Ross Barnett ? Is Ross Barnett a good lake for trolling ?

I want to say thanks to all of you who posted on my post about where and what to buy for trolling . When your talking about 8 rigs the price adds up and I'm up to doing that to get the best equipment from beginning .
I have read and reread the cranking 101 post and other stuff and then I think that I have maybe not asked to most important question ! Is Ross Barnett a lake you can troll , crank , pull ect for crappie and have good success ? Most of the stuff I read talks about the lakes up north . I fish Ross Barnett and don't travel up I55 nothing wrong with those lakes as you know but I live 2 miles from Barnett and getting lazy I guess . So my question is should I spend the money to get equipment to fish Barnett . I have plenty of long poles ect but thought i'd try the trolling but will I be frustrated with doing it here on Ross Barnett .

As good as it gets, great lake for trolling just stay out of the stump fields. Lot of long lining and cranking going on down there.
If you want to look at several rigs set up to pull you might ride up to Crankfest end of the month, will be a bunch of boats there set up that way and all will be different in some way and some completely different than others.

Sure is. Fish the same places you fish spider rigging. Just remember where those stumps are or you'll e broke quick lol

I fished there opening day until 5 years ago, It is and has been a outstanding Crappie lake. I really miss it, but I have the big four here.

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Originally Posted by trypman1

I fished there opening day until 5 years ago, It is and has been a outstanding Crappie lake. I really miss it, but I have the big four here.

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What is this opening day ? Crappie fishing is everyday

Opening day for fishing back in the late sixty's.

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Originally Posted by trypman1

Opening day for fishing back in the late sixty's.

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Thats a new one on me.....Maybe its a Barnett deal because I have been fishing Sardis since 1964 and there was not a fishing season....or maybe I just didn't get caught

Scott could mean like back then when he and I were still mad at those white tails and opening day for fishing was the day after the last day of deer season.

To me, the rez is THE place to go for year-round crappie fishing: stable water conditions, good spawns, good size fish, no size limit (when you get tired of throwing em back), etc.

The ONLY exception to this opinion, is during the summer months. In my opinion, RB is the only lake mentioned on the board that suffers from boat traffic having very adverse effect on the summer pattern of crappie. It's almost akin to the way whitetail react to the sudden onset of a heavy presence of hunters on opening day.

The fish, in my opinion, in the summer, really do adapt to the extreme boat traffic on a daily basis. As soon as it picks up, the fish seem to really (though not always) slow way down. Could just be in my mind, but if my mind is telling me it's futile, then I'd just as well pack it up and go home; because the MOJO is gone. In my ship, no mojo= no fish.

Other than that, day in and day out, the rez always has a ledge or two with a school of active fish ready for the septic tank express.

They're still biting. Just not where you want them to be doing it.

IRON LAKE all you need to know . :biggrin

We are talking about the grand opening for fishing not a season.

put a minnow on ! they will come.:biggrin lol

Flag island is a good place for slow trolling

Flag Island ! Yes it is a great place to troll and troll and troll . I honestly have caught hybrids schooling around the corner from there . You didn't mention holiday and week ends are the best times to troll .

Just don't use any hooks. Don't want to catch anybodies underpants.

Lets keep it kid friendly and family oriented

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Originally Posted by Gomer Snerd

They're still biting. Just not where you want them to be doing it.

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No doubt. Just the same as deer keep moving- regardless of the sudden onslaught of humans being present. They're just moving where I don't want them to be: like an impenetrable, briar-choked, beaver-run-infested swamp bottom.

I caught 14 on a quick trip to Okatibee Sunday that were 6 feet deep enjoying the cloudy skies.

They couldn't have been more than a foot'n'half from some of those ski boat props.

Only problem with that was... I felt the same way!

I always believe they are biting, but if I can't position myself to properly present the bait- whether it be due to wind, boat traffic, safety, ain't mad at em', etc.- then as far as I'm concerned, they just as wells's not be biting. Same result.

You can trust my opinions, and I can prove it by telling you that I ran my truck out of gas this morning. Gas gauge works great. Gas stations were open and ready for my hungry wallet. Rode right past them. I am an expert, I tell ya.