Good morning Forum Friends

Cedar Creek is looking fantastic with the recent rains, which makes going into the summer months much less intimidating. The other added bonus is water temperature, which is still holding in the low 80s as the nights remain cool for now. The high water levels and the added oxygen are allowing for a solid white/hybrid bite, which makes the lake even more enjoyable for those getting out here this summer.

Although the water temperatures are very low for this time of year, the fish are still transitioning to a horizontal bite, as they usually do in the summer months. What I mean by a horizontal bite is that the fish are preferring the lure to be moving sideways, as opposed to the traditional vertical slabbing. This horizontal pattern usually holds through sometime in September, when the fish return to actively feeding throughout the day, and will again hit a vertically fished slab.

The nice thing about summer is the consistency of the weather and the fishing. For the next few months, the fish will pretty much be found in the same areas and at the same depths, day after day. Although there is the occasional exception to this rule, you can count on very large schools being found on the windy side of your favorite humps and points, almost without fail. Right now, mostly due to where we operate on the lake, we are fishing the Sunken Island, the Tennis Court, Enchanted Hump, the Spillway Hump, and Game Warden's Point. Basically, I'm looking on any hump or point in 12-20ft of water. I know that sounds like a lot of options, but Cedar Creek is known for it's large numbers of sandies, and all of these spots have been producing here as of lately.

What I'm looking for in these areas is a lot of of closely knit matter directly relating to the bottom. I'll approach the target area from an upwind direction, that way I can go directly across where I plan on fishing. I will drive slowly towards the windward side of a hump/point, and will be paying close attention to my graph. Once I get around 18-20ft, I'm watching the bottom and looking for what looks like molded balls of clay on a traditional sonar. If you have side scan, these schools will look like hundreds of tiny white dots off to your left or right. Once I start seeing a lot of matter on the bottom, I throw out my marker buoy, circle around, and start fishing.

There are a number of ways the angler can go about catching these fish, and picking a method really just depends on what instills the most confidence. If you like the traditional slab, no problem. Although I would recommend smaller models as the larger ones tend to fall a little too fast in the summer. If fishing a slab, cast it upwind of the school, let it hit the bottom, reel in slowly for 3-5 turns, then let the slab return to the bottom. Pay attention as the slab falls, this is usually the time when you'll get bit. Sometime all you'll get is a twitch in the line, which is the fish picking the bait up as it falls.

If you prefer an inline spinner such as a Mepps or a Rooster Tail, the technique is very much the same as the angler will again be casting upwind of the school. In this instance, I recommend the 3-5 turns be reeled in VERY slowly. What you want to have happen is that blade sending out very strong, pulsing vibrations as your reel. After 3-5 slow turns of the reel, stop, and let the lure fall back to the bottom. Again, be watching your line for twitches, as it is very common for the fish to hit the lure on the fall.

The way we have been putting our clients on fish differs a little from the above two methods, but the idea is still the same. Constant contact with the bottom and a slow falling presentation is key. We're using ulra-light rod and reels (a heck of a lot more fun) with light tackle and small test line. What we're having our clients do is dropping a CR Special Thump Buddy straight down to the bottom, picking it up slowly 18-24" off the bottom, pausing three seconds, then slowly dropping the jig back to the bottom. As the captain, I'm allowing the boat to slowly drift with the wind, so as to accomplish two things: One, we're covering a lot of ground. Two, we're naturally presenting our baits in a horizontal manner. Again, the angler is going to need to watch their line on as the jig falls. Although you'll catch a good number of fish raising the bait off the bottom, you can double your take home by learning how to catch fish on the drop.

***Guide Tip: If you feel any bite at all right now, set the hook. The fish are not hitting as aggressively as they usually do in the spring or fall.***

This is what we're using:

CR Special Thump Buddy on an 1/8th ounce collarless jig head. Both from www.constantpursuitoutfitters.com



Here are a few of our recent outings:










There are a lot more pictures to be found at www.bigcrappie.com.


If you need any help at all finding these locations, feel free to PM me and I will do my best to point you in the right direction. As the summer months continue to develop, trolling will be tough to beat. I will do another report when that time comes, giving my best instructions in accordance to how we're going about catching fish. Until then, good luck everybody, and thank you very much TFF for your support!

Whew that's an awesome info right there
Thanks for the great tips, CC is fishing pretty good!!!
Thanks Lane

ditto what etu said. Lane helped us big time in the winter and now he is helping everyone. Sounds like the pattern is a little different than the winter but the bite is still very light. Love those thump buddies, they catch sandies. Bet that light gear is a handful if you happen to catch a hybrid.

Hey ya'll, I had a PM asking about some help with finding spots. The names I've used above are the one's the company has used since I have been here, and now I realize that they may be known differently to other fishermen. I responded to one gentleman through a private message, and I hope others may find this helpful when trying to locate fish.


The Sunken Island is the large underwater hump that is located a mile south (give or take) of the sandy shores marina. If you don't have a topography chip in your graph, the best way to find it is to start at the small island that has the standing tree on the north side of it (the southeastern most island), then drive directly south from there. Normally, there are a few other boats out there. You will know you're in the right area if you pay attention to the east side of the lake, and line up the left side of the water tower with the large radio tower.

The area we call Tennis Court is located on the east side of the lake, and is directly north of Enchanted Isle. There is a dock with an old style weather vain on top (the kind with the rooster on top) with a tennis court directly behind it on the shore. There is also a little sun room right beside the water's edge. This area is easily found by heading by heading west from the furthest north 198 bridge, then following the east bank in a southern direction.

Enchanted Hump and Spillway Hump are both directly south of Enchanted Isle. The enchanted hump is hard to find without a topography chip, but if you get next to the shore of the tip of Enchanted Isle, then head due south for about a 1/4 mile, you should see a rise to about 16-18ft. The Spillway hump is another 1/2 mile south from there, and is easy to find by the number of boats in the area.

Game Warden's hump is over by the spillway on the west side of the lake. The best way to find it is to get next to the undeveloped point with the large rusted retaining wall. The grass is overgrown and there are a lot of oak trees on this point. It borders the entrance to a restricted docking area just north of the spillway. From there, you head due south and when you are 100-150 yards off the point, you should notice a hump that tops out at 11-12ft, and immediately drops off the further south you go.

I really hope this helps, and please let me know if there's anything else I can do!

Thanks Lane for all the tips and fishing locations. Very informative. Wish more people would share info like you and Mr. Christian.

Thanks Lane for the report and sharing the fishing spots with us. You and Dennis are much appreciated by fellow TFF anglers and our family members because you give by helping others find fish and help us to have a good day on the lake. I believe that is why God blesses you , your families and your business. Thanks to both of you guys.

Great info! thanks for the update, Lane!

Great report and tips Lane!

Very good information to catch summer time fish. Thanks for taking the time to post it all.

Nice fish!