Kayak Trip Report, Duck River Reservoir

I took off work today to do a little fishing and decided to drive down to Cullman and give Duck River a try (hoping to find somewhere out of the wind). I couldn't get an eight pound anchor to hold a 12 foot kayak, crazy bad wind. The good news is after about 30 minutes I got on a pattern of catching scattered Crappie and gills about 6 to 8 foot deep in 10 to 12 feet of water. All fish came off a spinner with a 1/32oz Chartreuse Marabou jig fished very slow. I kept a limit of Crappie and gills and returned many, many more. The water was 62 degrees at daylight and had warmed to 65 by 3PM, visibility of about 2 feet.

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Nice job! I had mentioned earlier tonight to my brother about wanting to try Duck sometime soon after reading some reports on here and now you post another good report from Duck. Definitely going soon. Good job especially fighting the wind.

They'll be back up shallow after the weekend, half had spawned out and had beat up fins, others look like there're ready to drop with swollen, red veins. Looks like there may be two year classes in the lake, many small 6 to 7 inch Crappie but 2/3 are 9 1/2 to 10 1/2 inches. You can't kept the rat bass off your hook. I must have toss back 50 that were 10 to 12 inches. The surprise was the nice gills. Not huge, 8 inches, maybe a little better but lots of them. Most new lakes are really good the first 5 or 6 years with a fish next to every stick. Then they slide off and balance out. My guess is this will be the place to fish the next few years for numbers.

How many little green sunfish did you catch? My only trip down there I caught lots of them.

What would you estimate the weight of those crappie to be? We caught a lot of them that were keeper size and I wish I had weighed some just to see but they are very thin. It wouldn't surprise me if the keepers that we caught averaged 4-6 ounces each. I didn't realize how small they were until I cleaned them.

I caught about half and half Bluegill/Redbreast and probable over a 100.

The Crappie are small, but I wouldn't say they're malnourished. I prefer to keep Crappie around 10 inches and they're usually about a half pound, maybe a little less. I throw back Crappie over 12 inches unless the freezer is empty. I'm addicted to the little crispy fillets! :biggrin

Those little 10 inchers are sure easier to clean. I grill and bake mine so I like them a little larger. If I go back over there I'm going to weigh several and see what they average. I may be very wrong but I don't think a 10" fish from the DRR will weigh 1/2 pound.

I agree on the post spawn fish, but the ones that hadn't spawned we heavier and generally had thicker fillets also. I read they are stocking threadfin shad in the lake. I'm not sure how they will sustain a population since they die in water temperatures below 42 degrees, but they stay smaller than gizzard shad and spawn multiple times through the summer. If they can survive the winter or they restock them each spring it should create an incredible forage base for the lake especially the Crappie.

Crappie length to weight chart.

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Boy Howdy

They taste good too!!

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Good job DB


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Good job ditch!! You always seem to figure them out. Looks like a fun trip!

I was gonna go yesterday after I got off work at 2 but it was just to windy for me. Glad you got on them. Where did you put in?


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I put in at the boat ramp on the west side off County Road 1651. Since the wind was from the North West I'd hoped the terrain and trees would help shelter me. It didn't help much, but the fish were cooperative.

Way to go! now you done made me hungry

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Originally Posted by Ditch Basser

They taste good too!!

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Dog gone that looks good. I'm sitting here eating baked brussel sprouts, onions and mushrooms and I have to look at a picture of fried crappie! LOL

Did you catch the shrimp there too? :)

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Originally Posted by FurFlyin

Dog gone that looks good. I'm sitting here eating baked brussel sprouts, onions and mushrooms and I have to look at a picture of fried crappie! LOL

Did you catch the shrimp there too? :)

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you on one of them fad diets?

Coach I'm on 3 diets, I couldn't get a nuff to eat on one

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Originally Posted by lowe175

Coach I'm on 3 diets, I couldn't get a nuff to eat on one

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Fur must be trying to get in one of those kayaks!:Rofl

I’m on one of those get not fat diets.

If u ever see me in a kayak something bad is either about to happen or has happened

Yeah. Me too. No beans,bread, rice,crackers, dah day data,all the meat avacados bacon butter mayonnaise peanut butter etc. 8 weeks 15 #,,,at least 20 to go, fish of course since I can't catch any! Bought noodle bait this am!

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Originally Posted by chuckster

Yeah. Me too. No beans,bread, rice,crackers, dah day data,all the meat avacados bacon butter mayonnaise peanut butter etc. 8 weeks 15 #,,,at least 20 to go, fish of course since I can't catch any! Bought noodle bait this am!

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Im doing Keto and that sounds like what you’re doing too. I’m down 15 pounds since spring camp. Weight loss has sure slowed down but my energy level is through the roof

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Originally Posted by FurFlyin

I’m on one of those get not fat diets.

If u ever see me in a kayak something bad is either about to happen or has happened

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well Mitch has gone over to the dark side and started bass fishing so stranger things have happened

I'd say I'm large at 5'10" and 240 so I just bought a large kayak, LOL!

I’m 6’’’3and around 245 and have a small kayak so it can be done. Lol


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6ft 3 inches that is. Not quiet 63 yet. Lol


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Originally Posted by Ditch Basser

I put in at the boat ramp on the west side off County Road 1651. Since the wind was from the North West I'd hoped the terrain and trees would help shelter me. It didn't help much, but the fish were cooperative.

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Next time you go back you may want to try going up the river that feeds it. Not sure what the rules are as far as parking goes there nor how difficult it may be to get yak down the water but the bridge that crosses it on the very north end is about where it transitions from river to lake and about as far as most boaters will go.

Went noodle fishing in Mitchell this am. Caught 8 blues. Weird tho they started biting at 8 am. Normally that's when they quit.so at least we have some fish! May go again tomorrow.

I wanted to fish the river section at DRR, but it had rained the day before. I can't wait till summer when the water gets lower and it will be all mine!!

Went again this am. 11 blues by 9 am. Can't catch crappie but it puts me on the water so dernnit I am tired. Fishing seems to be an exercise on what can I forget next!

You need to float some jugs in Lilly Pond on the North side of Wheeler near Priceville.

Google Maps: 34.548887, -86.820533

I've caught anywhere from 25 to 45 in a couple hours floating 2 dozen jugs about 24 inches deep. There are all Channel Cat with many in the 8 to 10 pound range.