Arizona Crappie Association
Lake Reports => Alamo => Topic started by: oldazcoach on April 09, 2014, 10:47 AM
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Got a 12' aluminum with 6 HP, going to try my luck on 4\18
Any advice on what to use for crappie and where
Been a while since I have been fishing
Thanks to all
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A number of guys have been out there in the last few weeks with decent results so they might have more insight than me, but if I were you I would launch from Waypoint and fish the sticks back there or find the flotilla and join in.
If you don't know Waypoint, it's on the river side of the lake. You take a dirt road to get down there. There's a lot of campers out there on weekend so you should be able to find a spot to launch somewhere down there. Fishless will have a lot more detail than me. :greengrin:
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Thanks- other than live minnows, what I used back in Texas, what are the popular jigs and such at Alamo
Also, are there Crappie in Pleasant?
Thanks again
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My buddy and I fished Alamo 2 weekends ago and caught 9 keepers. We were tolling the second set of buoys (the no ski buoys) about .8 mph our best luck came on a chartreuse jig head w/ no grub but tipped with a minnow. We were fishing with about 12' of line out so trolling we were very shallow. With that being said we did pick up fish using john deer and bbc grubs along with chartreuse road runners tipped with a minnow. Good luck and let us know how you do.
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At just about every lake your best best is BBC (Black/Blue/Chartreuse) and JD(John Deer) 2" Kalin jigs. They can be found just about everywhere, but I get mine at Sportsman's Warehouse. You can troll with 1 or 2 jig heads on your line with each color. That's how I got started with crappie fishing. You can use 1/8 or 1/16th jig heads. Your weight should depend on how deep you want to fish or how the wind is treating you.
There are crappie in pleasant but I haven't fished for them at that lake in years. The northern coves (Castle Creek, Coles, and Humbug) we what I always fished. And when open the Agua Fria arm is always a great spot to go as well.
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Been looking at Az Game/Fish on-line,
Is there a bag limit for Crappie and a size/slot for keeping them
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Been looking at Az Game/Fish on-line,
Is there a bag limit for Crappie and a size/slot for keeping them
no size limit regrettably but there is a limit at bartlett and roosevelt 15 crappie per day per person
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A number of guys have been out there in the last few weeks with decent results so they might have more insight than me, but if I were you I would launch from Waypoint and fish the sticks back there or find the flotilla and join in.
If you don't know Waypoint, it's on the river side of the lake. You take a dirt road to get down there. There's a lot of campers out there on weekend so you should be able to find a spot to launch somewhere down there. Fishless will have a lot more detail than me. :greengrin:
Waypoint?? where is that :dontknow: if you mean Wayside inn then you would have to drag your boat about two miles to get to water, lake is real low, you can remote launch up from cholla ramp numerous roads go down to the water, if you boat is trailered easy to launch if is a car topper you can launch just about anywhere there is a road going down to the lake. Just remember other than a small store at the lake (and they have minnows) there is not much out there once you turn off from the Wenden to head to the lake.
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Been looking at Az Game/Fish on-line,
Is there a bag limit for Crappie and a size/slot for keeping them
AZCrappie members don't keep anything under 10" and you may consider making that 12" but up to you.
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We were at Alamo this past Sunday and only managed to catch 2 crappie. The bites were very light. I did manage to get 3 rabbits with the truck on the drive in so not all was lost.
The boat ramp is usable but drops off very fast. Shouldn't be an issue with a small boat.
There is a fee of $7 that you pay at the campground, right accross the way from the fish cleaning station. Hopefully you'll need that later.
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We were at Alamo this past Sunday and only managed to catch 2 crappie. The bites were very light. I did manage to get 3 rabbits with the truck on the drive in so not all was lost.
The boat ramp is usable but drops off very fast. Shouldn't be an issue with a small boat.
There is a fee of $7 that you pay at the campground, right accross the way from the fish cleaning station. Hopefully you'll need that later.
alamo is weird part of the lake is outside the park boundaries and you don't have to pay (that is the reason you will see people camped and launching way up lake) if you are inside the park like cholla launch etc. (basically any paved road) you have to pay the daily fee, good luck
Philbie what was the water temp? was it still split pea green water up lake above cholla ramp?
thanks
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I have no idea what the water temperature was, no means to measure. But yes, the water was very merky. Did graph a lot of fish.
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thanks
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Just got back from 4 days at Alamo. Crappie action was very slow to say the least. I will admit that my wife and I were never on the water before 7:45 and quit by 1 or so (it got hot just in case no one noticed).
We fished Tues., no crappie, lots of bass and I think we could have filled the live well with cats, Wed., 2 crappie and same action on bass and cats, Thursday, 5 crappie a couple bass and a ton of catfish (which I refused to keep as I would have to clean them).
Lots of algae bloom all over lake but river end the worse.
All the crappie were caught in 5' or so of water around some kind of obstacle (stick ups, tumble weed etc:) on slip bobbers and minnows. I talked to several other boats of crappie fisherman and most were blanked or had 1 or 2. Water temp was mid 60's at 8AM but low 70's by mid day. Remember, that is surface temp and it was hot and flat.
I am tempted to go back towards the end of the week. Not sure what is going on but the females (3) all had eggs and the other boaters that I talked to who caught females also confirmed that.
If I were to go back I would do the same thing....but hopefully catch more crappie.
Last thought, as I was ready to depart this morning the park ranger stopped in camp, he said if we caught 5 we did better than most that he had talked to and he feels it is ready to happen any time. He is questioning why it has not happened yet!
Good luck!
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Just got back from 4 days at Alamo. Crappie action was very slow to say the least. I will admit that my wife and I were never on the water before 7:45 and quit by 1 or so (it got hot just in case no one noticed).
We fished Tues., no crappie, lots of bass and I think we could have filled the live well with cats, Wed., 2 crappie and same action on bass and cats, Thursday, 5 crappie a couple bass and a ton of catfish (which I refused to keep as I would have to clean them).
Lots of algae bloom all over lake but river end the worse.
All the crappie were caught in 5' or so of water around some kind of obstacle (stick ups, tumble weed etc:) on slip bobbers and minnows. I talked to several other boats of crappie fisherman and most were blanked or had 1 or 2. Water temp was mid 60's at 8AM but low 70's by mid day. Remember, that is surface temp and it was hot and flat.
I am tempted to go back towards the end of the week. Not sure what is going on but the females (3) all had eggs and the other boaters that I talked to who caught females also confirmed that.
If I were to go back I would do the same thing....but hopefully catch more crappie.
Last thought, as I was ready to depart this morning the park ranger stopped in camp, he said if we caught 5 we did better than most that he had talked to and he feels it is ready to happen any time. He is questioning why it has not happened yet!
Good luck!
thanks great report, ya the green pea soup was real bad up lake last week, don't like it spreading down lake, glad the water temp is up where it should be, man everytime I have fished alamo this year I have had to deal with the wind, like a breeze but not gale force winds, was the lake very crowded? hoping with this heat the snow birds are leaving :dontknow:
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was the lake very crowded? hoping with this heat the snow birds are leaving :dontknow:
Lots of open camp sites and the lake was not crowded at all. 8 or 10 vehicles w/trailers at Cholla at most. However there is a bass tournament today and Sunday with 75 boats entered. I would guess after this weekend it will be pretty quiet there.
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cool thanks for the info, I might call up there and make sure there is nothing scheduled during the week going into Easter :dontknow:
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I'm thinking of doing a day trip one day next week. I can't believe that Alamo is not going to go yet this spring.
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Great information, I am going to go to Alamo this Friday-Day Off-Yahoo
Tested my little engine Saturday, cranked right up, trolling motor won't work, bad switch I think
Anyway, I'm going try my luck-would like to fry up a few Crappie when I get home
Thanks
oldazcoach
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One more thing, I live in Buckeye
How long can I expect it to take me to get to the Cholla Launch
I have never driven over there before!
I'll leave whatever time I need to get there by 5-ish Friday morning, when sun come up
Thanks again
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It took 2hrs from Goodyear. Pebble Creek Pkwy and McDowell. There is a fair amount of 2 lane road with less than ideal speed limits that time can be made or lost. Just watch out for cows and sheep. Mostly open range.
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Should be about 1.5 - 2 hr drive from Goodyear.
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slight chance of thunderstorms with rain this weekend, be careful for a small lake alamo can get rockin in the wind. Lake very quiet yesterday but be careful on that salome road especially before day light can be lots of animals on the road and there are dips where you won't see them till you right up on them.
There were burros all over the road last night including two herds way out 20 miles from the lake also quite a few cattle out on the road, again be careful when you are driving in on the alamo lake road from Wenden.
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Thanks for the info, I'll be real careful on the drive from Wenden
I just would like to get on the water right before the sun comes up
heading to cabella's for some crappie tackle, jigs and such!
Any recommendations other than the what the other nice folks on this board have said.
Thanks :sign0144:
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My significant other now wants to camp Friday night, instead of a short day trip
I'm good, fish Friday when I get there into evening and Saturday morning, won't have to drive early and in the dark!
Is tent camping good here? I'm used to camping up north on rim!
Any suggestions for which part of the park!
Thanks
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You reserve sites on the Alamo web page,. The site you want will depend on if you want power/water. The website lists amenities with each site. They also sell minnows at the ranger Stanton.
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You reserve sites on the Alamo web page,. The site you want will depend on if you want power/water. The website lists amenities with each site. They also sell minnows at the ranger Stanton.
ya the state parks store has ice, minnows, permits, and some fishing tackle etc. As wadefisherman has said different levels of amenities at the different camp grounds at the lake (and they were not very busy) all have a nice restroom, some have showers etc. or remote camp up lake above the cholla ramp and that area was real quiet you could set up a tent right next to the water :dontknow:
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If I decided to save a few bucks and camp remote, can I launch this 12' aluminum from the shore pretty easily, like back my pick up to shore without any issues.
I looked at another website and saw some pics of boats tied up to some older trees sticking up
Are these still there, and if so where? Looking for CRAPPIE!!!!!!
Also, I'm bringing coleman lantern and propane stove to cook up a few things, what's the firewood situation for small fire Friday night.
I'm real excited about fishing this desert lake!
Thanks - oldazcoach - BTW, I coached football for 25 years, still teach. :thumbsup:
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About the fire, I would call the campground host. I heard on the radio that fire restrictions were going into effect today.
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Just called the ranger station and they DO NOT have fire restrictions right now. I will be out there this weekend. Hopefully make it for the evening fishing but looks unlikely with work.
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If I decided to save a few bucks and camp remote, can I launch this 12' aluminum from the shore pretty easily, like back my pick up to shore without any issues.
I looked at another website and saw some pics of boats tied up to some older trees sticking up
Are these still there, and if so where? Looking for CRAPPIE!!!!!!
Also, I'm bringing coleman lantern and propane stove to cook up a few things, what's the firewood situation for small fire Friday night.
I'm real excited about fishing this desert lake!
Thanks - oldazcoach - BTW, I coached football for 25 years, still teach. :thumbsup:
some wood laying around the hold high water mark (drift wood) not much other wood around mostly creasote and palo verde type trees still alive, don't break off wood from standing trees near the lake or on the water that is fish habitat when the lake goes back up, you can launch easy off many of the shoreline up lake remote camping gravel sandy shore line
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Well I made it to Alamo Friday, got late start because of my significant other (Imagine that-LOL)
Got tent up and the wind picked up significantly, didn't get boat out
Got on water around Sat morning, used jigs and such by stick ups no luck
Son in law and his son showed around 9:00, they went our with no crappie but he id land a 2 lb large mouth
Had a great time
Thanks for the info guys