Seeking a crappie hole.

[plumbertom]

I used to live at Lake Nacimento on CA central coast.
Crappie fishing there was abundant and crappie between on and two pounds were the norm, alone with a great population of Channel catfish, Small mouth and spotted bass, and the only place in the state that had white bass.
It wasn't that unusual to have days on the water there that I would catch 100 fish.
There were times that I could move along in my boat just casting distance from the shoreline and by casting toward the shore catch black bass (large mouth, small mouth, spotted), and by casting towards the deeper water catch white bass, pretty much every cast.
I've been on the water there near the dam and looking up the lake, which you can see a couple miles before the lake takes a bend, and seen the entire surface of the lake from one shore to the other alive with boiling white bass.
Yet, crappie were my main target fish there.
Just a few miles away was Lake San Antonio which also had a great population of large crappie, along with large mouth, catfish, and at that time was the premier Striped bass fishery in the state.
I really miss the crappie fishing.
Does anyone have an advisory as to where a good crappie fishery might be found near to Eugene?
I've been told that Fern Ridge (6 miles from my home to the launch) is a good crappie lake, but not in my experience.
When there's enough water in the lake to get out on it, all I've managed to pull from it are large mouth, most of which would be barely legal in CA.
I have caught a few Crappie just below the dam, but they were less than six inch specimens.

 

[Irishrover]

Not in the Eugene area, but crappie fishing lakes they are or were. Emigrant Reservoir, Prineville Reservoir, and Ochoco Reservoir have all produced good amounts of crappie for me. Thats when they had water. I was just at Emigrant (Ashland), the only thing missing was the water. The same problem at Prineville and Ochoco. Hope you find one down in your area.

 

[troutdude]

I’ve only read about it—but Hills Creek Reservoir is supposed to have a healthy population. Not sure if that means quantity or quality. And I believe it’s an under-fished specie there.

Through the grapevine I’ve been told that Cottage Grove Reservoir has them too.

 

[NKlamerus]

I wonder if triangle has them?

I don't think hult/Horton does.

Lookout reservoir has them for sure, anyone know if the small pond on the southern edge, below the highway, has water year round?

 

[kemfish]

I’ve caught one in Triangle, but I don’t think there’s many in there. Cottage grove seems to have some, caught number of 12/13in crappie while bass fishing in the early summer. I think Dorena has some too.

 

[plumbertom]

It seems to me as if most of the crappie catches I read about are caught incidental to fishing for bass. The bass I've caught here are a bit stunted, seldom passing 2 lbs.
Considering the potential for crappie to grow to large size (I've caught them over 3 lbs), reproduce in large numbers, and their great taste as table fare (they make great fish tacos), you'd think they would be targeted more.

 

[kemfish]

Forgot the freeway lakes up near Albany. I always catch one or four when I’m there. All in the big pond.

I don’t target them much, but I often fish in a way that should be appealing to them. Probably why I only ever catch a couple whether I’m targeting or not.

 

[plumbertom]

Forgot the freeway lakes up near Albany. I always catch one or four when I’m there. All in the big pond.

I don’t target them much, but I often fish in a way that should be appealing to them. Probably why I only ever catch a couple whether I’m targeting or not.

I've noticed those freeway lakes while driving I-5.
Thought they looked fishy.
Do you know of motor or boat size restrictions there?
IF there is a motor restriction, I could just use my trolling motor if there's no boat length limit.
I only have one 16 ft. boat with a 25 hp motor, and don't get around well enough to walk the banks to fish.

 

[troutdude]

I've noticed those freeway lakes while driving I-5.
Thought they looked fishy.
Do you know of motor or boat size restrictions there?
IF there is a motor restriction, I could just use my trolling motor if there's no boat length limit.
I only have one 16 ft. boat with a 25 hp motor, and don't get around well enough to walk the banks to fish.

You would NOT want to walk under the bridges, nor fish the bank on that far western lake anyway. Poison Oak is EVERYWHERE!

IDK if motors are allowed. But an electric trolling motor would really be all you'd need anyway. It's only a couple of hundred yards from the ramp at the far eastern side lake--through the middle lake--under the freeway and into the western lake.

 

[Banjo]

CG Reservoir has mercury and I wouldn't recommend eating any long term fish (like crappie) from it. I've been told Lookout Reservoir and Fall Creek Reservoir have healthy populations of crappie. (and no mercury) I don't fish for them so I don't have first hand knowledge.

 

[plumbertom]

CG Reservoir has mercury and I wouldn't recommend eating any long term fish (like crappie) from it. I've been told Lookout Reservoir and Fall Creek Reservoir have healthy populations of crappie. (and no mercury) I don't fish for them so I don't have first hand knowledge.

LPR is an option I'd like to get to know. Not just for the crappie, but I'd also like to try my hand at walleye. Last time I managed to launch there, I suffered some carburetor problems on my boat and ended up just fishing around the launch area using my trolling motor. (That's after using it to get back across the lake from where the motor failed). That time I only caught a handful of small mouth.
Fall creek makes me wonder. I know it was drained below minimum pool recently in a direct effort to get rid of the bass and crappie populations.
FCR certainly shows promise as far as habitat for Crappie is concerned. But it's likely to take a few years for the population to reestablish itself and grow to decent size fish.

For those unfamiliar with Crappie, they have a (normal) seven-year cycle, in which they go from an abundant population to a heavy die back. During the period just after the die back there are large numbers of small fish to be had and if they are harvested in sufficient numbers, the die back can be minimized and good numbers of larger (two to three pounders and larger) fish become available.

 

[DOKF]

I don't know about crappie and bass that used to be in the full resevoir, but the original creek looks like a nice trout habitat. Are there any trout left after the draw down?

 

[plumbertom]

I don't know about trout, but I suspect that they have been replanted.
The extreme drawdown was done with the intent of improving salmon and steel head, so I'd think yeah, trout should be there.
Ridding the lake of invasive species that prey on salmon and trout smolts and fry was a side benefit, I learned upon further investigation..

 

[DonF]

Not in the Eugene area, but crappie fishing lakes they are or were. Emigrant Reservoir, Prineville Reservoir, and Ochoco Reservoir have all produced good amounts of crappie for me. Thats when they had water. I was just at Emigrant (Ashland), the only thing missing was the water. The same problem at Prineville and Ochoco. Hope you find one down in your area.

Prineville Res and Ochoco Res are no more than river's right now. Was out at Prineville Res last week and pretty sorry. Word I heard is it's gonna take a lot of snow in the mountains for several years to fill up again. Used to average about 30 fish a trip but only fished a couple hours after 3pm. Fish were fairly small, averaged about 8" but last time I was there did get some 10" fish. About the same at Ochoco Res and gonna be a while re-filling it too. haystack Res was said to have them but I've never seen one there. They drained it this fall to work on the damn and don't think many fish are gonna make it! Last trip out I couldn't make it to the water looking for bull heads. Two trip's before it was hard to get to the water but best bull head fishing I've ever seem. Two days and total about 2 1/2 hrs fishing and got 92 of them. Averaged 10" or so.

 

[DonF]

LPR is an option I'd like to get to know. Not just for the crappie, but I'd also like to try my hand at walleye. Last time I managed to launch there, I suffered some carburetor problems on my boat and ended up just fishing around the launch area using my trolling motor. (That's after using it to get back across the lake from where the motor failed). That time I only caught a handful of small mouth.
Fall creek makes me wonder. I know it was drained below minimum pool recently in a direct effort to get rid of the bass and crappie populations.
FCR certainly shows promise as far as habitat for Crappie is concerned. But it's likely to take a few years for the population to reestablish itself and grow to decent size fish.

For those unfamiliar with Crappie, they have a (normal) seven-year cycle, in which they go from an abundant population to a heavy die back. During the period just after the die back there are large numbers of small fish to be had and if they are harvested in sufficient numbers, the die back can be minimized and good numbers of larger (two to three pounders and larger) fish become available.

Looks like Prineville Res and Ochoco Res!

 

[DonF]

I used to live at Lake Nacimento on CA central coast.
Crappie fishing there was abundant and crappie between on and two pounds were the norm, alone with a great population of Channel catfish, Small mouth and spotted bass, and the only place in the state that had white bass.
It wasn't that unusual to have days on the water there that I would catch 100 fish.
There were times that I could move along in my boat just casting distance from the shoreline and by casting toward the shore catch black bass (large mouth, small mouth, spotted), and by casting towards the deeper water catch white bass, pretty much every cast.
I've been on the water there near the dam and looking up the lake, which you can see a couple miles before the lake takes a bend, and seen the entire surface of the lake from one shore to the other alive with boiling white bass.
Yet, crappie were my main target fish there.
Just a few miles away was Lake San Antonio which also had a great population of large crappie, along with large mouth, catfish, and at that time was the premier Striped bass fishery in the state.
I really miss the crappie fishing.
Does anyone have an advisory as to where a good crappie fishery might be found near to Eugene?
I've been told that Fern Ridge (6 miles from my home to the launch) is a good crappie lake, but not in my experience.
When there's enough water in the lake to get out on it, all I've managed to pull from it are large mouth, most of which would be barely legal in CA.
I have caught a few Crappie just below the dam, but they were less than six inch specimens.

This is Oregon. If you don't fish for trout, salmon or steelhead, fish and game really doesn't care much about you. I suspect that fish other than trout, salmon and steelhear are all invasive specises here. I to love crappie and cats! Don't fish for salmon or steel head and haven't fished for trout in years.