04/04/16 Fishing Report

Lake: Beaver
Location: Highway 12
Time: 3:00PM-8:00PM 
Air temp: 65 degrees
Water temp: 58 degrees
Clarity: Stained
Visibility: 12"
Wind: NE 10-15
Sky:  sunny
Winning tactic: Casting 1/8th oz white grubs on the hump in 4 FOW
Catch: 1 largemouth, 1 smallmouth, 1 walleye, 4 stripers, 3 hybrids, 4 whites

We started out trolling flicker shads in 18 FOW. We weren't really marking anything in the cove so we went out to the gravel bar between the island and the ramp. We picked up a fish on each pass on the north side of the bar. We went to the brush pile by the bluff to get out of the wind a bit. Caught a few on the white grub casting at the shore. As the sun set, there was some surfacing by the buoys. We sat on the south side of the bar and cast up in the shallow. We would let it hit bottom, reel a few turns, repeat. Jon caught about 80% of the fish because I was caught up in using what worked last time instead of finding out what the fish wanted and giving it to them. When we got back to the house, one of the fish had coughed up a shad that looked like the grub he was using. I think the wind was blowing the bait towards the bar and as the sun was setting the fish started chasing bait up on the bar. I think we might have been a little more productive if we had tried a little george since the water was so stained, that way the fish could feel as well as see the bait.

Wind is blue, casting is red.

Trolling route.

03/29/16 Fishing Report

Lake: Beaver
Location: Highway 12
Time: 3:00PM-6:00PM 
Air temp: 55 degrees
Water temp: 55 degrees
Clarity: Stained
Visibility: 12"
Wind: S 10-15
Sky:  sunny
Winning tactic: Casting 1/8th oz swim jigs from 5-25 FOW.
Catch: 2 crappie, 2 largemouth, 1 bluegill

The water is warming up and clearing up. There were quite a few bait balls, but no schools of fish. There were a few fish on brush piles, but none biting. A friend on another boat caught a 27lb striper on a trotline with brooder minnows from a treetop in 20 FOW to the shore. I think we need to try trolling next time to find where the fish are hanging out.

03/26/16 Fishing Report

Lake: Beaver
Location: Highway 12
Time: 9:00AM-2:00PM 
Air temp: 45-60 degrees
Water temp: 52 degrees
Clarity: Muddy
Visibility: 6"
Wind: S 5-10
Sky:  sunny
Winning tactic: Jigging 1/16th oz  tube jigs on brush in 20 FOW.
Catch: 3 crappie, 2 spots - all short

03/16/16 Fishing Report

Lake: Beaver
Location: Highway 12
Time: 1:00PM-5:00PM 
Air temp: 60 degrees
Water temp: 53 degrees
Clarity: Muddy
Visibility: 6"
Wind: N 5-10
Sky: partly cloudy
Winning tactic: Jigging 1/16th oz  bobby garland on brush in 20 FOW.
Catch: 6 crappie

Got out for the first time this year. Tried drifting open water for a bit but the water was too muddy. Found some brush piles on the side scan with some crappie and caught a few. 

04/21/15 Fishing Report

Lake: Beaver
Location: Highway 12
Time: 4:00PM-7:00PM
Air temp: 60 degrees
Water temp: 61 degrees
Clarity: Clear
Visibility: 5'
Wind: W 5-20
Sky: partly cloudy
Winning tactic: Jigging 1/16th oz  swimming minnow on brush in 20 FOW.
Catch: 28 crappie, 1 bluegill, 1 striper

We picked up right where we left off last Tuesday. We came back to the lay down tree on the roadbed. We would cast out, count to ten, and slow roll light colored jigs on 4lb line bumping the top of the limbs. During a lull, we went over to a point to check out some surface action and picked up a 19" striper on an ultralight rig. They seemed to bite more when the sun was out between the clouds. Hopefully the rain and tournaments don't mess up the bite.

04/11/15 Fishing Report

Lake: Beaver
Location: Highway 12
Time: 7:00AM-3:00PM
Air temp: 60 degrees
Water temp: 55 degrees
Clarity: Clear
Visibility: 5'
Wind: SW 10
Sky: overcast
Winning tactic: Trolling Flickershad in 17' of water.
Catch: 25 crappie, 25 whites, 3 bass, 2 bluegill, 1 walleye

We finally got a big boat with all the right stuff. We had 7 rods going at one time covering about 100' wide and 5'-15' deep. The planer boards doubled the amount of lines we could have out and also kept them from getting tangled. There was an area about 200x200 yards in about 35' of water that had bait from 15' to the bottom. We drifted brooder minnows for a while trying to pick up a striper, but no luck. We started trolling flicker shad behind planerboards and pick one up about every 15 min. At one time we had three on at the same time. Daniel caught two on the same crankbait. We were trolling slow enough that you could still cast a little off the front. Daniel picked up a couple white bass on the bank so we started casting for a bit and picked up a dozen or so before they had to leave. Needless to say it was a great day.

 



Story - First Fish of 2014

There was a warmer day just after new years so Daniel and I decided to go out on the lake and get some fresh air. We were motoring around trying to find some fish when we came across a huge school of what I thought was crappie. We fished for a while and Daniel finally hooked into one. It wasn't crappie, but a big school of shad heading up the creek channel. We motored around a little more, practiced starting a fire with a ferro rod, and called it a day. 

 

 

Story - Spring 2012 Crappie



This was the first year we actually caught crappie at Beaver Lake. It lasted about two weeks before the flood came. If the fish are biting you had better go, because it wont last long.

 

 

06/10/14 Fishing Report

Lake: Beaver
Location: Highway 12
Time: 5:00PM-9:00PM
Air temp: 60 degrees
Water temp: 76 degrees
Clarity: Clear
Visibility: 5'
Wind: NW 15
Sky: overcast
Winning tactic: Jigging brushpiles in 25' of water.
Catch: 7 crappie, 4 whites, 2 bluegill

We started out trolling and picked up a few here and there. We couldn't get anything consistent. The deep brushpiles were holding a few fish so we threw out the markers, anchored up, and jigged them. The shad colored jigs weren't doing very well, I guess because the wind and clouds, so we switched to yellow and green on a 1/8oz jighead and started reeling in the crappie. I guess we need to check the brushpiles more, because it was a lot more productive than trolling tonight.

We should have gotten ice before we went. Robert thought it would jinx us.

This roadbed had fish on it the first time we went over it, but they had moved the second time around.



Finally found a brush pile I had heard about for the last 10 years.

This was crossing over the roadbed at an angle.

This was going down the road bed, you can see where the old creek channel was on the side.

This was the main brushpile we caught the crappie from.

We trolled about 5 miles with 4 lines out at 10' deep in 4 hours. That is about the equivalent of 2,400 individual 50' casts of which the bait is only at the right depth for about 60% of the time which would take about 40 hours to complete at 1 minute each.

05/1714-06/07/14 Fishing Report

Lake: Beaver
Location: Highway 12 - Monte Ne
Time: Misc
Air temp: 60-80 degrees
Water temp: 68-80 degrees
Clarity: Clear.
Visibility: 3'-5'
Wind: NSEW 0-30
Sky: Clear-Rain
Winning tactic: Trolling crankbaits 10' deep in 15'-30' of water.
Catch: walleye, crappie, whites, catfish, carp, gar

 This is just going to be a mass update for the last month. Highway 12 has been pretty steady in producing fish. Monte Ne and Horseshoe bend have seemed to dry up. Night fishing under lights is not happening this year. We have caught no shad or fish in the 4 trips we have taken. Bowfishing has been good, but only on windless nights near the main channel. Trotlines on dead shad have been good in 1'-5' of water. Trolling flicker shad and 1/16oz jigs seem to be the most consistent.

We saw a pelican at horseshoe bend. He must have been lost.

Roberts first fish with a bow.

My first fish with a bow.

Trotline while we bowfished.

Robert and Brent hit the same fish.

Flathead from the trotline.

Test run of the LED rope lights for bowfishing.

Raised platform and bow holder really help out.

First fish on a homemade jig.

All the whites recently have been tiny.

Caught a few baby walleyes and this keeper on a flicker shad in about 15 FOW.

Enough for lunch the next day.

Walleye vs Crappie fillet.

Billy's state record crappie.

First fish on a homemade bucktail.