Dr. Rodney Tittle, DMD, booked a guided crappie fishing trip on Sardis Lake with Mississippi Fishing Guide Barton Outfitters in Oxford, Miss., as a change of pace to the deep, clear water fishing he typically does on Smith Lake in Alabama.
“It’s 50 feet deep out in front of my dock. We typically cast to fish suspended above structure or around docks” Doc replied, when Oxford resident and full-time fishing guide Aaron Barton asked how they catch fish back home.
The group departed mid-morning and presented slow-trolled offerings of minnows and minnow tipped jigs. Surface temperatures had crept above 70 degrees, but fish were still holding in the 17 feet of water range and under.
Fish are mostly done spawning except for the ones in shaded areas of the lake with extreme canopy keeping water temps cooler than the prevailing temps elsewhere. Despite this, water temperatures aren’t quite high enough to drive the fish out into the main lake in 18-25+ feet of water, and can be caught as they stage preparing to move deep and chase shad in the coming warmer summer months.
In light of these patterns, Barton had Doc and his grandsons, Kyson, 8, and Keegan, 12, slow troll minnows in 10-15 feet of water, using active sonar to pursue larger fish that were holding at or near the bottom. Both young anglers were attentive and capable of taking instruction to be able to hook and land fish on rods that were four times longer than they were tall.
We love seeing parents and grandparents invest in the next generation of sportsmen and sportswomen by bringing kids on these trips. It makes that same fish or trip seem that much more special and exciting.
Aaron Barton
Barton Outfitters
469-763-1885
bartonoutfitters.com
huntfish@bartonoutfitters.com
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