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Darryl and I took Outdoor Writer and Photographer Keith "Catfish" Sutton and a friend of his fishing on Lake DeGray this morning and had a pretty good trip.
Keith's new crappie fishing book is fresh off the press and I'll be making a post about it on the main forum.
WOW... I need to go fishing!
You know to look at Keith you would'nt think he could write much less be my favorite outdoor writer. I hear he is a real nice dude who is a pleasure to hunt and fish with.
Glad you guys busted them this morning.
Jerry, are you seeing any huntable numbers of ducks on Degray or Greeson these days?
Very nice catch!
Extremely nice catch Jerry.
Hey Gooch:Quote:
Originally Posted by gooch
We're not seeing very many ducks at all on either lake. Fishing is good though!:)
Good night! I haven't seen that many fish in over a month! What's the limit down there? I had 51 degree water this morning with only a few willing to bite. We are in a lull up here.
How deep were they?
Hey Jason:Quote:
Originally Posted by J.T. Crappie Guide
That's the best mess we've had in a long time and probably the best bunch I've ever taken from DeGray. The new condos we put down a couple months ago are really paying off. We also caught quite a few on some old brushpiles that a guy showed as and some that we found. Had about a dozen or so take a jig pretty well, which made it a lot of fun. We had a few triples and a lot of doubles. They weren't real aggressive most of the time and we missed a lot of real light bites. A lot of the time our floats wouldn't even go all the way under and we started popping them as soon as we noticed the floats wiggle or start down just a little bit.
We started out about 8:00 fishing about 12 to 13-feet deep on some block/bamboo condos that we put in pretty close to the boat ramp and caught a few off of each of them and then moved up the river to the mouth of a major creek arm and did well there fishing 15 to 17 feet deep.
About 11:00 we moved down the lake and fished some deeper bucket/bamboo condos - again on points in the main channel - and caught fish from 15 to 20-feet deep there. We quit about 1:00 so we were only on the water about 5-hours.
Our limit here is 20 per person and we had four people so we didn't have to worry about going over. There's no minimum length limit but the only ones we kept under 10-inches were a few that were fatally hooked. I didn’t keep track but I know we released at least a dozen crappie that were around 9-inches along with several bream and a few green carp.
I’ll be back on Greeson tomorrow and I hope they are as cooperative. Our surface temps in the main lake are in the mid 50s and with the stable weather predicted for our area I think they should keep on trying to fatten up for a while yet.
That's a nice catch Jerry. I'm glad y'all are guiding on DeGray we really like that lake and like to camp up there. It isn't as far from us as Greeson. I showed Kathy the pics and we will probably fish with y'all sometimes this spring when it gets good camping weather.
L.A., when you get a change to go to Degray and need a partner, stop by the dice and pick me up! With a stringer like that on Degray, I may have to part company with Cane Creek for a bit.. LOL :D
Hey Jerry:Quote:
Originally Posted by L.A. stumpjumper
We're pretty excited about guiding on DeGray too. It's a lot closer than Greeson and not much farther for me than Hamilton. It gets a bit more crappie fishing pressure but it's twice as big too. Just let me know when you and Kathy want to go after them and we'll get it on the calendar.
Hopefully in January and February we'll have time to put out some shallow beds so we'll have plenty of places to fish this spring.
Well, all I gotta say about that stringer is you should be ashamed of yourself knowing that keith has a bad shoulder and some of us have actually been at work all day and come home to see a pic like that, SHOWOFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HEHE FATBOY
Nice mess of fish, Jerry. I would have loved to be in the boat with y'all today. Keith doesn't have any good fish tales does he?
Keith has a LOT of fishing and hunting stories and tells them in a way that paints a picture in your mind. I could listen to him for days on end.Quote:
Originally Posted by ceb
Jerry is Lake DeGray as built up as Hanilton or is there alot of open land. After fishing Hamilton for a week and its lack of structure other than man made I would like to try some thing else next year in the fall.
I have never did much good on Degray... There are some stumps in places, but I think it would be better if I knew where all the brush piles were...Quote:
Originally Posted by barn dog
Hey Barn Dog:Quote:
Originally Posted by barn dog
DeGray is a COE lake so it doesn't have any houses on it and no docks except at the marinas. It's twice the size of Hamilton or Greeson but I only fish the upper end. They left a lot of standing timber in it and there are some weed beds but I think they are mainly on the lower end.
It's a really pretty lake. We see a lot of turkey, deer and other wildlife there. They didn't stock it with stripers but it has good populations of white bass and hybrids as well as largemouth and spotted bass.
Shouse Ford is a good place to camp and there are plenty of other COE campgrounds and a state park.
Let me know when you're ready to give it a try and I'll try to point you in the right direction.
Jerry,
you and Darryl have been busy. Are you guys dropping bamboo condos in DeGray as well?
Hey Brad, welcome to the board, you can find a lot of good information here and meet a lot of good people. The La. board is also great.
Thanks..Quote:
Originally Posted by L.A. stumpjumper
I have fished with both Jerry and Darryl, great guys, but you folks already knew that. They do a great job with my daughter out fishing. I have now gotten hook on this Crappie bug. The wife will not eat any other fish after having Crappie. I don't blame her. So out with the ski boat and in with a fish and ski, so we can do it all.
Brad, we will be having a crappie camp in April, on Greeson, be sure to get in on that, it's a great time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad Merry
Jerry and Darryl have asked me before. I would love to come for a few days. Greeson is my most favorite place in the entire world. And I need alot of help learning to catch fish.Quote:
Originally Posted by L.A. stumpjumper
Hey Brad:Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad Merry
Good to see you on Crappie.com. Yes, we've put in a couple dozen bamboo condos on the upper end near Shouse Ford and we've been shown some bushpiles and found a few on our own. We've been catching some good crappie there. I think I'll be fishing there tomorrow. The guys I took today will be fishing with me again and although we had a good trip on Greeson I think we'll go to DeGray so they can see it too.
Save a few fish for me... good luck
Hey Brad, glad to hear from you again. Welcome aboard! You're really going to like this site. It's a pretty good support group for a bunch of crappie fanatics. Yeah, we've been busy. The bamboo is holding up so well we're now able to grow and expand. DeGray has been well worth the effort.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad Merry
I hope I can make it up to Greeson around Christmas. I haven't even broke the boat in yet.
We had a good time on DeGray today. It was just a little chilly at sunrise but we were down to shirt sleeves by noon.
We got a pretty good mess including one that was 15.5-inches and weighed 2-pounds, 2-ounces. I had the same father and son crew on Greeson yesterday and between the two trips they had 21-pounds of fillets to take home to Missouri with them.
Jerry,
You sure do make it hard on us workin people.
Know you work very hard at making places to fish but it pays off very well for you. Keep up the great work.
Hope to see you soon and get my photo (with lots of crappies) on here!
Doug
All those fish...... Does this mean prices are going up??:(
Hey Jerry,
I am going to hit Degray Sat morning at daylight and stay as long as I can. Where should I put in and what are they hitting?
Hey Brad:Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad Merry
Actually I started a winter special trying to drum up some business so now folks can't afford NOT to go fishing with me! :)
I'll be working through Christmas/New Years so let me know when you'll be on Greeson and I'll try to get you headed in the right direction.
Hey Allen:Quote:
Originally Posted by bobberwatcher
If you have a GPS I can send you some waypoints for some spots to fish.
We put in at Point Cedar. We put five block/bamboo condos on the points on the north bank just west of the boat ramp and we've been catching quite a few up in Cox Creek - in the chute right where it meets the main river. The banks drop off real quick to the channel on both sides and there are several brushpiles on those ledges.
Small Rosey Red minnows from 12 to 20-feet deep have been most productive but we've been catching some on jigs. White/Red/Chartreuse, Gray/Red/Gray and Orange/Black/Chartreuse have been good colors.
I'm not sure where I'll be yet Saturday but if I'm on DeGray I'll be glad to mark some condos for you if you don't have a GPS.
Send em on Jerry. You provided me some for Greeson here awhile back. Feel free to send em to [email protected]. If I run across any that you haven't provided, I will gladly return the favor.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Blake
Thanks Jerry... I just started a new job and have been very busy getting all my customers changed over, I haven't had a weekend off yet. But I may just take a few days during the week around Christmas if I can, my girls will be out of school. I'm ready to show the new boat God's lake......:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Blake
And my GPS that you and Darryl marked some tops for me was stolen. So I will have to remark for Greeson.
Jerry,
Great to see you guys now guiding on Degray! I work in Arkadelphia so I am 5 minutes away. We went out Sunday afternoon for a couple of hours and caught 5 or so. You are right about the wildlife!! You truly do not know what you are going to see. If you like wade fishing, the caddo river above the Amity road is a blast for crappie and smallmouth. If you get on the water during the week, you may not see another person.
We fish up Cox Creek quite a bit during the springtime. I have a brown triton with a trolling motor on the back. (Don't ask; okay I took the motor off of the back because my wife feels the need to fish EVERY second she is on the water. That doesn't work so well going 50 mph. ) If you see us stop in and say hello. My wife will be catching the fish. I will be relaxing in the back relaxing. If my wife has her way, we will be there from sunup to sundown.
Michael
Yeah, DeGray has been pretty good to us so far. Here is a pic of the fish we caught last Sunday.
http://www.familyfishingtrips.com/images/061210.jpg
None of them were very big, but we got our share that amounted to 3 quarts of fillets.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, I went to Degray and did not catch a crappie all day. (The waypoints Jerry sent me apparently didn't transfer over to my GPS as I found out as soon as I got on the water.) I did however have one OUTSTANDING fight that lasted about 20 min with this ol girl. (Full of eggs when I knocked the sides off her. ) Sorry, picture was taken with my cell phone. My good camera has been loaned out. I figured she wieghed 10 - 12 lbs. not bad on a 12' Wally Marshall with 6 lb test!
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...16-06_2212.jpg
The url for the pic is not working.Quote:
Originally Posted by bobberwatcher
Oops.. try it again DarrylQuote:
Originally Posted by Darryl Morris
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o...16-06_2212.jpg
I took my 9-year-old son out on DeGray for about four hours this morning and we kept 14 crappie. Kept one just under 10-inches and most were just 11 to 12-inchers with one 13-incher and one 14-incher.
They were all around 15-feet deep and would take a jig tipped with a minnow about as well as a minnow under a slip float. We could only catch a couple off of each condo we fished and they didn't seem to be stacked up as good as they have been. The water temps have warmed up a little bit so that may have them on the move. Not sure where the shad went but didn't see near as many big schools as usual so they may be on the move and the crappie may be following.
I'm going to find out what's happening on Hamilton tomorrow - doing a full-day trip.