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The crappie have turned on at Hefner. Mornings have been particularly good. Size is problematic, but some have been 12 inches. Sand bass and walleye are also hitting the jigs. So far, everyone is throwing jigs from the riprap, but tube fishing should be great right now. Time to get out the fleece-lined pants and thinsulates.
Yeah the rip rap at Hefner can be productive. Just watch out for when the winds are strong out of the south. Easily get you up into the rip rap.
I used to tube there a lot in the winter loads of fun. Don't forget they call tubes watercraft now and require the same permits as boatsQuote:
Originally Posted by Bigskyfisherman
Get out of town! Seriously?Quote:
Originally Posted by lazylakedog
QpgUOTE=Crappie Reaper;2833171]Get out of town! Seriously?[/QUOTE]
I was wrong you do not need a permit for a fishing tube on the city lakes. When they changed the rules around five years ago everything not considered a toy required a permit. Since then the wording now reflects that fishing tubes do not require a permit! I should get out and fish those city lakes more lol.
Hey, Lazy.
That second post saved me a trip to see Sergeant Jones at the lake patrol. When the officers from the station on Hefner were writing tickets several years ago, we checked with the sergeant and found that tubes were classified as "fisherman floats" and were not considered to be watercraft. He said that they COULD require inspections and permits for the tubes, but "At this time we are not doing so." You can check the applicable statutes in the 1992 city codes.
The water temperature at noon today was 38 degs F on the dam. I enjoyed visiting with you today Bigskyfisherman.
Likewise, George. Also look forward to fishing with you.
Hey guys, anything happening on Hefner lately? Looks like we'll be up that way for part of the week and unfortunately the inlaws idea of a good time is staying in the house watching football all day. :banghead. Thinking I may drag the boat with me.
They're biting pretty well off the dam. Crappie and sandies both. Most guys are fishing from the bank, and either slip corking or doing the cast/countdown/slow retrieve. In a boat, though, they're double dipping. The crappie have been pretty deep, but with electronics you should be able to find them. My son finds them in his float tube with electronics, but has a tough time catching them. Bigfishmama then comes over and catches them for him.:biggrin
ps The size varies quite a bit, but you should catch enough for supper.
You can always call the guys at Lucky Lure for an up to the minute update.
Hey, Gentry.
The walleyes are biting early and late. If you're into 'eyes, bring your gear.
Thanks Bigsky, I kind of figured the keeper ratio would be about the same as Tbird. Lots of dinks, but like you said, I usually catch enough for dinner. I usually only chase crappie but I'm not against a fight with anything. I don't know much about walleyes though other than they like leeches. Any tips on those?
They say their catching them on gay blades and jerkbaits
I seen them caught on jigs by guys crappie fishing
If it's during the daylight hours, they'll be deeper, where leeches would work. Bottom-bouncer rigs with a crawler would work as long as they're outside the riprap, unless you don't mind losing a rig by dragging the riprap. Up north, a lot of walleyes are caught on a half ounce glow-head jig with mylar "wings" and a large tube or curly tail. I'd post a pic, but I am very low-tech. I'm hoping for a good cell phone or digital camera for Xmas. Hopefully my high-tech granddaughter can help me.
LARGE sassy shads pulled deep are a great way to pick up 'eyes at Hefner.
If you fish early or late, the gay blades, Rapalas, rogues, Wiggle Warts, Baby One Minus, etc. are good. Vary the retrieve, using a continuously submerged retrieve or a twitch-pause retrieve, letting the bait rise to the surface, sometimes twitching immediately and sometimes letting it sit for a few seconds.
Your best chance is to fish after dark, right along the shoreline of the riprap. We have killed them at night, mostly using the large Rapalas (13-15), Wiggle Warts or Baby One Minus in white/black dots, fire tiger, or black/dark red, and sometimes 5-inch sassy shads. It gets very cold and slippery on those rocks, and you would need power poles on your boat in order to stay close to the bank.
Of course, you always have a chance of hanging one with your crappie jigs. I once got six 'eyes out of my tube, but they were all 17-17 1/2 inchers. We have also gotten 8 1/2 pounders, which can make you very nervous as those fins get close to your tube.