NEA Crappie Fishing

I live in the Jonesboro area and would love to know some good places to give crappie fishing a go. Do any of you guys have any places around here that you like to frequent? Here are some places that I know of but I really don't know how good they realistically are:

Lake Frierson (usually muddy)

Crowley's Ridge State Park

Craighead Forest Park

St. Francis River outless (not sure of too many places where fishing is open)

Lake Hogue (read a post on here that they are running small down there)

Lake Poinsett (preparing for a drain)

Not sure of where else I can hit up but if you guys are willing to share some public spots, I would be most grateful.

Thanks!

Mississippi

Black River oxbows are ok at times. St. Francis can be hot when the water is right. Cuckleburr can have a few at times. Borrow pits at marked tree can be good when water goes down and clears up. BUT... You have to be willing to drive to get to where the bigguns live. Butla, Enid, Sardis, Grenada, Conway, Dardanelle...even Norfork have good populations of slabs. I fear white river refuges, tunica and mellwood have seen better days since the carp have moved in.

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Originally Posted by Gomer Snerd

Black River oxbows are ok at times. St. Francis can be hot when the water is right. Cuckleburr can have a few at times. Borrow pits at marked tree can be good when water goes down and clears up. BUT... You have to be willing to drive to get to where the bigguns live. Butla, Enid, Sardis, Grenada, Conway, Dardanelle...even Norfork have good populations of slabs. I fear white river refuges, tunica and mellwood have seen better days since the carp have moved in.

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Thanks for the information. Pardon my ignorance but where is Butla, Enid, Sardis, and Grenada? I know where Conway, Dardanelle, and Norfork are. Also, unfortunately I do not own a boat and I am afraid you're going to tell me I need to get one to get where the slabs are. :(

Nope. Instead I am going to suggest you try to either make friends with a boat owner or look for small private ponds and seek permission to fish them. As far as boat owners lots of geezers need somebody to go with. They need somebody to help with simple tasks like launching and loading. They don't want to go alone. Solo trips can be both tedious and dangerous. Stay alert and you might find a back seat. You can learn some tricks that will be good later when you get a boat. One last tip...keep a rod combo in your vehicle and look for places where water runs under the road or overflows below dams. Road trip stopping to fish these spots can be fun and productive.

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Not alot of truly good crappie fishing waters around here. Most people usually drive 1-3 hours to really crappie fish. There is also wappanocca, and horseshoe lake going south towards memphis, but you will need a boat. Im not sure of any decent bank fishing places relatively close. Sardis, butla, enid, and Granada are all COE lakes in Mississippi. All are amazing crappie lakes. I don't know where to bank fish from on them though. I do know that this time of the year, a good set of chest waders can open up alot more water options by wade fishing the shallows.

Can you rent fishing boats at places like Horseshoe Lake, Lake Conway, or any of the other places you named?

You can at Conway. Don't know the rates.

Chris