fishing Lake Valencia

[Wes Ramsey]

I'm wanting to catch some trout for the smoker in the very near future, and I think I'm gonna try out Lake Valencia in Maumelle. Has anyone fished it before? Is there any one spot that's better than another? How 'bout for catfish? I wouldn't mind having a mess of those either. Bream? Crappie?

Any tips/help are appreciated!

[fairweatherhunter]

Know some boys that have been cleaning up on the trout there.

[fish]

You can call to see when the stocking schedules are.:thumb:

[Wes Ramsey]

I went Thursday after work, and only got 1 bite in 3 hours. I used chicken liver on a treble hook, various colors of powerbait, feather jigs and rooster tails. Fished all around the lake except for the gazebo. I called the hotline Friday morning and found out they stocked it with trout again Wednesday :confused: I've heard that trout feed mostly by sight, so I guess it shouldn't be any big surprise I didn't catch any Thursday night. Went back Sunday afternoon to fish from the gazebo and got 5 :thumb: As for what I was using, the 1st trout I caught on chicken liver. Didn't know trout liked the stuff :rolleyes: I didn't have any bites with yellow/chartreuse powerbait, but when I switched to pink it was on. I caught the other 4 with 1 pink powerbait egg and either corn or a marshmallow on the tip of the hook. I think they preferred the marshmallow. I'm ready to have more than just a spare hour or two at a time so I can get my boat wet again...

[fish]

Hey Wes glad you had a little luck this time.:thumb: About smoking the Rainbow Shad , which end do you light ? Ha! Ha! You can use my recipie for cooking trout. Cook in the smoker on a cedar board till tender , toss the trout and serve the board.:rolleyes: Ready for the Crappie and Catfish? Got that boat lined out ? :thumb:

[Wes Ramsey]

Hey now, smoked trouts are some fine table fare if they're done right. :thumb: To be honest though, they just about ain't fit to eat any other way. However, I'm not about to throw a fish back that I catch (long as it's legal). Why catch it if you're just gonna let it go? Makes no sense to me :confused:

Deer season was a bust for me this year, so I had to go catch SOMETHING. The freezer is empty except for the trout and a bag each of catfish and crappie for emergencies or guests (whichever comes first). I'm aching in a bad way to get out on the water again and catch some slabs or cats. I haven't used the boat since probably October. I probably need to devote a Saturday morning to some minor boat/motor/trailer maintenance, but she won't need much to get back in the water again. If you're up for showing me some brush piles on Nimrod consider me in. I'm not sure what weekend would work though...the wife has us booked pretty solid until the baby gets here in June. I have no idea what life will be like after that :dontknow:

[fish]

Wes ,you can get a free map of the public brushpiles from the Corps at Nimrod. Of course you would need a GPS and be able to convert from GS-84. I would point out a few for you. My neighbor Billy and I are plannning on guiding Crappie fishermen this year. Of course if they wanted to fish for other species of fish we'd do it. We caught fish this last weekend , just not the slabs Nimrod Lake was famous for.:frown: The Crappie are tough to catch after mid June ,but the catfishing here can be fantastic.:thumb: Hoping for an early spring ,can't wait to start catching those prespawn/stage'n Slabs.:thumb:

[Wes Ramsey]

Just so happens the wife gave me my b-day present this weekend - a month early. I got a Magellan explorist 500 with the Topo 3D software :biggrin: I think I've got it figured out, so I may try to get one of the maps from the Corp and plug in the brush piles before I go. I don't know if I could afford a guided crappie trip though. I may just have to hang out at your boat launch and follow you around to your honey holes :razz:

What are you planning to charge for a guided trip? About the only good crappie fishing I've ever been in was from docks on Norfork with my FIL. I'm not sure how to fish for 'em in open water, so a guided trip might be worth it in the long run. I'll see if I can find a good weekend not too far out to head out there and try your sweet feed trick on the cats. I may even wanna do my annual b-day camping trip out there. Too bad squirrel season is closed in March or we'd have that much more fun.