What's up with East Fork Lake?

Been fishing EFL several times in last couple weeks. Have only been able to catch small, 4-7"crappie. They are everywhere. Keeper fish have been hard to find. I have been fishing this lake since impounded and have not seen this many small fish at this time of year. Anyone else having this problem? I have been fishing Caesar Creek and doing well for size and number of fish. Since EFL and CC are sister lakes, my experience has been both lakes produce good size fish after the turnover about equally. Any thoughts about the difference between the 2 lakes?

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Originally Posted by fishinforfun

Been fishing EFL several times in last couple weeks. Have only been able to catch small, 4-7"crappie. They are everywhere. Keeper fish have been hard to find. I have been fishing this lake since impounded and have not seen this many small fish at this time of year. Anyone else having this problem? I have been fishing Caesar Creek and doing well for size and number of fish. Since EFL and CC are sister lakes, my experience has been both lakes produce good size fish after the turnover about equally. Any thoughts about the difference between the 2 lakes?

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Not sure if you are aware but there was a fish kill at EF in, from what I can remember, fall of 2015. I think it killed lots of fish. Probably lots of bigger fish. EF was never that great on size but the size average has definitely come down since then. I was there a little over a month ago and caught lots of fish. Not many keepers but most fish were more like 8-8.5 vs the 4-7 you mentioned. I think the lake is just on the way back after the fish kill. Next year, they'll have better size I think.

mbk

For the most part, having lot's of short fish has been pretty standard at EF for quite a while but I do think it may have gotten a little worse.
I used to think that maybe it was just me but it sounds like it's pretty universal.

u r fishing too deep

1 to 2 foot

TBone, thanks for the info. Can you please clarify: Are you saying fish water that is 1-2 ft deep, or fish 1-2 ft deep over deeper water? The reason for the question is I was on CC Friday and we caught 28 nice fish in deep water, 20-25ft fishing abut 20 ft down vertical. We were on EFL Saturday and again could not find good size fish. The shallowest water we fished was 4 ft. Could only manage 1 keeper about 11.25".

depends on the weather.if its sunny they can be as shallow as u can get and cloudy days usually 2 foot deep over 3 to 6 fow.ef on a down cycle been tuff this year but winter is the time to get em..jig and cork the best or swimming 32 oz but jig and cork the best pay attention to water temp

Float and Fly are doing good under d'cork
Attachment 281274

The internet is big.
The fishing lake is small.

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Originally Posted by fastfisher

The internet is big.
The fishing lake is small.

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For the most part ive never thought this site did much to add much pressure to the lake. With that said, there is a storm brewing that i can assure will hurt EF a hell of a lot worse. I will post a picture of it. My phone went off the other day and it was a fb notification i had been added to a new "group". It was this. Its first day it had 40 members. I made it very clear that this particular page was a terrible idea. Can u imagine when this has 1000 members? Every time someone posts a report every member will get Notified

I was quickly deleted from the group after explaining how bad of an idea this is.

The very first post was the fella that started the group saying he caught 100 and some crappie, which then sent a notification to every member. Its a closed group but they accept any and everyone. It was just started last week.

Ouch! I hate to see this also. I get the idea behind the site, but as small as any of our local lakes are, this cannot be a good thing. In this day of connectiveness and instant info, this will, no doubt, hurt the lake. Can you just see a Saturday on EFL after one of the members posts a good report? You will be lucky to be able to get a parking spot and will likely be have a hard time finding a good spot. Maybe the state will lower the limit further or increase the legal keeper size. That would help. I have always been in favor of a 10" minimum and a 15 fish limit.

Tommy is just posting how to get em at East Fork to keep everyone away from where he is fishing, ha ha.
Can't say I blame him. East Fork is a chip fest boys.....go somewhere else.

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Originally Posted by CrappieCrazed

For the most part ive never thought this site did much to add much pressure to the lake. With that said, there is a storm brewing that i can assure will hurt EF a hell of a lot worse. I will post a picture of it. My phone went off the other day and it was a fb notification i had been added to a new "group". It was this. Its first day it had 40 members. I made it very clear that this particular page was a terrible idea. Can u imagine when this has 1000 members? Every time someone posts a report every member will get Notified

I was quickly deleted from the group after explaining how bad of an idea this is.

The very first post was the fella that started the group saying he caught 100 and some crappie, which then sent a notification to every member. Its a closed group but they accept any and everyone. It was just started last week.

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It's so funny to see people complain about the pressure on East Fork and blame it on these internet forums when many of you, or maybe I should say US, are as much to blame for it as anybody. For years, every post from November through the time the lake froze read "EAST FORK IS ON FIRE" or "ANOTHER 100 FISH DAY", etc, etc. Then the cycle started again in the spring with the same posts. Now that you have figured out how to fish it, the same guys are griping about the pressure. Can't have it both ways fellas. I'm not saying the pressure is 100% to blame for the small fish this year. East Fork has always gone through cycles and it's down right now. But if that's what ya wanna blame it on....Look in the mirror boys!

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Originally Posted by SpeckWick

It's so funny to see people complain about the pressure on East Fork and blame it on these internet forums when many of you, or maybe I should say US, are as much to blame for it as anybody. For years, every post from November through the time the lake froze read "EAST FORK IS ON FIRE" or "ANOTHER 100 FISH DAY", etc, etc. Then the cycle started again in the spring with the same posts. Now that you have figured out how to fish it, the same guys are griping about the pressure. Can't have it both ways fellas. I'm not saying the pressure is 100% to blame for the small fish this year. East Fork has always gone through cycles and it's down right now. But if that's what ya wanna blame it on....Look in the mirror boys!

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No complaints from pressure coming from my way. A facebook page dedicated to EF is a totally different animal. Thats all im getting at. If good fish are hard to come by at EF recently, it is news to me. Im not having problems. tons of little whites will grow up...........

Speckwick, where you been hiding? good to see you posting again after 3 years.

Y-SLABS

Been longer than that I think. I got tired of seeing the same posts over and over to be honest. Doesn't seem to have changed much. Still only 1 lake in Ohio.

I hurt my shoulder in June and had surgery in October. Still rehabbing and can't do much till doc clears me (workman's comp crap). Couldn't tell ya how the bite is except what Jeepguy tells me. But there is already a forum dedicated to East Fork right here. You'd think it's the only lake in the state. How much more could a Facebook page hurt?

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Originally Posted by SpeckWick

I hurt my shoulder in June and had surgery in October. Still rehabbing and can't do much till doc clears me (workman's comp crap). Couldn't tell ya how the bite is except what Jeepguy tells me. But there is already a forum dedicated to East Fork right here. You'd think it's the only lake in the state. How much more could a Facebook page hurt?

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Definitely do what the doctors say, take your time and let it heal and do the rehab. My daughter had her shoulder operated on twice last year partly because she was trying to rush the rehab.
Once it warms a little if you need or want to get out before you're able to go on you own, let me know.

Those of us from what is left of the CJ thread on OGF, can speak to what can happen to a lake that gets too much publicity.
For those new to crappie.com, we were granted permission to put cover into CJ for 13 years. The original plan was to provide protection for the dwindling perch population, which was the Main Walleye forage at that time. The cover benefited the entire fishery even growing the shad base to where it is today. We had up to 50 fishermen for each drop, up to 2 drops a yr, helping with the projects....we dropped several thousand pieces of cover....and the fishery exploded.
About the 8th yr the State had the STUPID idea to publish the GPS coordinates of the cover we dropped that year....the whole cover program was to grow the lake so it was healthy, and so it didn't suffer the "bulldozed barren bowl" reservoirs, cycle of good and bad years....it was not meant for fishermen to poach off of.
So the State published the coordinates....soon, we had license plates in the Main Boat Ramp, from Surrounding States....lots full all the time...fishing boats everywhere...and this was just a 2500 acre lake.
Boats sat on the cover 24/7....We had fights over the cover....we had fistfights...we had people pulling guns...we had people running off handicapped and children in special areas set up for them....we had people lining up all around the Marina day and night....trash everywhere!
Soon, the cover was all pulled up (from people getting hung up, etc.)...fished completely out....pulled out on purpose, so others couldn't fish it...it was a nightmare.
We never put cover back in those areas, and never gave out coordinates again.
The reason we legally stopped 3 years ago was because the State tried to make us publish coordinates again....so we just quit the legal projects.
Greedy fishermen can ruin a lake quickly.

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Originally Posted by SpeckWick

I hurt my shoulder in June and had surgery in October. Still rehabbing and can't do much till doc clears me (workman's comp crap). Couldn't tell ya how the bite is except what Jeepguy tells me. But there is already a forum dedicated to East Fork right here. You'd think it's the only lake in the state. How much more could a Facebook page hurt?

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Its just two different animals i think. Lets face it, most ppl that joined the ohio c.com site dont even visit anymore. The facebook page you can join, and NEVER go back and visit but your phone gets a notification every time someone posts a report. Last i saw there was 120 something members already and growing. Just wait until someone posts a 100+ fish day on a saturday and the notification dings on 120 phones. Lets just say id hate to be there sunday morning..... lol so yeah thats a YUGE difference. With that said, i hate to see it, but its no sweat off my back because as you say "there are more lakes in Ohio". Its nice having the rotation of lakes and river tribs to fish. Normally in the fall i fish 4-5 days a week and never the same lake or creek. Its gonna hurt those that only fish EF most. With that said, let me know when your shoulder gets better and you can get out with me and John Sometime. Me n crappiemax had some fun days last year away from east fork.... you should come join. These places arent to far away. 👍

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Originally Posted by INTIMIDATOR

Those of us from what is left of the CJ thread on OGF, can speak to what can happen to a lake that gets too much publicity.
For those new to crappie.com, we were granted permission to put cover into CJ for 13 years. The original plan was to provide protection for the dwindling perch population, which was the Main Walleye forage at that time. The cover benefited the entire fishery even growing the shad base to where it is today. We had up to 50 fishermen for each drop, up to 2 drops a yr, helping with the projects....we dropped several thousand pieces of cover....and the fishery exploded.
About the 8th yr the State had the STUPID idea to publish the GPS coordinates of the cover we dropped that year....the whole cover program was to grow the lake so it was healthy, and so it didn't suffer the "bulldozed barren bowl" reservoirs, cycle of good and bad years....it was not meant for fishermen to poach off of.
So the State published the coordinates....soon, we had license plates in the Main Boat Ramp, from Surrounding States....lots full all the time...fishing boats everywhere...and this was just a 2500 acre lake.
Boats sat on the cover 24/7....We had fights over the cover....we had fistfights...we had people pulling guns...we had people running off handicapped and children in special areas set up for them....we had people lining up all around the Marina day and night....trash everywhere!
Soon, the cover was all pulled up (from people getting hung up, etc.)...fished completely out....pulled out on purpose, so others couldn't fish it...it was a nightmare.
We never put cover back in those areas, and never gave out coordinates again.
The reason we legally stopped 3 years ago was because the State tried to make us publish coordinates again....so we just quit the legal projects.
Greedy fishermen can ruin a lake quickly.

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Wow! Thats crazy!

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I have decided that the problems at eastfork have nothing to do with:
Internet pressure
Fish kills
Tournament mortality
Greedy anglers
Poachers

I believe that is a result of silting in of spawning areas and a loss of good cover in the right spots

That may very well be possible. But, if the spawning areas are lacking, why are the spawns so good (evidenced by the 50 billion 6'' fish)? Personally, I think there are too many fish in the lake. Years ago, I remember shad so thick you could walk across the lake. I haven't seen that it many years...granted I don't get out as much as I did. It takes a lot of baitfish to sustain the amount of fish in that lake. The hybrids alone have taken a toll on the shad population, which can't help the crappie size if their main food source is diminished.

Look at KY lake for example. On a good day down there you'll catch 1/10th the number of fish that you would at EF...but they are all huge. More water and less competition over food allows the fish to grow bigger.

I'd like to see them remove the size limit and let these guys keep as many of the small fish as they want. Once the lake gets back in balance put the size/creel limits back into practice. Something isn't right when you can fish off the bank and catch 40 6'' fish off the same stump. I've still seem my share of big fish come out of EF, but nothing like 10-20 years ago.

I would tend to agree that the problem is too many crappie. Seems like spawns are healthy. I think the bigger lakes (and river) just seem to be better for supporting large crappie. Probably something to do with abundance of bait fish. Smaller lakes (and EF is not that big compared to KY Lake) just seem to get out of balance easier. But what do I know :)

I'm hoping they get bigger again at EF. And it was only a few years ago I was catching decent size crappie there. Not giants but plenty of keepers.

I always thought the size limit would help? Maybe its going the wrong way? Thoughts?