I've been fishing RH for almost 2 years now since the wife and I retired. I have my boat in a marina and I fish as often as I can, but I can't consistently find crappie! When I do find them, they are really small ones and I get a keeper for about every 15 under size fish. I've placed some "condos" and natural brush in 8 areas on the lake and still don't do well at all. I've fished the north trees, the south side main lake, every cove in the lake, and all over my piles and a few others that folks have suggested, I've even tried fishing on top of the levies without success. I have an 18 foot pontoon with a iPilot (80#), and a good Hummingbird with side and down image, so I have the tools, just not the results.

Here on the TFF, I really don't see a lot of folks posting about the RH crappie fishing. I can catch whites and hybrids, and can generally find them without issue, are there just not many crappie in this lake? I'm considering moving my boat to Lavon...

Maybe it's like my pappy used to tell me, maybe i'm just not holding my mouth right.

Any suggesstions from the old timers that have been on this lake a while?

You need to go out with tommy ezell . He will speed up the learning curve . It is a good crappie lake!

I thought it was just me, I have the same problem

+1

A trip or two, with a good guide, will have you catching crappie in no time.

If you want to do it on your own stop ripping & running all over the lake & pick "one area" to learn....
River channels edges with structure are good spots, concentrate on areas with tight contour lines & spend a day scanning & marking spots....do this in one area not all over the lake....
When you fish a spot that is not productive at that time, make a log so you'll know to check out at a later date & record the ones that are productive & record those with dates as well....
It's easy to go catch a limit of NICE crappie when you understand you have to put the time in to figure them out......
Like you said you have the tools now you need to learn that you have to use them correctly.....


Enjoy the hunt.....

Even if you went with a guide you don't want to go fishn his spots when you want a good catch.....
Find your own, I don't like fishn the stuff everyone else is fishn.....

I agree about the guide. Iwouldnt feel right fishing in someone elses spots. However, a guide that will explain WHY he chose those spots might not be a bad trip. Then I could start adding things up a little.

In a pontoon, one doesn't run all over the lake much, at least not when it's powered by a 40 horse outboard. If I want to do to the dam from my marina it's well over 45 minutes to get there. So, when I go to a spot, i work it hard. You did mention something that a friend of mine talked about last night, and that is going out and marking some areas and exploring. His suggestion was to leave the rods and tackle at home and just do some searching and looking about, mark the spots, then come back the next day and see if they are productive.

Thanks all, this was more of a rant than anything.

They are there. You have to be right on them. I call it spots within spots. Meaning there are good areas but with in those areas there are specific locations that hold lots of fish.

Fished the rain this morning and into an hour of sun shine. I did catch a lot of smalls but good fish as well.

I don't know if this will help but here is a video I did on Hubbard this morning. I've been targeting them suspended on timber for a few weeks now 12 to 18'.

Mr. Ezell, I thank you! That 7+ minutes of video has helped me a LOT! Been fishing longer than you've probably been alive and I have never even considered dropping a bouy at the marked spot! I always get on top and then set my ipilot to anchor and then fish the spot once it settles me into place. With the bouy, I'll know right where the spot is, or at least be close enough to hit it! If I can dodge the storms they have forcasted for the week, I'll go try this out!

If I might also add, if you're 1/2 as informative on the boat as you were in this video, I'll probably be giving you a call to see about a trip.

Thanks again!

Not a problem sir. Hope you smash them. Hubbard is a challenge at times. If you can learn to smash them on Hubbard you'll be successful on any lake.

Give Tommy a call. There is no doubt your return on that investment will be huge. You'll start finding spots in places you would have never imagined.

Fun filled fishing trip where all you have to do is sit back, listen, learn and even get to catch loads of crappie.

My 4 hr One on One instructional trips are $150. Only because my true passion is sharing and elevating other anglers. Just let me know.

Tommy, check your pm box. I asked you about a instructional trip.

Hey Folks,

Hubbard kicked my tail often for several years. I just kept on fishing, looking and learning. Just recently have I started consistently catching fish in all seasons. The trick to Hubbard is not to quit trying to learn Hubbard!

If you want to catch fish more easily, Lavon is right up the road!

Oh, and listen to what Tommy says and do what he does. He is the man on Hubbard in my opinion.

Tom