2day trip to Green ...

Oddly enough, the Crappie have not spawned (yet) at Green. For that matter, I caught a White Bass female still with eggs ... (& a good distance from the river) :dono

Even with water temps reaching 65deg in many places we fished, the males were not really concentrated close to the bank, and the females were well away from the banks & 10-15ft deep in the trees/brush.

Now, mind you, we don't use minners ... relying on jigs & Road Runners 99.9% of the time. This trip was no different, and we could barely scrounge up 8 keepers on Monday plus the White Bass (few casting & a few Pushing), then motor trouble kept us close to Holmes Bend Marina on Tues (oil tank sensor failure) and we ended up with 6 keepers (& a nice Catfish).

Onready (Paul) & I had a good time, all the same !! Shout out to slabeye for my special order of Hot Rods, and to t.slabseeker for renting us the Getaway for our stay.

Tuesday's fish -

https://www.crappie.com/crappie/atta...427_124217-jpg

https://www.crappie.com/crappie/atta...427_124208-jpg

Thanks for the report Pappy. We are headed down there to Holmes Bend for the first time this weekend. We usually stay at GR marina or Emerald Isle. Kind of like going to a new lake and adventures. Looking forward to it [emoji476]


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CrappiePappy,
I had same issue on Sunday. I was spider rigging and some casting, thinking this Saturday might be better.

Going next Monday if we don't get a blow out rain, a week of warm weather should make them pop, but I been wrong before many times. We shell see.

We went down to Green last Thursday ,Friday and Saturday. It was so windy the first two days you could barely keep the boat straight. Saturday it rained all day. We probably only caught 15 or so keepers. But they were all quality fish in the 11 to 14 inch range. And yes they were full of eggs. The eggs were still solid and hadn`t got that mushy feel to them. We stayed at Emerald Isle condos and had a great time. It`s great to be able to get out with old friends again. I have been reading this forum daily for over a year and finally got signed up. I enjoy everyones post a great deal.

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Originally Posted by deacon jim

We went down to Green last Thursday ,Friday and Saturday. It was so windy the first two days you could barely keep the boat straight. Saturday it rained all day. We probably only caught 15 or so keepers. But they were all quality fish in the 11 to 14 inch range. And yes they were full of eggs. The eggs were still solid and hadn`t got that mushy feel to them. We stayed at Emerald Isle condos and had a great time. It`s great to be able to get out with old friends again. I have been reading this forum daily for over a year and finally got signed up. I enjoy everyones post a great deal.

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:welcome to Crappie.com .... glad you decided to join us !! :ThumbsUp

I take it that you fished in the area around Emerald Isle ?? That was our main area back a couple of decades ago, catching many fish around the island, off the beach at the state campground, and just about all of them were caught on Road Runners casting the banks. The KDFWR put out brushpiles many years ago in the area between Emerald Isle Marina & the island ... so, if you know, can you tell me if they're still there or have they deteriorated away ?? I ask because in the past several years we've spent most of our time/effort in the area of the lake between Butler Creek & Casey Creek, but there's always room for a quick trip down the lake to the island area if the cover is still present & potentially holding fish.

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Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

:welcome to Crappie.com .... glad you decided to join us !! :ThumbsUp

I take it that you fished in the area around Emerald Isle ?? That was our main area back a couple of decades ago, catching many fish around the island, off the beach at the state campground, and just about all of them were caught on Road Runners casting the banks. The KDFWR put out brushpiles many years ago in the area between Emerald Isle Marina & the island ... so, if you know, can you tell me if they're still there or have they deteriorated away ?? I ask because in the past several years we've spent most of our time/effort in the area of the lake between Butler Creek & Casey Creek, but there's always room for a quick trip down the lake to the island area if the cover is still present & potentially holding fish.

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We usually leave the marina and head over to that cut out and go left down the bank as far as that old roadbed that runs across to smiths ridge ramp . When we go to the right from the cut out we troll around that wall and usually fish down to that first cove to the right. We always pick up a few in that cove. I`m not sure about the original brush piles but there is a lot structure . Seems to be quite a number of down trees all along this course. Between the 3 of us we kept in practice of tying on jigs. We did go through the cut out Friday and fished those flats out from the state campground. Didn`t have much luck there like we had a couple years in the past.

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Originally Posted by deacon jim

We usually leave the marina and head over to that cut out and go left down the bank as far as that old roadbed that runs across to smiths ridge ramp . When we go to the right from the cut out we troll around that wall and usually fish down to that first cove to the right. We always pick up a few in that cove. I`m not sure about the original brush piles but there is a lot structure . Seems to be quite a number of down trees all along this course. Between the 3 of us we kept in practice of tying on jigs. We did go through the cut out Friday and fished those flats out from the state campground. Didn`t have much luck there like we had a couple years in the past.

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Yeah, back when we fished in that area we camped at the state park campground or otherwise used the ramp there. We'd run thru the gap and start casting the island bank from the gap down to the far end of the island. On one occasion, while camping at the park, I trolled out in front of the campground "beach" and on down the bank to where it starts turning, and started catching female White Crappie in the 12-14" range ... mostly along the shoreline of the campground, where a lot of people would beach their boats rather than launch/trailer them every day. My two buddies joined me the next day & we proceeded to cast Road Runners down that section of the bank, hitting pods of fish every so often. Amazingly, people were coming down to their boats & running off to parts unknown, all while we were bringing in Slabs one after another .... right close to their beached boats. :yikes We repeated that same performance the following day !! But, in subsequent trips after that one, we've never had the same results. We've not been to that area of the lake more than a handful of times since, mainly concentrating our efforts in the Holmes Bend area.

The two strangest catches I've had at Green were in the Goat Island area ... catching a 32.5" 10-12lb Tiger Muskie on the bank just inside the cut-thru gap (Road Runner - 4# test mono - UL el cheapo rod/reel) --- and a limit of keeper Walleye on the pea gravel bank at the mouth of the small creek to the left of the Stone Quarry Creek ( Road Runner - 4# test mono - UL rod/reel)
I had the Muskie mounted, but I wasn't much on taking pics of fish back when I caught the Walleyes, so they're just a memorable oddity of days gone by.

Attachment 399928

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Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

Yeah, back when we fished in that area we camped at the state park campground or otherwise used the ramp there. We'd run thru the gap and start casting the island bank from the gap down to the far end of the island. On one occasion, while camping at the park, I trolled out in front of the campground "beach" and on down the bank to where it starts turning, and started catching female White Crappie in the 12-14" range ... mostly along the shoreline of the campground, where a lot of people would beach their boats rather than launch/trailer them every day. My two buddies joined me the next day & we proceeded to cast Road Runners down that section of the bank, hitting pods of fish every so often. Amazingly, people were coming down to their boats & running off to parts unknown, all while we were bringing in Slabs one after another .... right close to their beached boats. :yikes We repeated that same performance the following day !! But, in subsequent trips after that one, we've never had the same results. We've not been to that area of the lake more than a handful of times since, mainly concentrating our efforts in the Holmes Bend area.

The two strangest catches I've had at Green were in the Goat Island area ... catching a 32.5" 10-12lb Tiger Muskie on the bank just inside the cut-thru gap (Road Runner - 4# test mono - UL el cheapo rod/reel) --- and a limit of keeper Walleye on the pea gravel bank at the mouth of the small creek to the left of the Stone Quarry Creek ( Road Runner - 4# test mono - UL rod/reel)
I had the Muskie mounted, but I wasn't much on taking pics of fish back when I caught the Walleyes, so they're just a memorable oddity of days gone by.

Attachment 399928

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That`s some good stuff. I can`t blame anyone for eating walleyes. An older gentleman was telling me he caught a 30 pound musky off the dock at Emerald Isle last week. He was fishing for them when we were down there. The crappie that people catch in those boat slips seem to vanish when a couple big musky moves up around the dock. Speaking of goat island, my fishing buddy was telling me back a few years when the goats were present he had took his two girls fishing. They pulled into the bank and his daughter was feeding a goat some snacks and it decided to come aboard. Well it wouldn`t leave. He finally had to pick it up and wrestle with it to get it off. His girls wouldn`t speak to him for an hour.:Rofl

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

Oddly enough, the Crappie have not spawned (yet) at Green. For that matter, I caught a White Bass female still with eggs ... (& a good distance from the river) :dono

Even with water temps reaching 65deg in many places we fished, the males were not really concentrated close to the bank, and the females were well away from the banks & 10-15ft deep in the trees/brush.

Now, mind you, we don't use minners ... relying on jigs & Road Runners 99.9% of the time. This trip was no different, and we could barely scrounge up 8 keepers on Monday plus the White Bass (few casting & a few Pushing), then motor trouble kept us close to Holmes Bend Marina on Tues (oil tank sensor failure) and we ended up with 6 keepers (& a nice Catfish).

Onready (Paul) & I had a good time, all the same !! Shout out to slabeye for my special order of Hot Rods, and to t.slabseeker for renting us the Getaway for our stay.

Tuesday's fish -

https://www.crappie.com/crappie/atta...427_124217-jpg

https://www.crappie.com/crappie/atta...427_124208-jpg

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I’m glad to hear someone else think the spawn hasn’t really happen at Green yet. I went down the week of 19th with my brother-in-law and we caught 155 keepers for 5 days but had to work hard for them. Mostly was scattered in 12-15 fow. I went back last Friday by myself and caught 10 keepers again in 12-15 fow. In 5 fow only short fish. I looked back at last year and it was mid May when things started heating up. I plan on going later this week a couple of days and see what happens. Every time out I enjoy the challenge and just feel blessed to be able to go.
Happy fishing to everyone.


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Originally Posted by Crappie Crazie

I’m glad to hear someone else think the spawn hasn’t really happen at Green yet. I went down the week of 19th with my brother-in-law and we caught 155 keepers for 5 days but had to work hard for them. Mostly was scattered in 12-15 fow. I went back last Friday by myself and caught 10 keepers again in 12-15 fow. In 5 fow only short fish. I looked back at last year and it was mid May when things started heating up. I plan on going later this week a couple of days and see what happens. Every time out I enjoy the challenge and just feel blessed to be able to go.
Happy fishing to everyone.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

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I tend to believe that the rain & cool weather this week will keep them from running gangbusters to the bank. The only "short water" fish I know of being caught are up in Casey Creek. Every fish we caught and saw being caught were on the flats and scattered, or on downed trees & schooled up ... waiting. Most everyone we saw fishing right against the bank were catching small males, but even those were really scattered out, even on good spawning banks.
Weather forecasts are predicting a warmer than normal second half of May, so if conditions don't get stable in the next week or so, then it's gonna be Katy Bar the Door when half the population of fish species all come crashing in to the banks to spawn. :yikes

My biggest fear is the water gets too hot for them & they (most of them) just give up and don't even try. There is a New Moon due on the 11th, so hopefully things get right by then.