Does anyone have any tips on where to start fishing on Washington and Chicot during the crappie camp?
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Does anyone have any tips on where to start fishing on Washington and Chicot during the crappie camp?
In the trees straight across from Cordells landing. Just look for alot of boats & you'll know your in the right spot!
Ben, Have you heard anything else from Grand Lake?? My first fish trolling the middle a weekend ago was a 2.5 lber...I got pumped up for some serious thumpin'....then nothin' but 6-10 inchers for the next three hours before we packed it up and headed to Washington for a cooler full of slabs. There are some monster Crappie in that lake if the big ones will hurry up and turn on. I was also hoping that Darbonne' would be good this weekend but it's closed to boat traffic for now due to high water. It's running 4 ft over the spillway. All the good MS river hotspots are flooded.
Went over to Washington Sunday. Caught 24. Good bite. The bite is still slow at grand, bunch of dinks. Caught a few off the dock on chicot. Chicot has just gone to pot since the Florida strain bass was introduced. Let me tell you, it just burns my hide! The local bass club had a tourney last weekend (catch and release)banghead. Close too 60 boats. Makes it hard to fish the lake when they are running up and down the lake all day. What can we do to make chicot the crappie lake it once was? They open the spillway in ditch and dropped the lake almost 2'! Just when I thought this might be the year for some good fishing on chicot! Boy was I wrong!
Where is Cordell's landing? Tried looking it up on Google and didn't have any luck. Would we be better going to Washington rather than Chicot?
Like luvpt said, grand has some big fish. Are you Trolling or jig fishing? If I was gonna troll and the wind is right I would go to grand.
I think every year chicot is going to bounce back and get disappointed. They can't help jackin around with the level during the spring spawn. That lake's name should be up there with the best crappie lakes in the country, and be a big plus for the people in poor southeat Ar. I guess it's time for another town meeting where they don't listen to anyone about the condition of the lake. How bout another draw down too. Managed like crap. Either way I will be back down there next week, given it a try anyway. I like going going back home and fishing the lakes I grew up on.
I know that's right KG! I grew up on chicot and when I was a kid, you could catch some sows! No doubt it was one of the best lakes in the country! We definitely need better lake management. What can we do? I do my part every year by putting at least 25 to 30 bamboos out. Now days my boat stays on trailer, and I head to another one of our many crappie impounds in southeast ark! For the guys who fish in this area, thank god we get to live and fish in such a place!
KG- pm me Saturday and I will let you know how I do. Gonna try a couple honey holes until I find some new fish. I am notorious for leaving bitin crappie (crowed lakes) to find some new and less pressured fish.
I'll send you a pm. That's one good thing about Chicot. If they ain't bitin there, it's a great jumping off point to other lakes.Quote:
Originally Posted by LeveeJumper
S.E. Arkansas is truly paradise ain't it!!!! Yes, Lake Chicot was a premier Crappie lake at one time.... one of the crown jewels of Crappie fishing.....makes me ill to think about it now. Remember the willow trees along the edges that would be in water every year during the spawn?? They ain't there anymore and the water is always too low to get into them even if they were. We are just darn lucky the management folks can't mess too much with the mighty Mississippi River.....but I think they would if they could, LOL! Some people think if they ain't changing things (even if they are already working properly) they ain't doin' their job.......
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Originally Posted by LeveeJumper
If it ain't broke don't fix it!
AGFC has never placed a priority on managing for crappie, and when they've attempted to, it's generally been unsuccessful.
I didn't grow up there but I love to fish it. Its a haul from Jonesboro so I only fish there 4-5 times a year. My fishing buddy CK101 is down ther now locating fish
When I was in Monticello, we sampled the crappie population in Chicot every year. That was the only lake in the district that was sampled each year. We sampled it for three months in the fall. The water level is controlled by the COE. AGFC requests a drawdown every five years. Any fluctuation between that is natural fluctuation. As lakes or reservoir age, the fish population fluctuates more. In Lake Chicot, the crappie only live 4-5 years and the population is very cyclic. It is usually dominated by one large year class and then the next few years are not as productive. In SE Ark, crappie is very important to that district. This is why there is a nursery pond that is stocked with crappie most years. Feel free to contact Diana in Monticello about crappie management in SE AR. There is a lot of research and management efforts that doesn’t get put out to the public that really should.
Crappie are very difficult to manage as is anything dealing with mother nature. We try to do our best. We are working on trying to reverse the downward trend in the crappie population at Lake Charles. It takes times.
As always, me and a couple of the other biologist are here to try to answer any question you might have. If we can’t, we will try to get you in touch with someone that can.
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Originally Posted by Mojorig
:popcorn:popcorn:popcornbangheadbangheadbanghead The gates in Ditch Bayou NEVER CLOSE and I mean NEVER!!!! COE is always screwing with the level!! Why can't they leave it alone. That seems like an easy question but it is so hard to get a easy answer. Don't get me started on these nut jobs. I have no trouble with the AGFC just the COE.
So, what is everyone's opinion on the best lake in the area for this week-end? Where is everyone that is coming to the spring camp going to go???
I forgot to mention one more thing. Lake Chicot and the AGFC has a Lake Chicot Citizen Advisory Committee. There are very few of these in the state. A lot of the management ideas go through this committee. The committee is in real need of more crappie anglers in the committee. If you fish the lake a lot and really want to have a part in the management of the lake, please contact Diana and ask to attend the annual meeting. The more people on the committee the better it will function.
I found this link I think it may help with Washington
http://deltawildlife.org/images/file_downloads/lake-washington.pdf
I'll be in Chicot, I bet the rest will be in Washington or Grand!
We are going to fish Washington Friday and Saturday and Chicot on Sunday
I will probably be on Grand friday afternoon then to Washington on saturday.
I'm fishing Washington.
That pretty well sells me on Washington. what days are you goign to be there?Quote:
Originally Posted by L.A. stumpjumper
DP
Don't get me wrong, you can still pick thru chicot and catch a stringer that would compete with any of the surrounding lakes! I still haven't decide where I will be. River is gonna drop out soon-:santa it Christmas time for me!
It's Washington for me.....
LuvPT Im thinking Grand Also, Steve whats Furguson doing?
I'll let you know how I do on Grand Friday. If the big ones are turned on it will be good. Weekend before last I caught mostly taterchips. I will finish up work Friday at noon in Eudora so I will already be at the lake....that's why I am going there on Friday. If I don't get into the slabs Friday I will head to Wash on Saturday am. I haven't heard or tried Furguson because the river is up so much right now. I think it would be pretty tuff!
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Originally Posted by CrappiePro
Well us yankees are just gonna follow the crowds! :fish
WELL!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by yankee doodler
I have never claimed to be a Yankee!! But, me too.
DP
Sounds like Washington it is. What about Whittington? How far is it from Lake Village? I heard they were catching the devil out of em there. Anyone else heard any reports from there? Also @ Washington.. Is single pole jigging or slow trolling better right now? I would think single poling in the cypress, but I don't always think right....LOL
Guess I am going to follow the Arkansas crowd and go to MS to fish Washington.
Spiderwoman i would think whittington would be messed up muddy as high as river is now
That's what I thought after reading about Fergueson...but someone on the MS board posted they were. Thought I would check with some of you local fellows. Talked to Jerry last night and he pretty much said the same thing. Thanks for the input!