Good luck froggie and be sure to take a long rope just in case........lol.
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Good luck froggie and be sure to take a long rope just in case........lol.
I used to fish only the north end years ago and did well, however the south end just kicks better numbers and good average sized crappie with plenty of brush and structure.
North end with this low water level would be re-patterning the fish and spending 3 solid days getting them pinned down. But with that said it does have some giant crappie early {primarily big males shallow} We used to use a 7'-6" Bass flippin stick, 20lb. line and a 3/16oz. flippin jig with a blk./orange #11 pork frog and flip it right into the middle of BIG button willows....no way your going to poke a jig rod back in there and get those fish out. I tell this story and people look at me like I'm on crack,...but oh-well they are missing out on some of the biggest male crappie in their life!!! Sorry for the long winded post. My son and I are shooting some doodlesocking vids this year and loading them on You-Tube, it's going to be fun!Thumbs UpHands ClappingWe get this lake on a slow rise this year and it's going to be unbelievable shallow fishing this spring.:eek:
This is a million dollar question with me, because I live in Checotah! I have never guided the north end of the lake. I fish it alot though because it is close. My opinion is "Feast or famine". You either go out and Kill them or you catch very little. Some years are fantastic others not so good. I say this because I am big on lake level conditions (Stability high or low) and water color. I hate to water that has less than 3-4 inches visibility! I beilieve that the crappie on the north end or namadic, meaning they move everyday more than normal. Now I am speaking of the area from 150 to Gentry creek, I haven't fished much west of Gentry through the 6 miles of stump fields! Now I believe that there are just as big a fish up here like any place on the lake! But I have been humbled many times up here! As for the south end it is a much bigger area with creeks that you can get in with some depth in every direction! I abundance of shad is mind boggling! Plus you have just about evry structure that you want to fish. Not to mention the water color varies from muddy- 1ft visiblity and clearer depending on the time of year! I have been guiding south of Arrowhead for the last 8 years and have places where I can go get good consistant numbers on a daily basis depending on the weather! To me there is no comparing the two the south end is more consistant! Just my two cents! EB
I grew up fishing the North end of the lake exclusively. I had never fished South of Eufaula Cove Marina until 4-5 years ago. I will have to echo both Leland and Brian's opinions. I have caught a ton of crappie on the North End but it can be on one day and off the next. Take last year, we cleaned over 50 big crappie one day up North and the next day, fishing the exact same areas, caught less than 10. The year the water was 5 feet low we killed them and the next 2 years we had mediocre to poor years.
The South end usually is very consistent. In 4 years I don't remember it ever being a drastic change from day to day. We may catch 70 or so one day and 40 the next but never 70 one day then 10 the next. Eufaula is such a big lake, it fishes like 4-5 lakes. The water temps, water color and depths all vary from one part to the next. The South end warms up faster and has more creeks to get out of the wind. The east side is clearer,deeper, and warms slower. North end is muddy and fairly shallow, and can be warm early.
I live on Oologah lake and enjoy fishing there. But I always have to go back to my old HOME lake, sometimes 15-20 times a year. Just writing about it has me itching to get down there now.
Odie
Yep, weekend before last dad and I were trying to jug line fish and using the boat I keep in a slip a Jason's. I was banging off of rocks or stirring up mud all weekend. Was actually glad to get done and put the boat away. Then while we were doing a little crappie fishing on Sunday that otter or whatever it is that lives around there took nearly all of our catfish out of the basket. Dang it!Quote:
Originally Posted by Stinkfinger
Scott, could have been a racoon, but maybe it was an otter, never know unless you see it in action.
Thanks Leland, Odie, and Brian for sharing your observations regarding both north and south ends of the lake. We all learn from you old hands and your past experiences on Lake Eufaula.Thumbs Up
:eek:Agreed. Randy that works and fishes around there plus one of the other slip customers mentioned an otter but I have not seen it. One night last summer as Debra and I were walking from the boat toward the gas dock a racoon came running toward us, that walkway seemed a little narrow at that moment.:eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Stinkfinger
Hey all,
Fished Belle Starr dock this AM with my son. We got in there about 7:30 (they opened late!) and caught fish steady until about 10:30, then they pretty much quit. Ended up cleaning 31 and threw several dinks back. Not giants, mostly 10" to 11"s, had 3 or 4 that would have been about 13". Decent mess of fish and didn't have to fight the wind outside! Guess I'll get up and try again Sunday. Fish were about 8ft and I think they would have bit about any jig you put in front of them.
Belle Starr is a good fishing dock, That would make you go back for sure! You guy's spanked us but good.
Fished on Friday and today..... Fished were tight to the bottom and you had to keep moving to get bit.... Fished breaklines in the 9' - 10' range and ended up cleaning 54 on Friday and 58 today.... Today we caught probably 35-40 short fish that were tossed back. It was a good weekend.... All were caught on jigs ..
Thumbs UpThanks for the responses on the North vs. South question. Seems like a consistent opinion and makes a lot of sense even from a geopraphical perspective of this big lake. I personally love that it's so big it can be viewed as several lakes in one. I definitely want to get on the South end soon and try my luck. For now, its pretty nice off my dock on the North end with daughters, dogs and wife all together. (no specific order intended or implied ;)).... On that note, I fished all day Sunday the 6th off my dock and shoreline around it. Catch was steady from 9:00 am to noon with average fish about 10". They stayed deep about a foot off the bottom. (which led to a nice channel cat catch too). Got a few Crappie in the 12" range. The bite slowed after noon and was pretty much dead by 2:00pm. The crappie were light biters today. Nothing like last Sunday when they were aggressive and hit hard, and were much bigger fish (sounds like the opinions about the North end are correct!). At least today wind was out of south and not too hard. Yesteday was BRUTAL with ice cold north wind. I didn't last long in that nonsense. Anyway, I think its going to be a great season. I can just FEEL it... Man, I can't wait... Take care!
Barkett, thanks for the report. What part of the lake is your dock and how deep is the water? They should be wanting to move to pre-spawn mode soon. I may head down to Eufaula later in the week. I will probably head south though.
Odie
Went back to Belle Starr Sunday AM. Man what a difference a day makes. The fish were still there, although the size was down a little and they didn't bite as long - they quit about 9:00 am as opposed to 10:30 on Sat. For some reason, I couldn't get bit to save my soul!! The man standing next to me was jiggin with two rods and catchin on both rods, using the same electric chicken as I was using. I know those days happen, and I've been on both sides of the "post", so to speak. Sometimes I'm the one catchin' and someone else is watchin' and scratchin' their head, but man I hate that when I'm the watcher!! Sat. afternoon I drove down and looked at some areas I'd never been to. Went to Massey Point, Elm Point and Hickory Point. There were several trailers, including a couple of the local "Pro's". I talked to a couple of boats as they were getting ready to load and I guess they killed them there in Gaines. Fishing drop offs in about 12 fow fishing about 8' to 10'. Supposedly some really nice fish. This looks like a good area for my mini boat. I also liked all the shallow cover at Elm Point, do any of you fish this area and, if so, how's the success rate?
The areas down south are very good, lots of creeks to get in and the forage is off the charts. I guide the south end because of the consistancy! The crappie down south are typically bigger and grow faster than they do in other parts of the lake! But I am not trying to start an argument! I have my theories about every part of the lake! EB
Had a trip with Todd Huckabee on Saturday. Took my Wife and Daughter. First time I'd been out with Todd and to be honest, I was a little reluctant to take the girls. I'd talked to Todd a number of times over the last few years, both at his bait shop and at shows and he always seemed nice enough, but I'd heard others talk about him and describe him as a B---s to the Wall type of fisherman that would wear you out. I knew if that was the case, then my Wife and Daughter wouldn't have a good time. But I went ahead and took them.
But I took them anyway and I have to say, I was very impressed. He was one of the kindest, friendly, PATIENT and most accommodating (got the girls out of the wind) Guides I have ever been out with. Reminded me a lot of EB. He and my daughter hit it off right off the bat and that isn't easy to do. She doesn't cozy up with anyone quickly but Todd had her talkin' her head off in no time (that's a sign she likes someone, when she talks non-stop! :) ) Even my Wife enjoyed the trip. Afterwards, she confessed that she had dreaded going, but was glad she did afterwards.
Of course we caught Crappie and of course the jig was a black and pink beavertail. I was happy to pick up a few more pointers while fishing with Todd. He explained what was going on and why the Crappie were where they were. Out of respect to him, I won't tell the location and other details, but you can get a good idea by reading his Facebook page here. (By the way, that is my Daughter and I in the pics plus another pic of Her with Todd that my Wife posted to his page.)
Afterwards I introduced my Wife and Daughter to the catfish at Todd's. IMHO, it beats the crap out of a lot of so called "Catfish Restaurants". Can't wait to go out next time!
I know it isn't much of a fishing report, I mainly posted this because of you folks with families who are looking into hiring a Crappie guide on Eufaula. You can't go wrong with either Todd Huckabee or Brian Young in my opinion! I wouldn't think twice about taking my family out with either one again!
Thanks for a good report
Don, had I known that was you with Todd on Saturday, I would have pulled you guys over on highway 69 and shook your hand. That is, if you went on the morning trip? Todd passed me going south bound that morning and I knew he was taking someone out on a guide trip due to all the rods stacked in his boat.Quote:
Originally Posted by OkieDon
Glad you had fun and caught crappie..... that's what its all about.:)
Good trip for you and family Don. Anyone who dosent think a guide is worth the money has not been out with a capable one. You cut the looking and chasing out, because these guy's are on the water every day {weather permitting} and know what the fish are doing. Brian goes out almost everyday, and some at night. And dont leave Barry out, he has great program for the kids to prepare the next generation of crappie fishers.
Thank you for the kind words guys! Todd and Barry are awesome! I love to talk crappie fishing with both of them! Between the three of us we try very hard to stay on the movements of the fish all year! Guiding is about a great fishing expierence, and having fun with family and friends. I have had so many good friendships over the years started by fishing! For example: I met Lip years ago and I have never forgotten how nice he was to me! EB
What's great about Barry and Todd is service after the sale. They don't brush you off after the guide trip. Everytime I've been in the store, they always have time to answer questions, give advice, and not to mention make an awesome hamburger. This service is why we continue to go back.
Hey Odie! My place is NW of I-40 bridge. Its a large cove near the Deep Fork channell My dock is in 12' - 18' when the lake is normal. Now its 6.5' - 12'. (the lake seems lower to me than the 4.5 to 5' that's being reported). We usually get less, but bigger fish on average, than the neighboring coves. And there are times when its non-stop AND bigger at my place so its a nice trade off vs. the wind we have to deal with on occasion. With Spring Break around the corner, we'll be doing a lot of fishing and I'll post the results... Till then... MikeQuote:
Originally Posted by deerhunterodie
Barkett, I have fished those coves for several years. Last year we had a couple of really good days in them. I most likely will fish Eufaula several days next week. If I fish up north I will pm you and stop by to introduce myself.
Odie
I've probably fished your cove (and your dock if you have one). I usually go up that way quite a few times a month. I put in at gentry creek and hit all the coves on the way to I-40 bridges and a few coves after that.
Hit Graves Creek today. Haven't been there since January. Not much to report. Got there about 11 and fished till 2 without catching anything. Water looked good and was warming up. Started out about 48 degrees and was 55 in some areas when I left. Lots and lots of shad all up and down the creek, just couldn't find the Crappie.
Tried going out into Deep Fork, but the mouth is silted in and the channels leading to the river are nothing but ditches now.
The deepest water in the creek that I found was 10 feet. Most of the creek was 6 to 8 foot deep. Tried a rainbow color of jigs but nothing seemed to work.
If you go, beware that there are a lot of logs/debris just below the surface of the water. You need to kinda know where to go and what areas to be extra cautious in.
Don, that may be the problem. The fish can't move into the creek from the lake due to it being silted in. I know some fish live in Graves year around, but a lot of them move to the creek because it warms up faster. All the other creeks around that are still connected should be loaded this year.
Odie
Hey Odie, funny you should say that. When I first got there, a old man was leaving and I asked if he'd done any good. He said "Nah, damn water is too low and they can't get up in here". I thought "Sure it is..."
Guess he was right after all! :(
Like you, I"m sure some live there all the time. In January, I caught some small ones and it was about the same level, so I know a few are there. I also thought that with all the bait that I saw, they may just have lock jaw.
Okiedon
Thanks for the report and for venturing into graves creek. I've been wanting to hit that place but gas being what it is I was looking for favorable reports first. It's going to be windy today and I was about to drive down there cause yoiu can get outa the wind in places. You saved me a trip. I'm not sure where I'll try but I'm going fishing somewhere today. Maybe talala creek or spencer at oologah.
Fished Eufaula Friday after noon for 4hrs ont one bite. Talked to two had fished from 7am to 3 pm and nothing. Also 3 other boats did no good. Fished from 24' to 10' lots of shad and fish but on bits. After driving 175 miles and burning $50.00 of gas I will not go back anytime soon. Going to fish closer to home.
Where did you go so the res of us wont go there
Fished Gaines Creek today with Barry Morrow (MRO Crappie). Kept 91 and prolly all but 10 were over 10". Kept nothing under 9 1/2"..Most were over a pound. Weighed 20# of fillets when all was said and done.
Berry runs a class AA operation and is a fun fella to fish with as well.
Fish were just off the bottom in 8-12 FOW. water temp stayed around 53° all day.
A few of the better fish:
http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/a...3mar112011.jpg
http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/a...emar112011.jpg
Those are nice crappie. That's what I loved about fishing Eufala crappie last year. They had size. Alas, I only know graves creek and nothing else about eufala except that it's a bit of a drive in a gas guzzler for me to get there. Where is gaines creek?
Nice looking slabs there Smoky! If you have too many fillets, you can always drop off some at my house! We need to get together one day for some Big E Crappie catchin'.
@Froggie
I understand what you're saying about a long drive. I feel your pain brother! Gaines is about an hour further than Graves. It's East of McAlester. If I remember right, you have about 3 ramps to choose from in that area. Elm point, Hwy 31 ramp and Hickory point.
Nice crappie Smokie! Gains has been the place for numbers so far.
I fished Rock Creek Friday. Like someone said thay are biting Somewhere!!! I guess if we cought a lot of fish each time we went we would get bored????
Very nice crappie smokey, Thanks for sharing the pictures!!!
What he said!Hands ClappingQuote:
Originally Posted by rigrunner(236)
Eufaula is one of the closest lake to you. Gained creek is not though. It is the southernmost arm of the lake.Quote:
Originally Posted by froggie
Well, technically Ongtown as well I think.Quote:
Originally Posted by OkieDon
Bite was slow down south for us yesterday. Ended up with 40+ keepers and threw back a bunch of short fish. Thirty or more boats in the creek.
:rolleyes: I could use a few "slow days" ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Grover
Yote... I was with Grover and we took the wives... What he should have said was ...... 1. The bite was slower than it has been, count was a lot lower than it should have been.... and... 2. Our fingers are cut and bruised and we have to make a run to BPS to replenish the jig and line stock.... :)
Jonboat