coralville Lake, they grew up

I think the crappies ate well this summer. They are now adveraging 10 to 12 inches. The water temp was still quite high at 78 degrees. The fish seem to be relating to the current, & most are being caught at eight feet below the surface during mid day. I’m alway’s looking for a good quality crappie bite, if you got any info, make a post! {John }

John, Not sure if you want to make the trip or not but, I went to Mark Twain yesterday and ended up doing well on about the same size of fish as you on Coralville. Took a while to find them but once I located their preference as to depth and cover it was quite easy but slow. HOT-DARNED-HOT. How was the boat traffic on the lake?

I was out there last Sunday from 7am to 5pm,it was so nuts.I would have left but we were having fun catching crappies.I had to stay on the trolling motor all day non stop.We cought around 200/keep only 30 got to leave for seed.

on thurs. I put in on the Cedar R. up at urbana, [ wild cat bluff ] I went down stream but never made it to my destination, got stuck on the gravel bars 3 times #^*#. On fri I hit Coralville & only saw about 7 fishen boats. I think today would have been a good day for beach scoppin out at the Res. { John }

Anyone interested in heading out next weekend?

I think we’re hanging deer stands on Sunday, but Saturday morning is a possibility.

Uh oh, schedule has been accelerated per the warden’s request. Saturday is a no-no, but she’s taking the kids to see a high-school friend who’s going to be in DesMoines Thursday night.

I know that’s not much warning, but I’ll have an open seat (wherever I end up going).

The other day my father said that his freezer was empty, so I suggested that we do some thing about it. We headed out to the C. Res. and ended up with 73 Crappies in his cooler. No minnows, no bait, just home made jigs. Special thanks to John Tone for the jig tying lesson and Paul sleeper for adding more cover to what’s already there! {John}

Did they add cover to the res this year? I wonder how long-lived it is, given the flow through there in the spring. One time, I asked for a copy of the COE’s lake map. They said they wouldn’t give copies to the public because it changes drastically pretty much every year.

Some of the old spots that I fished have not changed at all, and some are still there but have sank or sagged deeper. I tell you though, there is alot more down there than I thought, my guess is that they put it in this year. Oh, some of it is still green with very little algae. {John}

According to Paul sleeper, Crappie usa is going to hold a regional tournament at Coralville in June of 03. I personally feel that maps with the put in cover should not be made available. Coralville is not that big of a lake, much less giving everybody the magnet hotspots that’s keeping it a good fishery resource. Any Suggestions? {John}

http://www.crappieusa.com/trail/trailinfo.cfm?Tournament_ID=207

Looks like it’s true. Not sure that it makes any sense to put out the maps. I’d like to think that the DNR knows how limited fishing opportunities are around here anyways and could leave a place where those who put forth some effort can still catch a few fish.

Once you look at the $$ spent during one of these tourneys, though, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

John I agree with you about the maps.My thoughts are save the $ in cost to print them,and use it for the cost to put more trees in.If a person puts a little time in they can find them without a map,they’re not all that hard to find.The CUSA tourney is a good thing for are area.They have a limit of 10 fish per boat I believe,and they have to be alive at the scale.The fishermen around here put more hurt on them then they ever will.I myself am going to fish Crappie USA this comming year to try and qualify for this event.I have had a blast on the Res. for the last 2 months.We go down there one day of the weekend and catch in the area of 100,and sometimes alot more and we release about all of them.Sunday we cought 3 12″ers-1 13,nice fish for there.I spend the other day playing with the big crappies on the Cedar River.There’s not as many but they’re HUGE.

Every year, the fishing turns on right about the time I crawl into a tree with a pointy stick. I always think it’s going to be difficult to make the transition, but come October 1, I’m wondering when I’ll find time to winterize the outboard with all the hunting I’ve got to do!

Sounds like the crappies are cooperating, I may have to break out this weekend and see if I can stick some.