For you East Oklahoma & West Arkansas guys

Quick introduction- First, my name is Justin, my grandfather I fished with was Spatzie so that's where that comes from. For the last 10 years I've been coaching my daughter's "Summer" basketball teams (Summer basketball lasts about 10 months a year) She's about graduate HS and go play in college- so it's time to move on to something else for my wife and I to spend our time and $$ on. Crappie Fishing!

My fishing has been 99% wading in small rivers & creeks, sometimes floating, mostly for smallmouth and bream. But now it's time to buy a boat and some cool electronics! - or it will be after I put back a few thousand bucks.

Here's my question, something to think about. If you were starting from scratch trying to learn how to catch crappie, what lake in East Ok or West Ar would you start with? Would you concentrate most of your time on the water on one lake? or hit as many lakes as you could?

I think I can reasonably fish from Dardanelle to the East, to Eufaula to the West and anything in between, with Wister and Lake Fort Smith being the easiest to hit.

Just curious to see what you guys think.

Justin

First off Welcome Spatzie.

Were I to do it over again, I would pick a lake fairly close to where I lived and learn as much about that lake as I could with only an occasional side trip to a different lake. I think you would learn more that way than hop skippin around to different lakes every weekend. In my mind it would keep the confusion down. This being said, I've enjoyed fishing different lakes at different times of the year.

Feb 26, 27,28th. We have our winter camp scheduled at Hugo Lake here in Oklahoma. Go to our OKlahoma Crappie Camp board and check it out. And if you can or desire to, come join us. Great group of folks

Pappa

I agree with Pappa about the crappie camp. If I were you I would contact Robert Robinson, aka Wister Slab Daddy on here, and I would learn Wister. Wister is one of the top crappie lakes in the state. Robert is the man on Wister and Kerr in your area and he is more than willing to help people learn. I just got off the phone with him and he said to private message him on here or give him a call. I am going to private message you his number, so check your messages. Welcome aboard, I may be down at Wister on Friday, it depends on whether I have to work OT or not.

Odie

That's good advice, Spatzie. The guys on cdc are really helpful, and any time you can get together with a bunch of them (like at crappie camp), you'll learn a lot. But watch out for some of the chili and "fruit drinks" at the camps. I have heard some harrowing stories about the after-effects.
If you had posted last week, you would have been in time to catch the Crappie University at Tulsa, which has already started. It would be an ideal place for someone to get all the dope on crappie fishing and equipment. I don't know if there are any slots left or if you could get in late. There may be a Crappie University in OKC, starting this weekend. I'm not sure of the dates and speakers.

This is the info on the Crappie University. It was posted on the 1st. You might give them a call, Spatzie.

Probably everyone already knows about this...but: Crappie University is coming to the Tulsa Tech Owasso campus Feb. 2, 9, 11, and 16. 7:30 - 9:30 Instructors are Barry Morrow, Gary Dollahon, Kurt Kuklinski and Wally Marshall. As of Feb. 1 they have slots open. 918-828-5000 $89

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Originally Posted by deerhunterodie

I agree with Pappa about the crappie camp. If I were you I would contact Robert Robinson, aka Wister Slab Daddy on here, and I would learn Wister. Wister is one of the top crappie lakes in the state. Robert is the man on Wister and Kerr in your area and he is more than willing to help people learn. I just got off the phone with him and he said to private message him on here or give him a call. I am going to private message you his number, so check your messages. Welcome aboard, I may be down at Wister on Friday, it depends on whether I have to work OT or not.

Odie

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You get hooked up with WSD you will be a crappie expert in no time! Warning you will need some bengay for yer arms as they will be sore from catchin dem pigs! I guarantee he is the best free guide I have ever used!!!!

PM me. I can lend you some assistance

Thanks guys for all your help. I knew this was the place to come for friendly advise.
Still interested in hearing some other opinions about starting from scratch learning to catch fish consistently.
Thanks again!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spatzie

Thanks guys for all your help. I knew this was the place to come for friendly advise.
Still interested in hearing some other opinions about starting from scratch learning to catch fish consistently.
Thanks again!

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Bass Pro Book Section. In-Fishermen has several great books on crappie fishing to get a broad based crappie education. Then you have knowledge to try when you go.

You can also read reports from years past on the archives thread on the more popular lakes in Eastern Oklahoma. EB

Lake Dardanelle is a very good crappie lake if its not to far. Blue Mountain lake is another good lake in your area thats a good crappie lake but its also a flood control lake so watch the lake level. Both lakes have brush piles you will need to find (look at AGFC web sight). If you need more info PM me and I will try and help. Good luck and welcome to C.C.

Welcome Spatzie, I will second get with WSD on Wister. Wister is a great little crappie lake I just wished I lived closer. If you are going to purchase a boat when you decide what your budget is you need to check out what other people on CDC are fishing in, are you going to fish big water or just smaller lakes and creeks, etc. Good Electronics are the way to go but you don't have to spend $3,000 to have a good set-up. Again welcome to CDC

We have been going to lake Nimrod and Blue Mountain for several years every spring and spending two weeks down there. As dko said, you have to watch the lake levels because they are both flood control lakes. We fish out of Sunlight Bay on Nimrod and have done really well right around the boat ramp in the cypress trees the last week of March and early April. We have caught fish there when the lake has been up in the parking lot and they were dropping it a foot a day. The great thing about these lakes is you don't need a 50,000 dollar bass boat to catch fish. They are both under 4000 acres. Nimrod has an advantage because there's more places to fish and not so crowded.

Love Nimrod.

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