Going to Hot Springs

My wife and I are going to spend a couple of days in a Hot Springs cabin next weekend. We're taking the boat since she loves to fish. I'd like to get her into a mess of crappie. But I have only fished Hamilton a couple of times on my own for bass and once for crappie with Daryl a few years ago. So I don't know where to start. Any pointers for Hamilton? Or would I be better off driving from there to one of the surrounding lakes (Ouchita, Greeson, or DeGray)? Any advice that would help me put her on fish would be greatly appreciated. As I have come to understand, "Happy wife, happy life."

sorry i cannt help i dont fish any of those!!!!

I was on Ouchita a couple weeks ago and it was bad slow.

Finding brush piles on Hamilton is a breeze. Just hit the larger creeks and pockets and idle around watching the sonar. There are lots them and many will hold crappie.

Thanks for the advice Slab Junkie! We're staying over near Treasure Isle. Is there a good place to put in near there?

There's a ramp right on Treasure Isle Rd just off of Hwy 270.

If I had my druthers, Id druther fish Greeson from what Pictures I have seen from there. Ouichita would be my second druther. I know that lake from Little fir to big fir pretty good and I would go to 19. There is big brush piles off most of those points about 20-25' deep. Then I would go into 3 fingers and find those piles.

Well now I have a delima. Maybe I'll try more than one lake.

I'm not familiar with Ouachita. I looked at a map and found Big and Little Fir. But I don't see 3 fingers?

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Originally Posted by Fish Slapped

I'm not familiar with Ouachita. I looked at a map and found Big and Little Fir. But I don't see 3 fingers?

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It is just off the river between the 2 firs. They are the 3 large bays that run off to the north from where the river makes that big horseshoe. It may not have that name on the map but everyone calls it 3 fingers. Go to this map and look just to the right of ebony point. I don't like the crystal clear water down at the big lake area. Don't get lost out there, it happens.
Lake Ouachita Map

I actually live in Royal which is about 10 minutes from Crystal boat ramp and I fish Lake Ouachita a lot. I hate to be the barer of bad news but Creekslick hit the nail on the head. Ouachita has been SLOW. I have beat my head against the wall out there over the last month trying to catch crappie and I know the lake like the back of my hand. The lake is really low right now which makes it even worse. I will admit I haven't been trying up in the river but I really don't suspect the crappie are biting up there any better than down the lake. In addition to that it can get a little dicey running around in the river when the water is low if you don't know where you are going. I wouldn't feel uneasy about it but I know exactly where the channels and danger spots are. However, if you've never been in the river area before I don't think now is the time to make it your first trip. It's a real deep lake but once you get up in the river there is a lot of big standing timber and when the water is low some of it can sneak up on folks.

I actually prefer fishing Hamilton in the fall. It just seems to me the fish are easier to find and more eager to bite this time of year. Greeson is another good one. The water is real low there also but it's very easy to navigate and it's loaded with brush piles but they are not as easy to find as Hamilton (except for the ones that are sticking up out of the water right now). A buddy of mine caught a pile of crappie there a couple of weeks ago. They weren't real big ones but there was a bunch of them. He and his brother kept there limit both days they fished. He said the first day they culled for a few hours and were keeping a total count of how many they had caught but got tired of counting around 70.

Fish Slapped, I sent you a PM.