# Reelfoot Lake in Tenn.



## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

Thinking about going down there for the Crappie fishing this spring and was looking for some advise on when and where to get me started. I have my own boat and all the gear I need to fish there but just need some info on the fishing times and proxsimities. 

Thanks in advance


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## FishermanMurph (Jan 29, 2012)

When you thinking of going down there? Group of us are heading down there the last weekend of April, mostly for bass though. There's a cheap book from Amazon that' pretty good on basic info: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Reelfoot-Lake-Crappie-Bluegills-Catfish-ebook/dp/B00B74RYAW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422234274&sr=8-1&keywords=reelfoot+lake"]Amazon.com: Reelfoot Lake: How to Fish for Crappie, Bass, Bluegills and Catfish and Hunt for Ducks eBook: John E. Phillips: Kindle [email protected]@[email protected]@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/[email protected]@[email protected]@517D96Lao9L[/ame]

Seems April-May is the best time for crappie.


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## Skip2myalou (Apr 2, 2013)

shallow lake with lots of stumps and timber. be careful.

Great time to be down there tho, spider rig off front of the boat. I like slow that time of year. .4-.6 mph with livebait. Give them time to smoke up. Big Big slabs in Reelfoot


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Considering the fact that I hit 9 stumps in three days, I wouldn't think of taking my boat down there. You might think about staying at one of the marina camps that supply nice accommodations plus a boat with motor and fresh bait every morning. We stayed at Cypress Point, had great rooms, a 16ft Jon boat complete with new 8hp motor and bait bucket. Boat was cleaned up every night and ready to go every morning. There wasn't any charge for motor damage. Good restaurants close by. Guide service was acceptable price wise.


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

FishermanMurph said:


> When you thinking of going down there? Group of us are heading down there the last weekend of April, mostly for bass though. There's a cheap book from Amazon that' pretty good on basic info: Amazon.com: Reelfoot Lake: How to Fish for Crappie, Bass, Bluegills and Catfish and Hunt for Ducks eBook: John E. Phillips: Kindle Store
> 
> Seems April-May is the best time for crappie.


From what I've seen so far, thinking about 2nd or 3rd week of April.


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## buzz94111 (Jul 9, 2013)

I will be there for the first time for a week, ending may 4th. Hope to fill the cooler with lots of gills. Staying at the eagles nest. I also would enjoy any info anyone has about the place. Taking the wife and 6 year old, so i hope to find some fish


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

I plan on taking my own boat and all and now thinking 3rd or 4th week. Just need to find an ideal, close to the action, place to stay.

Pops


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## rutty (Feb 5, 2007)

I am with Shortdrift, I would not take my own boat. I have been there many of times, in 1 day a group went thru 3 lower units from stumps. Sometimes you sit on top of stumps and just go in circles because you can't get off of them. I always stay at Blue Bank. They are great people, good food, good cabins and close to the fish.




Popspastime said:


> I plan on taking my own boat and all and now thinking 3rd or 4th week. Just need to find an ideal, close to the action, place to stay.
> 
> Pops


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## fished-out (Dec 20, 2005)

Popspastime said:


> I plan on taking my own boat and all and now thinking 3rd or 4th week. Just need to find an ideal, close to the action, place to stay.
> 
> Pops


I know you think it's being overstated, but there's not a lake like this one anywhere in the state of Ohio. This lake's stumps will do some serious damage. I once took a trolling motor with me and put it on one of their boats--and broke the trolling motor (sheared the break away pin). The water is usually stained, many times brown from the tanin, and you CAN'T seem them until you hit them.


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## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

fished-out said:


> I know you think it's being overstated, but there's not a lake like this one anywhere in the state of Ohio. This lake's stumps will do some serious damage. I once took a trolling motor with me and put it on one of their boats--and broke the trolling motor (sheared the break away pin). The water is usually stained, many times brown from the tanin, and you CAN'T seem them until you hit them.


Are the Reelfoot stumps worse than Fletcher's pond in Alpena Mi?

I scouted reelfoot a few summers ago and the part I checked out looked and felt more like the everglades. HOTTT and Sticky!!!


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

WOW that sounds pretty bad.. And if I rent they don't charge for any damage? I just find that hard to believe?

Pops


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## Milky (May 30, 2014)

If you decide not to take your own boat the rentals have to be back in before dark. I took my own and it is an aluminum boat and I hit a few stumps and even busted a prop but I had a spare. We crappie fished during the day and went in the Cypress trees at night and caught bluegills. We had the whole lake to ourselves at night. This was before a good steady warming in the Spring. When it gets warm you might have a cottonmouth in the boat with you fishing the Cypress trees!


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## fished-out (Dec 20, 2005)

saugmon said:


> Are the Reelfoot stumps worse than Fletcher's pond in Alpena Mi?
> 
> I scouted reelfoot a few summers ago and the part I checked out looked and felt more like the everglades. HOTTT and Sticky!!!


I think they are. If you don't know the channels at Reelfoot, you WILL hit stumps, and you WILL break things, even if you're only moving at slow speeds. Don't even think about opening it up. I've seen some fan boats moving pretty well, but if you've got a prop....


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## fished-out (Dec 20, 2005)

Popspastime said:


> WOW that sounds pretty bad.. And if I rent they don't charge for any damage? I just find that hard to believe?
> 
> Pops


No charge that I know of; I took the electric so I could move through the stumps, pads, etc, quietly the way I'm used to and so that I had a chance to get home if the motor quit on me or I damaged it, and a portable sonar as well, although that won't do you much good most places. That's how I broke the electric--sheared the pin on the gas motor (rental), then broke the electric trying to get back. Paddled the rest of the way, grateful that the wind was at my back. They never blinked an eye, just put another motor on the boat.


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## fished-out (Dec 20, 2005)

Milky said:


> I took my own and it is an aluminum boat and I hit a few stumps and even busted a prop but I had a spare. We crappie fished during the day and went in the Cypress trees at night and caught bluegills. We had the whole lake to ourselves at night. This was before a good steady warming in the Spring. When it gets warm you might have a cottonmouth in the boat with you fishing the Cypress trees!


Yep, sounds about right--take extra everything mechanical if you take your own. And them big snakes LOVE to sun themselves on the docks. Had to step over a few.  Going under the cypress trees, I was ALWAYS looking up to make sure one was going to drop in for a visit.

If you're just going crappie fishing, I'd think about KY Lake instead. There's a REASON those 3-4 day trips on Reelfoot with boat motor room and bait are so cheap....the fishing can be good, but the weather can suck when the wind starts blowing, taking your own boat is a major risk, and alot of folks who go once or twice never return to the lake.


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## rutty (Feb 5, 2007)

Popspastime said:


> WOW that sounds pretty bad.. And if I rent they don't charge for any damage? I just find that hard to believe?
> 
> Pops



Blue Bank Resort does not charge you anything for damage, they expect it. they came out on the lake and gave us another boat so we could continue fishing and they took the broken boat in, it would barely move the prop was just spinning. It took them hours to get in. They are all great people over there. They have a real nice restaurant bar if you don't feel like cooking your own food. Free pool table, hot tub, swimming pool if you want.

It is the only way to go.


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## rutty (Feb 5, 2007)

I would say Reelfoot is twice as bad as Fletcher's. 





saugmon said:


> Are the Reelfoot stumps worse than Fletcher's pond in Alpena Mi?
> 
> I scouted reelfoot a few summers ago and the part I checked out looked and felt more like the everglades. HOTTT and Sticky!!!


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Went to Rreelfoot for four days and were only able to fish two and a half days due to high winds. Brought home a nice bunch of crappie fillets and was ready for a good fry. Well, if you like cypress flavored crappie meat, have at it. Gave the fillets away to family members and all replied that the meat had a "different" taste. I know it is always fun to go to a new lake and region but I firmly believe there are several lakes throughout Ohio that offer excellent Spring crappie fishing. 
Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoyed the stay and fishing at Reelfoot but wouldn't go back based on the uncertainty of the wind and the poor tasting fish. Maybe Kentucky Lake is better wind protected and has better fish flavor.


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

Shortdrift..
Interesting statements on the fish taste and such, there's probably a lot to that. I really have no problem in Ohio taking my share of slab crappies. When Mosquito gets going every year I just pound them for 2 months. There is no other lake I know of that gives up so many slabs year after year. I'm usually off that lake by 10 am every time I go.
I just want to jumpstart my season early by hitting some southern lakes such as Reelfoot that are known for their crappie. Someone mentioned Kentucky Lake,, that may be another option as well. 
I really don't like the idea of tearing up a motor at all, even if its theirs. And if the wind is a spring problem that's a whole other issue. 
Now that I'm totally retired now I can go do these things, so I'd just like to try different lakes.

Pops


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## fished-out (Dec 20, 2005)

Then go to Ky Lake. If you do decide to go Reelfoot, try staying on the north side somewhere. At least you'll got a shot when the winds blow. On the south side, the winds will pound so much that those little boats and those stumps will make you pucker if you decide to go out. Most people just hunker down when that happens. Not unusual to lose a day or two out of a 3-4 day trip in April.


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## Milky (May 30, 2014)

Just drive a couple more hours and hit Mississippi. Miss has several of the top 10 Crappie lakes in the country within a 1-hr of each other. Mid March down there is spider rigging and 1st of April get the jig pole out. You could wipe a bunch a new lakes off your list.


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