Inflow / log jam
The Grand Fishing Report Facebook group is nearing 20,000 members, and more folks are finding GrandFishingReport.com again. Grand Lake finally got some inflow and is up. Four small gates were running at the dam with full generation, and they've finally caught up with the inflow. The lake was about 4 feet over normal yesterday, which isn't too terribly bad, and the Neosho should crash tomorrow if no more rain falls. Above the Neosho River bridge at Twin Bridges there's usually 50 to 75 yards of brush on the north side. This time Jeff bets 300 to 500 yards of brush is stacked up the river, probably the largest log jam he's ever seen. Several group members posted photos, and it's incredible how it stacks up. Water still moves under and around it through the floodplain, but when it breaks loose there'll be a lot of extra driftwood in the lake. There are already plenty of floaters, so be careful. The water is getting muddy, with heavily stained but not yet chocolate-brown water at Jeff's place by Shangri-La. There's a mud line between Shangri-La and the mouth of Honey Creek, where some clear water remains, and the tributaries will likely stay muddy. The surrounding watersheds and lakes are packed full, and all the lakes draining down the Arkansas River are being managed accordingly, so Jeff expects releases to catch up with the flow fast.
Catfish
Jeff went catfishing with John Lewis yesterday afternoon and caught a few Blue Cats in about 6 feet of water on cut bait. It was too windy and rough to fish the islands around Sailboat Bridge like he wanted, so they went where the fishing was easier. They talked about their good friend Toby Keith, who absolutely loved to Catfish and would have loved to be in the boat. Over the weekend Jeff caught some really nice Blue Cats off his dock with his wife Patricia and son Owen. Catfishing is great.
Crappie
Haydn (Williams Guide Service) somehow keeps catching limits every day. Jeff watched him bring two groups into the Shangri-La resort marina with limits and a bunch of smiles. He's catching most of them on minnows, bouncing between the bank and the docks, and is starting to see spawned-out females with much smaller egg sacs. There are still plenty of Crappie on the bank, though you may find them a little deeper than last week. A slow drawdown and these 3- to 5-foot rises protect the spawn. Rising water makes it harder for Sunfish to raid the nests, and the male Crappie stay and guard the nests and fry. Jeff expects waves of spawning fish off and on until mid-May, later the farther down the lake you go. Grand Lake may have pulled off another really nice spawn.
Gear
Patricia has a bunch of brand-new t-shirts on OnGrandTime.com, with Flathead, Spoonbill, Crappie, Black Bass and White Bass designs, and the stickers just came in. For lures, see what Toby Keith and Jeff are building at Luck E Strike in Greenwood, Arkansas: LuckEStrike.com.