the lake where they are not so dense until around 10 or so and then if no luck, back to the denser Cypress along the edges where they meet the center of the lake and then work my way towards the bank during the day. My reasoning behind this is that although the lake is shallow, the water does cool overnight and gradually warms during the day and I am a firm believer in water temperature and I try and follow the warmer water. I think that because Old Town is shallow and the structure is pretty much the same throught the lake that if you find a pattern then you will be successful no matter what part of the lake you are on as long as the water temperature is consistent. I have been there on many occassions when the fish would only hit on an isolated underwater limb coming from a downed tree. You could jig right next to the trunk or anywhere else that you wanted to but the only way to get a strike was to present the blue/white jig right next to that limb sticking out of the water. On other days, the fish might only hit if you put the black/chartreuse jig right in the middle of Cypress knees and no where else. The good thing about this is that once you find the pattern then it is almost always effective throughout the lake because the contour of the bottom is pretty much all the same ( flat and full of limbs and stumps). This is just my opinion and some may disagree but I grew up near this lake and have fished it off and on for most of my life.

I very much appreciate your thoughts. I have only fished it one time, and we ended up bream fishing because we couldn't get the crappie to bite.

However I've been intriqued by Old Town for a while, partly because it looks so good and partly because of a report I got from a fellow I ran into on Mellwood. He said he had a little cabin or trailer on Old Town and that he fished it exclusively from Feb. through March to May and then would move to Mellwood depending on what the Miss. River was doing. He told me the number of crappie he had caught that year on Old Town. I don't remember what it was, but it was a bunch. He said he would wait to fish until there had been 3 or more warming days and then would fish 12" to 18" deep on the shallow side of the lake on the bank. Of course he may have been shining me.

Originally Posted by blairarnold

I very much appreciate your thoughts. I have only fished it one time, and we ended up bream fishing because we couldn't get the crappie to bite.

However I've been intriqued by Old Town for a while, partly because it looks so good and partly because of a report I got from a fellow I ran into on Mellwood. He said he had a little cabin or trailer on Old Town and that he fished it exclusively from Feb. through March to May and then would move to Mellwood depending on what the Miss. River was doing. He told me the number of crappie he had caught that year on Old Town. I don't remember what it was, but it was a bunch. He said he would wait to fish until there had been 3 or more warming days and then would fish 12" to 18" deep on the shallow side of the lake on the bank. Of course he may have been shining me.

I think that person gave you excellent information. The shallow side is on the side opposite Highway 44. I certainly agree with his depths ( I'm assuming that he is saying jig depth and not water depth). I also fish Old Town almost exclusively during those months. The reason is as he said. Because of it's minimal depth, that body of water is one of the first in that area to get to the proper temperature. If my calculations are right then by Friday or Saturday then that area will have had at least 3 or 4 days to warm up. That is what I am counting on anyway. I start fishing some of the lost lakes and oxbows on the White River National Wildlife Reserve early to mid April because those waters then start to get up to temperature. I have never had a whole lot of luck with Old Town after May for crappie at least and I feel it is due to the high water temperature because of it's shallowness. The one constant that I have found on Old Town is that it is rare to catch 12 or so. You either catch very few or you catch a limit. Oh......... and you can pretty much count on the wind blowing.:D

On another note Glenn, this is a lake where one needs to fish slowly. Thats why I think trot lines work so well on this lake. Of all the times
i fished it rarely did I catch them one after another. Me and my brother caught 15 under one little tree a few years back.
dayum if you see me with a thumb out pick me up...sheeet ,i'm on call this weekend too.

Originally Posted by Gut Shot

I think that person gave you excellent information. The shallow side is on the side opposite Highway 44. I certainly agree with his depths ( I'm assuming that he is saying jig depth and not water depth). I also fish Old Town almost exclusively during those months. The reason is as he said. Because of it's minimal depth, that body of water is one of the first in that area to get to the proper temperature. If my calculations are right then by Friday or Saturday then that area will have had at least 3 or 4 days to warm up. That is what I am counting on anyway. I start fishing some of the lost lakes and oxbows on the White River National Wildlife Reserve early to mid April because those waters then start to get up to temperature. I have never had a whole lot of luck with Old Town after May for crappie at least and I feel it is due to the high water temperature because of it's shallowness. The one constant that I have found on Old Town is that it is rare to catch 12 or so. You either catch very few or you catch a limit. Oh......... and you can pretty much count on the wind blowing.:D

Yes, he was talking about jig or minnow depth.

Originally Posted by fishingpox

On another note Glenn, this is a lake where one needs to fish slowly. Thats why I think trot lines work so well on this lake. Of all the times
i fished it rarely did I catch them one after another. Me and my brother caught 15 under one little tree a few years back.
dayum if you see me with a thumb out pick me up...sheeet ,i'm on call this weekend too.

You are absolutely right about that Rusty. I'll be sure and keep an eye out for you when I bust through West Memphis this evening. I will tune in to the local news and if I hear that they have spotted "Sasquatch" on the side of I40 then I will know that you are waiting on me to pick you up.

Sasquatch huh....i'm going to put dead critters in the back of your truck...

Originally Posted by Gut Shot

You are absolutely right about that Rusty. I'll be sure and keep an eye out for you when I bust through West Memphis this evening. I will tune in to the local news and if I hear that they have spotted "Sasquatch" on the side of I40 then I will know that you are waiting on me to pick you up.

I didn't get to go today....do ya'll have any reports??