4/8/2008

Water Temperature = 55 and rising!
Water Clarity = You can cut it with a knife muddy.
Water Level = 6 inches over normal pool.
Last Rain = 4/4/2008

HOOOOeeeeeeee! The fishing is picking up. I’m getting reports of monster crappie and the bass fishing continues to be hotter than the blazing fires of hell or the power plant appropriately located on the dam road! Read on my good friend, read on!

Jim writes…
Had many senior moments before getting to the lake. Forgot batteries for the boat lights, and the camera. Forgot that the tire on the trailer was soft and forgot the gas can for gas for the boat. Yikes.Mike saved us on gas for the boat. Thanks Mike! Dick stopped on the way down and got a new tire and rim for the one I wrecked. Thanks Dick! And we lived without the lights and the camera.Maybe I will do something about my list before this weekend and things will be smoother.Dick broke the crappie ice with a nice one Saturday am, and Saturday evening his 14" fish was captured by Mike with his cell phone camera. I sure wish we had a photo of the small one. Dick had to hand it to me as I was convinced one that small was a little gill.Two bonus bass were caught and both were in the slot and Dick got a very nice LOE gill and a 15" male crappie! Not a single fish from weed cover and not a single fish from deep brush. All were on tubes, various colors, but all bright colors about 7" down over 11 to 13' of water in brush/timber.At least the weather was wonderful, warm and sunny. Dick brought some really excellent cheese down and all in all a better weekend that we have been having. In fact the trolling motor battery was still running fine when we pulled out. A clear sign the winds were down from past weekends. Water still up and muddy, it went down about a foot while we were there. Glad I had an ice fisherman along. He showed me how to shovel a hole in the mud so we could get our lures down. Visibility was about .0003"

Jim is the water that clear?! Hey and you failed to report you caught 10 crappie total with one crappie only 3 inches in length and the rest from 11 inches to 15 inches. All black crappie. There’s something to be said about that and I will write about it later. Thanks Jim for the report and Dick’s picture is on the front page of the UBetcha website.

Steve of the Saluki Bass Club writes…
Hey Mike, went out to LOE tonight didn’t really do that great. Caught one 3 pounder on the third cast then didnt do worth a damn till about 6:30 PM. I caught 4 or 5 in about 30 minutes throwing a silver buzzbait over the weed beds. None of the ones caught on buzzbaits were over 3 lbs, but it was still pretty fun.--Steve

Steve, that’s a whole bunch better than a kick-in-the –ss! Steve you’ve been spoiled by the great LOE fishing and that’s a statement in it’s self! Good job and thanks!

Now we have a new fisherman reporting! Everyone welcome Billy and he writes …
Hey there man! I always read your report before I head down. My name is Billy from Bluford Illinois, 10 m east of Mount Vernon. I fish down there real regular. Let me tell you Saturday April 5 evening was hot!!! The bass were on the banks and bangin! I caught one 6 pounder, one 7 pounder and about eight, 2.5 - 3lb all on a spring craw one minus. The air temps were 65 and water 56.5. I caught all my fish on the south end of the lake any place you could find water trickeling in off the hills from creeks or draws. Tails tattered and all. Sent a pic of one of the good boys! Good fishin to ya and keep the reports comin!

Great job Billy and you get the hooo, hooooooo award for the weekend! And thanks!

Fish On!

Mike O.
UBetcha Outdoors