Lower lake was a little busy today!Attachment 331035Attachment 331036Attachment 331037Attachment 331038
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Lower lake was a little busy today!Attachment 331035Attachment 331036Attachment 331037Attachment 331038
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Looks like it has slowed down some....
I heard it was crazy down there the last few days!!
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Been like that for several months now.
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Yep! We opted for the upper lake!
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Maybe it needs more publicity...
Nothing wrong with the publicity, it's been this way and pretty easy to figure out. 472 trucks and trailers in the parking lots tells the story.
How many years can this fishery take this much pressure?
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The lower lake can forever, it is restocked from the main lake from year to year, some year's more than others. I wish all of the Big Four had a lower lake,gives anglers a chance to catch these fish before heading to the mighty Mississippi!Quote:
Originally Posted by bgctrading
The lower lake pretty much gets fished out every spring, no sooner then they come thru the gates pretty much. In my opinion the 450 acre lower lake could hold a good population of crappie year round, it would require extending the 12" length limit and possibly even a horsepower restriction on motors. It's a nice little place for guys with smaller boats, kayaks etc. Be a good place for campers year round to fish and bank fishermen at certain times, good place to duck out of the wind on those days you don't wanna be on the big lake. Hard to catch a decent fish there during the summer and fall after the word gets out in the winter / early spring. Like Rees said though it's restocked pretty much every year, just not for very long and I'm one that thinks it takes some doing to catch every decent crappie in a lake, but it seems to happen there year after year.Quote:
Originally Posted by bgctrading
Good lord!!!!
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Heavens, and all this time I thought it was supposed to be a secret fishing place. Gosh dog it.
I know it’s been on fire but I watched for about an hour today and saw 2 fish caught. Though I’m sure many were probably caught. That many hooks out you get one accidentally every now and again. [emoji23]
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Well I’m just going to go ahead and post my real thoughts on this matter! Times has changed and the internet is here to stay! I can remember camping at grenada as kid in the 70’s and the boat ramps being full and folks parking in the grass. They might not have had quite as many boats back then but most of the boats were leaving there with 100-150 fish every
Spring. 50 fish limit and no boat limit and no 12 inch length limit. It’s going to take a lot of extra boats with a 15 fish limit 40 boat limit and 12 inch length limit to make up for the difference. I remember some people even neighbors around Tupelo back then coming back from a weekend of fishing in the spring coming home with 3-4 coolers full of crappie and people coming by and getting fish all the time. One guy that my dads trucking company hauled furniture for had a place at grenada. He would bring coolers to his plant on Monday mornings and let his employees get what they wanted. Ask the people at the dam store at Sardis how they feel about the folks from other states spending money in the local community to benefit from. I have serious doubts they could stay open just from the local folks. It’s getting hard to even find minnows in most other places anymore. We don’t need to lose anymore places. With most people these days ordering most of there tackle on the internet it’s awful hard for most what you can call a real bait shop to stay open. Ask the guy that raises the minnows, the local restaurants and hotels how they feel. Just think of all the money from out of state fishing license we as MS fishermen benefit from. With out it it could mean not having the nice new docks or the real nice fish cleaning stations like the one at Engineers point or even the clean heated bathrooms that stay open Year round and the new concrete fishing piers below each dam for the handicapped and folks that can’t afford a boat. As far as the lower lake. Why do you think there’s no length limit down there. Just go down river to the deep holes and follow every pig trail to water you can find and see how many of them upper lake fish are caught on there trip to Mississippi. My late uncle grew up down that way and up till a few years ago still went down stream and fished the banks every year during heavy water releases. I sure hope when I go to TN and AL fishing none of the local folks hold a grudge. A lot of people on here have good friends from other states that come down every year and I never hear a complaint about it. These are federal lakes paid for with federal tax money from the whole United States. I’ve lived in MS my whole life and am now 50 years old and have been a avid fisherman since I was old enough to hold a pole. Not everyone can fish all the time or live long enough to retire. If I can help the ones that don’t get to fish as much or catch their crappie of a lifetime from me posting a report Then I’ll just have to be frowned upon. Man I love this site and all the friends I’ve made. But there is a reason the views are down and I hope we can get it back to where it use to be. Until one of these local folks that complains about these outsiders shows me a Deed to these lakes I’m not likely going to change my mind. I’ve always respected Rees (John) because I don’t think he has ever meet a stranger and helps anyone know matter if they are from MS or not. This is only
My opinion which usually don’t mean much. Good fishing to all. Because some people don’t get to enjoy it as long as others.
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Well said Ken, well said my friend!
X2Quote:
Originally Posted by Rees Guide
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Good post crappiemaniac.
The lower lake will not get fished out that’s crazy to think that.all year long if you know we’re to go you can catch crappie on lower or upper at Sardis been doing it all my life.
The out town people help the area and I’m sure the locals truly appreciate the business
I’m a contractor and fish a lot during the week in summer and I’ve stopped by the Dam Store and the lady that’s been there forever has told me when locals go home her business is terrible.
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Same thing every year. Got folks on my FB posting limits. Can't catch a fish April thru February. They'll be gone soon. Happens on every lake.
How deep is this lake. Does the flow of the spillway change the level?
Yes it changes every time they change the flow up or down.Quote:
Originally Posted by hotrod1
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Ok thanks
I remember fishing Sardis Lower Lake about 20 years ago and there was a ton of boats in the cove across from the boat ramp. You could walk across the boats as everyone was casting double jigs. Spider rigging wasn't even a thing back then. I've even seen people single pole jig fish the white buoy markers on the sand beaches. The lower lake can be a secret fishing hole but when word gets out that someone caught a cooler full then everyone will be there. Been like that for years and years.
Is there a place around that lake you can slide a Jon boat in there. Without using the ramp.
Very well said!Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappiemaniac
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If you leave the outlet and take the lower road along the bottom of the dam north. After you pass the camp grounds there is a gravel road on the left that leads you around the back side of the lake. There should be places around there for a jon boat. If you go to the dead end there is a ramp that puts you straight into the river below the lower lake rock weir you will see the bouys strung across the river where the weir is. With high water you want be able too actually see the rocks crossing the river. The current in the river section can get prey strong during high water releases.Quote:
Originally Posted by hotrod1
Ken your thoughts IMO are spot on. Thanks for the post.
Ok thanks will give it a look.
Check your PMs.Quote:
Originally Posted by hotrod1
Went Wednesday, maybe 4 boats, overcast and almost too windy for the sand bar. I'm a bank fisherman now since the heart surgery. Slip floating single jigs with a minnow occasionally. Spillway was barely spitting after the Big rain day and night before, so the lower lake was way down. Caught a few dinks off the sand bar and then moved up to the rocks, on the south side. Caught zero there, but I watched an occasional slab coming up for the guys on the other side fishing the back eddy. So, back up the stairs I went and zipped over to the north side where I caught a few slabbish fish about 7 to 10 feet deep, casting right out to the middle and twitching back into the eddy. Didn't seem to matter what color jig and I didn't even bother tipping with a minnow. They started to get pretty hot but I had to leave about 3.
My dang slip knot kept shredding my standing line, and was a hassle, thinking if going to the rubber ovals but I've never tried them.....
It's only gonna get better right into next month and the wading season upper Sardis should be a doozy this year if I can stay away from Enid....lol.
Fished Lower Lake off the bank today. Lower Lake itself had only 3 or 4 boats tops. Just a trickle coming out of the gates, no surprise, as the Upper Lake was as high as a giraffe's adams apple. I checked by Honda.....Wyatt's Crossing, the boat ramp at hwy 7 Veterans Bridge ramp and the Tallahatchie was up over the top of the boat ramps and it was positively ripping at 10 am. On down around to Engineers Point, well, the islands off the ramp were nearly completely under water.
Back to the Lower Lake .......we did catch a few Crappies, no Slabs, and I only saw one fish that was even close to 12". The fish that were caught were taken with long casts, fixed float, 8 to 10 feet deep on single and double rig jigs. Any combination with Chartreuse in it worked, mine were caught mostly on Root Beer/Chartreuse/Pink Head. From the gates to the end of the riprap water was stained, the mud line was very distinct just past the rocks and no fish were caught in that muddy water. The bite lasted until around 1 so I left. That wind made things pretty dynamic casting that far, plenty of crossed lines as there were between 5 to 10 folks working those rocks. Everyone was very civil and understanding when the cast got hijacked by the wind.
All this rain and its gonna be one heck of a run this year, can't wait for the jigging in the bushes to start.....it ought to be one of the best.
That's what I saw and thought anyway today.
Sardis Spillway today was steady. Better fish were at 10' on pink/chartreuse.
Mergansers were stealing them right out from underneath our floats. Saw one really big female crappie full of eggs, she must have been a little confused.
Very well said.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappiemaniac
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Fished Sardis spillway today. 4 shorts.
Prior to this cold snap we were catching them strong in the middle 10' deep on jigs. 3 nights in the teens and they have gone into a coma. However, I'll try them again tomorrow since its only gonna be 29° tonight.
*note: only 7 boats on the lower lake today, not much reported at the ramp.
This is nuts!
Amen. If I knew you I'd buy you a beer or 12.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappiemaniac