You going to be at the lake this weekend. I am planning on heading up and fishing with my dad for the day saturday.

Not sure yet. Depends on the weather. I have been there for the past 6 weekends straight, so my honeydo list is getting long. But that has never kept me home on a good weekend. Should have stayed home last weekend. Sunday was a blowout. 4 foot waves on the main lake from the north. Made reloading on trailer a dangerous event at Cassells Boykin park.
I will let you know nearer the weekend.

How do you like your new Lawrance LMS-332 or 334?

Well i have not had it on the water yet. Going to try it out this weekend.

You probably need to use the simulation function to learn before you try it on the water. It does have a pretty steep learning curve. But if I am up I can fasttrack you with it.

Ok Bryan, weather looks good, I'm going up tonite. I can't get cell service at camp but if you call before 7 I should get it before I arrive. Camp is Lakeview RV accross from Cassells Boykin Park.
713-253-6466

How'd you guys do?

Kudzu,
It was butt freezing cold on Saturday (27deg.) but the crappie didn't care. I limited out both Sat and Sun. Caught them from bridge and brushpiles on chartruce tube jigs injected with crappie nibbles. Lots of 12 and 13 inch crappie. One at 15 inches. Got 8 quarts of fillets from the mess. The only other crappie fisherman I saw was Bthomas and his dad on Sat. morning. It sure is nice having the lake to yourself.

Where do you guys put in?
Also, how do you guys fish the bridge? Is there a good way to tie on to the pilons or do you just anchor and drift to where you want to be?

Ok, here goes...
I launch at Cassells Boykin park unless the winds are high and out of the North or NW. If so CB's ramp is dangerous so I go to Monterey or Jackson Hill depending on where I think I can fish.

If I tie up, here is my method. I have an old bouy that I have removed the string from. I have a piece of floating poly-whatever rope tied to it about 8 feet long with loop on each e nd. I throw the float crosswind up wind of the piling and let the float drift back. I reach out with a 3 foot long dowel with a dish hook in the end and snag my float. Hook both loops over cleats.

Wind permiting I just use trolling motor. I use jigs only and put a #4 or #5 split shot apx 6 to 10 inches above it. I drop it to the bottom near a piling. When it hits I reel 1 to 3 cranks up. Then I slowly move around the pilings as a pair because most of them have a crossmember between the uprights. Keep the jig from bouncing, they seem to like it better if it is stable yet moving forward but dead still is good too. I do not think color of jig makes much difference, 30 feet down they are all black. But smell does... crappie nibbles work.

Another tip. Since there is a lot of junk to hang a jig on down there, get some lead weights about 1/4 oz. The ones that are teardrop shaped and have a brass loop at the top. Put it on a paper clip. When you get hung, do not pull hard on it, just put the paper clip on your line and drop the weight down and it will knock it loose. If not, jig it up and down until it does. This gets me about 90% of my jigs back.

I never anchor at the bridge. I like my anchor too much

Thats about it...
When you are there, look for a blue boat with DURACRAFT on the side, an ole bearded man and a crappie cat in it. Just pull up and introduce yourself.
Ya...that's right... my fishing buddy is a cat!

That is great info, thanks so much. I have always been a straight minnow guy, but I think that I'll give the jigs a serious try in the next few weeks.
Did you see any evidence of people catching them in the river channels? Last year I caught a lot of fish in the middle of the river, chasing bait. I got skunked two weeks ago trying the same method and it looked as though the other ten or so boats around me were not doing any good either.

I have fished the channel and never done any good. Maybe you can teach me something about it.
I start on either end of the bridge about 5 to ten out and work toward the center. I usually never make it but about 15 piles from my start. I find that the bridge bite is over at about 9AM. You can work longer and get one here and one there but I have a better plan that works for me. At about that time is when the brushpile bite is on and it usually gets better as you approach noon. Also the wind is usually up by then so I retreat to a wind protected brushpile. I fish for fun and when it is rough, it is not fun any more. If I can't find a place to fish out of the wind, I go to my camp and enjoy camping with my friends.

On the minnow issue. Minnows work of course but they have many serious drawbacks. They are expensive and hard to keep alive. Minnow buckets are a pain to deal with. It takes too much time to rebait. Time lost means fish lost. And minnows are not a better bait than a jig IMHO. The only thing a minnow has over a jig is the scent of bait. But that can be added to the jig. I use a "Bait Pump" to inject Crappie Nibbles into the hollow cavity of a tube jig. Works wonders is all I can say. Many times I have thought that the bite is off just to find out that my jig was empty. Fill it back up and get another 3 or 4 crappie. I have had a buddy that was using plain jigs and out catch him about 5 to 1. I took a follow boat with me last month and they had minnows. Same thing. These occurances made a believer out of me.
Just in case I have sold you (which is not my intention as I get no kickbacks) You can see the Bait Pump here and order it with no shipping charge. http://www.thebaitpump.com/crappie_com.htm
Best 15 bucks I ever spent on fishing. I just ordered a spare yesterday and one for a xmas gift.

Well I better quit b4 I give all my secrets away
(Not really worried. Seems like very few people who fish Rayburn visit here. Just the Dullass croud LOL)

I really wish that I had this weekend off.
Do you use a slip bobber or just put a weight and let it fall?

The latter.

Thats good info Sandspike. Living on the north end I dont get down to 147 as often as I would like but next time I will be on the lookout for the "fishing cat". I finally took a break from house building and went Sunday. Caught an easy limit around and under 103 bridge in the channel. Tried it up the Attoyak Monday morning and barely scraped up a dozen.

All work and no play, Whitecap. Minnows or jigs?