Blue cats and a few channel cats were widely scattered in a variety of depths in the lower main lake and in the creeks and were hitting live minnows. Crappie in a mix of sizes were still scattered in the channels and on flats of the major creeks and in some of the spawning areas. Crappie were also in some of the staging areas near creek mouths and on wood cover and channel edges in the main lake. Crappie were hitting live minnows, Kalin crappie scrubs, tubes, swim baits, and Wright Bait Co. and Southern Pro curlytail grubs. Bass and pickerel were in the major creeks and around creek mouths and were hitting flyrod bugs, topwaters, crankbaits and jerkbaits, frequently very close to shoreline vegetation.

Fishing with Capt. Conway, Ted Antol had 15 crappie, 1 yellow perch, 2 fliers, 6 bluegill, 1 blue cat, 1 pickerel, and 2 bass. Jeff, Jason, and Cameron Buck had 10 crappie, 13 bluegill, 1 shellcracker, 1 flier, 1 blue cat, and 3 pickerel. Capt. Bill Buck and Hollis Pruitt had 20 crappie, 1 white perch, 1 yellow perch, 19 bluegill, 2 shellcrackers, 1 flier, 1 shiner, 1 blue cat, 1 pickerel, and 1 bass.

Blue cats and a few channel cats were widely scattered in a variety of depths in the lower main lake and in the creeks and were hitting live minnows. Crappie in a mix of sizes were still scattered in the channels and on flats of the major creeks and in some of the spawning areas. Crappie were also in some of the staging areas near creek mouths and on wood cover in the main lake. Crappie were hitting live minnows, Kalin crappie scrubs, tubes, and Wright Bait Co. and Southern Pro curlytail grubs. A moderate number of bass and pickerel were in the major creeks and around creek mouths and were hitting crankbaits and jerkbaits, frequently very close to shoreline vegetation. Fishing with Capt. Conway, Ted Antol had 14 crappie, 1 yellow perch, 1 flier, 1 pickerel, and 1 bass. Tom Porter and Hollis Pruitt had 16 crappie, 1 bluegill, 1 flier, 2 white perch, 1 yellow perch, 1 channel cat, 1 pickerel, and 1 bass. Robin Preece and Dave Diamantes had 24 crappie, 2 white perch, and 1 blue cat. Mickey Cleveland had 21 crappie, 1 white perch, and 2 pickerel.

Blue cats were widely scattered in a variety of depths in the lower main lake. A few small crappies were still in some of the staging areas outside some of the creeks. Crappies and blue cats in deeper locations were hitting live minnows and drop shot rigs with small Gulp baits. Medium to large crappies were accumulating on most days in the channels and deeper flats of the major creeks and were hitting live minnows, suspending jerk baits, and cast and trolled grubs. A few bass and a moderate number of pickerel were in the major creeks, but most bass were scattered on mid-depth and deep flats in the main lake and were sporadically hitting live minnows, blade baits, lipless crankbaits, and plastic worms. Fishing with Capt. Conway, Jimmy Marable and Norma Hall had 21 crappies. Steve Novak, Mitchell Novak, and Josh Leslie had 4 crappies, 1 yellow perch, 2 pickerel, and 1 bass. Capt. Bill Buck and Jack Trammell had 43 crappie, 1 citation yellow perch, 5 pickerel, and 1 blue cat.

A few blue cats were in a few of the deeper channels and deep winter holes in the lower main lake, but most of the crappies appear to have left those areas. A few crappies were found in the channels of the major creeks. Look for them to accumulate in the channels and backs of the creeks during the next week or two if water temperatures continue to rise. Most bass and pickerel were scattered on mid-depth and deep flats in the main lake and were hitting live minnows, blade baits, lipless crankbaits, and plastic worms. A few small to medium bass and an occasional small yellow perch or pickerel were in the major creeks and were hitting live minnows and small suspending jerkbaits. Fishing with Capt. Conway, Malcolm Turnbull had 18 crappies, 1 white perch, and 5 blue cats.

Most fish appeared to have left the deeper channels and deep winter holes in the lower main lake, although a few fish remained associated with some deep wood cover. A few crappies and some bass were on brushpiles and other wood cover in mid-depths (6-12 feet) and when active were hitting live minnows. A few crappies had started to filter into the backs of the major creeks on sunny days last week, but were not in evidence on this past Monday. Look for them to accumulate in the channels and backs of the creeks during the next week or two if water temperatures rise again after the snow and cold front today. Most bass and pickerel were scattered on mid-depth and deep flats in the main lake and were hitting live minnows, blade baits, lipless crankbaits, and plastic worms. A few small to medium bass and an occasional small yellow perch or pickerel were in the major creeks and were hitting live minnows and small suspending jerkbaits. Fishing with Capt. Conway, Hollis Pruitt had 4 bass.

A few scattered crappie were around the main lake channels and mid-depth flats. Some catfish were in the deep holes. Some nice yellow perch were scattered on the mid-depth flats in the main lake and the major creeks. A few crappie and some nice pickerel and bass were in the major creeks. Wright Bait Co. two inch curly tail grubs, suspending jerk baits, and live minnows have been the most effective baits. Fishing with Capt. Conway, Hollis Pruitt and Malcolm Turnbull had 5 pickerel, 3 crappie, and 1 bowfin.

Source: http://www2.timesdispatch.com/sports/sport/2011/mar/11/tdsport02-fishing-report-ar-898049/