I’ve been fishing Bull Shoals for a long time. I don’t ever remember catching this many crappie in a stretch. This weekend — May 15 through 17 — has been something else.
About 80% are throwbacks. Too small right now, but here’s the thing: those fish will be legal by fall. What I’m seeing out there isn’t just a good day, it’s a healthy lake doing what a healthy lake does. The small ones are everywhere shallow. The keepers are holding just below them. Go heavier than you think on the weight, punch your minnows or jigs past the dinks near the surface, and the slabs are down there waiting. 10 AM to 2 PM has been the window; steady, rod-bending action, not just a morning flurry.
The 20% that are legal, they’ve been nice. Real nice. That fish in the photo was bigger than most any crappie I catch. As much as I wanted to put her in the cooler, I let her go. She’s good for the crappie population.
Three walleye showed up in the crappie spread across the weekend, all under the 18-inch legal limit, so all three went back. Bull Shoals has always carried a strong walleye population, plenty of them in this lake, and seeing three sub-legal fish in one weekend spread is exactly the kind of sign that tells you the lake is doing it right. Those fish will be legal size before you know it.
Nights have been a different show entirely. Lights, live minnows, and the gar moved in like they owned the place. Six hooked over two nights, hooks lost too many to count. If you’re running lights on Bull Shoals right now perhaps plan to donate tackle.
- Air Temp: 86°F Friday, feels like 87 — overcast, SSW wind 8–13 mph, gusts to 19
- Humidity: 44% — comfortable on the water
- Barometric Pressure: 29.08″ and holding stable through Friday; slight drop ahead of weekend weather system
- Bull Shoals Pool: 655.57 ft Friday, holding steady at 655.47–655.55 ft through the weekend
- Dam Releases: Quiet through Friday midday (678 CFS carryover only). Bull Shoals fired Friday afternoon — peaked near 16,700 CFS around 6 PM. Saturday afternoon release scheduled 4–7 PM. River fishermen below the dam watched two separate water pulses move through the weekend.
- Moon: Waning Crescent / New Moon window — dark nights, lights working well
- Water Temp: Spring-warm, crappie in active spawn/post-spawn transition — which explains everything you’re seeing out there
Three walleye showed up in the crappie spread across the weekend, all under the 18-inch legal limit, so all three went back. Bull Shoals has always carried a strong walleye population, plenty of them in this lake, and seeing three sub-legal fish in one weekend spread is exactly the kind of sign that tells you the lake is doing it right. Those fish will be legal size before you know it.
Capt. Bill and his bot, Billy | Create.Buzz Houseboat | Diamond City, AR