has anyone been to swepco?
just checking to see what to expect...we've got deer season the next two weeks, and then thanksgiving...then a duck hunt up at truman.
but mid december i plan to come down and give swepco a go.
thanks
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has anyone been to swepco?
just checking to see what to expect...we've got deer season the next two weeks, and then thanksgiving...then a duck hunt up at truman.
but mid december i plan to come down and give swepco a go.
thanks
"Swepco???" Lived here all my life and never heard of it.
So what's (where's) Swepco?
aj
I guide on SWEPCO in the winter. The only species I seem to catch a ton of are Florida Strain Bass, Bluegill and catfish. If there are any crappie in the lake they are few and far between and hard to catch! But it is not uncommon to catch 50 Plus bass a day.
I prefer to use live bass minnows under a cork with 8' ultra light float and fly rods. It is a blast!
Swepco is in NW ARQuote:
Originally Posted by Arkie John
I might give the cats a shot there this December, rumor has it they bite well then.
Isn't there a warm water discharge into that lake? Seems like it would be some good fishin' in the coldest months...
That lake used to have some great bass fishing about 4 years ago. It has gone down hill ever since. The was a strict catch and release rule there for several years, and it went for a year too long. There was a major fish dieoff and the ones left had severaly stunted growth. During the coldest days of the year, you could go to the discharge and catch atleast 100 bass a day, and you would usually catch at least 5 of those over 5 pounds each. But now, it is hard to catch more than 15 fish in a day and very few are over 2 lbs. The fishing will pick back up, but it will take several more years for the bass fishing to get good in there again. And, as far a crappie, they are very few and far between.
This lake must be a power generating lake with a cooling canal. What town is closest to it?
cricket george
It is in Gentry off of Cripps road.Quote:
Originally Posted by cricket george
Jt- Thank you for the info. I doubt I will ever get over that way to fish it. I was just curious as to the location.
cricket george
try this
ESPN - SWEPCO Lake, Ark.
WOW!!! This sounds like a fun lake to fish during the winter! Thanks for directing me to the website.
cricket george
on an over cast night in the winter the water is so warm you can fish it in just a fleece jacket, you only have to be a lil tuff!Quote:
Originally Posted by cricket george
What about fog during the night during winter? That could get spooky.
CG
It does get foggy! On cold days and nights it will freeze to everything, including you!Quote:
Originally Posted by cricket george
I talked to a friend of mine from Grove,Ok today and he indicated the bass numbers in the lake have not come back yet. Your thoughts please.
cricket
[QUOTE=cricket george;620862]I talked to a friend of mine from Grove,Ok today and he indicated the bass numbers in the lake have not come back yet. Your thoughts please.
cricket[/QUOTE
I did 12 trips there last winter and we did not catch any less than 20 bass each time out. The biggest last winter was 6 1/2 pounds. Size is not quite there but numbers are. The fish do look better to, they are all not so thin anymore!
The numbers are still well short of what they were about 4 years ago. Then, it was nothing to go out for 1/2 day and catch 75-100 fish on artificials. Now, to catch more than 15 fish a day, you nearly have to use live bait. That being said, it is still your best option for a Jan-Feb day or night of bass fishing. But it is still far from the bass factory it used to be. I hope in a couple more years it will be better than it is right now.
It still sounds like a fun trip even if the fish numbers are down. They will build back in time as long as the water remains warm and the shad are building back as well. I will probably give this a shot in Feb or late January.
cricket george