Fish38017

What a day! Kudos to you (and that chatterbait).

Holy mackerel! You got one. They're in there, but I continue to have the same flurry of one pounders on my line. Way to go. I wish she would eat all the little ones. haha. There are SO MANY small fish in that lake.

Is Grove the lake with a real small parking area on the northeast side, off the Dogwood Creek neighborhood street?

There are so many little ponds there, I've always thought the city would be doing a great thing if they stocked them all with something different. The 2 or 3 little ponds next to those baseball fields are just perfect to throw some blue cats in! That new pond seemed so shallow when I was there this past weekend. I stayed in one area for the most part, but where I cast to, it seemed it never went deeper than a couple feet. I'm sure the other side (along the tree line) is probably deeper, but I never went over there.

JoeP, What were you guys catching them on? Plastics? How were you fishing them?

My personal recommendation would be to cast out as far as you can, beyond the ledge, and work it back at a crawl, up that ledge. My experiences the last couple times out there have been that fish hit it on the fall after my cast. I was pleased by that, and it's inspired me to try out a swimbait (maybe a shadalicious) like roadwarrior suggested, because if they're interested in a slow-fall bait, maybe they'll be all over a slow-retrieve swimbait working its way back to shore, up the ledge. A general rule for fishing jigs in cold water though is to work it slower than you would ever imagine you should work it. Even letting it sit for a minute with no movement, let the big, lethargic fish get an eye on it, then hope they nail it on next movement. I know I've hooked some cold water bass using worms after letting them sit still for a little bit. This ain't warm water spinner and crankbait fishing, that's for sure!

New lake? Which one is considered the new lake at Johnson Park? The one back in the woods at the end of the long blacktop walking path?

Every time I run into people fishing, someone tells me about some new, random spot to try out whenever certain species come up in conversation. I believe there are hundreds of places to go around here, but I only have so much time! It's frustrating. Google Maps reveals just how many little ponds/lakes are around us.

Tubes. Tutty Fruity Tubes and Squirming Squirts. I caught a baby bass fishing for crappie. Haven't targeted bass there.

When I'm catching medium crappie in small numbers, I'm eating ... And let's just say the family had a great meal last night. I had to deal with a half dozen snags to get 'em, but I was happy since it was a new spot and I was catchin' fish. If I could float over the fallen trees, I know I could get some really big ones, but I had to grab the medium-sized ones on the edges of the cover. I was fishing in this muddy little shallow lake BEHIND Johnson Park. You take a paved trail behind a neighborhood where the woods begin. It's tucked back there with little-to-no traffic.

I hear ya! Yesterday's wind almost kept me in, but I had to go hook a few crappie since the sun was keepin' it (somewhat) warm. This chill today is brutal.

Right. And what I meant is that I'm restricted to bank fishing, in the neverending quest to land the big one in the local ponds.

A lot of people would have a hard time believing this, but I've pulled my biggest largemouth out of the Johnson Park pond in the last year. A couple 3.5's and a 4. Now I'm trying to figure out this deep pond at the Library. It's a big one to walk around and guess with. It's steep ledge all the way around. Still haven't figured it out. I've been hunting crappie spots lately while I'm in a bit of a largemouth drought. I may go give the Chick-fil-A lake a go this week or next. I don't have a boat, so I'm limited.

Any luck over there today, rw? This wind!

Ah, OK. Thanks for clearing that up. It's so close to my house I've never even paid attention to the street names. Looking at Google satellite images will make you want to try a million new spots. It looks like there are a couple of nice-sized lakes across the street from Houston High School, behind a pair of church, or middle school baseball fields. Not a lot of homes on it. Has anyone given these a shot?

If Kent and I are talking about the same place, I know it as the new Town Hall, or Library. It's behind both. If there's a Civic Center in Collierville, I don't know it by that name. -Brad

I've had the most luck with jigs lately. I keep trying the Rage Baby Thumper and Baby Anaconda, as well as some lipless cranks, but it's been all about the jigs since the weather's been cooler. I'm fishing browns and greens with matching trailers. Slow and low.

If anyone has crappie info for West TN/Collierville/Germantown, I would love some responses here: Thanks! -Brad

Anyone have spots to share? I would love to hook up with some this winter! -Brad

Went out yesterday. Took me about a half hour to land one. It was on my first bite though, so I guess my percentages were pretty good. Haha. It was little (about a pound). The booger hit my jig hard on the fall. I cast out about 30-40 feet, and on that loooonnnng drop, I got the bump, and there it was. I was in the southeast corner of the lake (nearest the city buildings). Is there a "better" spot at this lake, or are they all around that steep ledge? So excited I grabbed one (even though it was small). This is a place I can get an hour in every day after work, being so close to my house. Going to give a worm a shot this afternoon.

Awesome. I hope all the big ones are goin' back in! -Brad

roadwarrior, That is great news, hearing that you caught a nice one in the Civic Center pond. I literally live across the street. I had never really given it a go, because the only fish I've seen guys pull out have been the > 1 lb. fish. I thought it had to be because no one was getting their bait out far enough. That pond drops off FAST. And goes very deep. I couldn't believe how long it took my jig to hit the bottom. Well, I got a new rod and reel a couple days ago and I was dying to give it a few casts. I walked over to test it out, and was pleased that in about 20 minutes of being there, I had a few nice taps. Didn't hook any, but you've got my hopes up. I can only imagine what monsters are lurking in that deep, deep water there. Maybe the warm temps the next few days will help me hook a couple.

Newbie here. I'm excited I found this forum. I live in Collierville and I'm always looking for some new holes. Never knew about this spot behind Chick-fil-a. Congrats on the beauty you pulled out of there, Doc.