Plentiful sunshine. High near 100F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

A mostly clear sky. Low 78F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.

SERVING OVER 16,000 HOUSEHOLDS THROUGHOUT ROCKWALL COUNTY

Left, guide Brandon Sargent and Mike Hall, manager of Sapphire Bay Marina show one of the many crappie landed on a recent trip with Luke Clayton at Lake Ray Hubbard.

Left, guide Brandon Sargent and Mike Hall, manager of Sapphire Bay Marina show one of the many crappie landed on a recent trip with Luke Clayton at Lake Ray Hubbard.

  As guide Brandon Sargent eased his big guide boat out of the breakwaters at Sapphire Bay Marina on Lake Ray Hubbard, the sun was just beginning to light up the eastern sky.

  Mike Hall, the manager of the marina, and I were eagerly anticipating the red-hot crappie bite Brandon and his customers had been enjoying the past few days. Our plan was to get on the water early while the temperature was still pleasant, catch our fish and be back at dock my mid morning.

  As we motored across the lake to one of Brandon’s many crappie hotspots, my mind began to rewind back to the days when I and Lake Ray Hubbard were young. As a transplanted kid from the country, my family and I moved to Mesquite in the early 60s and by the mid 60s, when Ray Hubbard was under construction, I would ride my scooter to the lake, single-shot shotgun tied over my back by a rope, to hunt squirrels in a patch of woods that has been under 20 feet of water since the lake filled.

  I later worked as a surveyor on the construction of the power plant and spent many fun-filled days with my young family fishing and boating on the lake. As a fledging outdoors writer, I fished with and wrote about well-known guides of the time such as Johnny Procell and Weldon Bonner.

  Lake Ray Hubbard and I go way, way back. I remember when there were only a couple of marinas on the lake in the early days, Chalet Bay up on the north end and Rockwall Marina mid-lake.

  As we approached our first fishing spot, I heard the big engine on Brandon’s boat shutting down and the craft eased to a stop a few yards out from shore. I was suddenly in the here and now instead of daydreaming of pleasant memories of decades past. It was go time and by the looks at all the crappie plotting on the graph, this was going to be good!

Brandon buried his face in his sonar and positioned us over what appeared to be a huge tree laying on the bottom in water about 20 feet deep.

  “Yesterday, we landed three limits of slab crappie from this one spot. Let’s see if they are still hungry,” said Brandon as we dropped live minnows into the huge school of crappie showing on the graph.

  There is something about an east wind that tends to put crappie on a “soft” bite and such was the case this morning. Maybe it wasn’t the east wind at all! We fishermen have devised all sorts of ways to justify the conditions we encounter on a day to day basis. Regardless the reason, rather than the aggressive strike of the previous day, crappie were nibbling and the only indication of a strike was usually a slight bounce of the rod tip. Thankfully, Brandon had rigged us with sensitive rods that allowed us to feel the very soft bite.

  After losing a few baits to these tentative biting fish, Mike and I picked up on the proper technique and began setting the hook the instant I felt the bite, Brandon began catching fish immediately!  Several times, the only indication of a biting fish was a slight movement of the line and a heavy feel which is difficult to describe with words. It’s just a slight tension on the line that indicates a fish has taken the bait and is holding it in its mouth, remaining stationary rather than swimming away.  

  Modern sonar is a marvelous thing and the Livescope on Brandon’s boat showed the fish below in real time. We could actually watch our minnows falling into the midst of what must have been hundreds or possibly thousands of crappie attracted by the cover provided by the big lay-down log. It stands to reason the bite would come hard and fast as crappie competed for an easy meal dropped into their midst but not so. Our minnows seldom got attacked when in the middle of the schools but the minute we pulled them up just a foot or so above the school, invariably two or three fish would swim up and one would take the bait.

  Timing is very important when actually watching a fish take your bait and making the hook set. Hand to eye coordination is taken to the next level. You are feeling the bite the exact instance you are watching the fish take your bait.

  The sensation is a bit weird, especially for a fisherman accustomed to setting the hook strictly by feel. With this advanced sonar, your brain is also registering what your eyes are seeing. I’ve fished with this live action sonar enough to simply watch the screen but not actually make the hook set until I feel the fish.  

  Brandon’s boat slip has all the comforts of home including running water, electricity and comfortable chairs to relax and fish from. While my guide was cleaning the catch, I set out a couple of the light crappie rigs to see what might be biting. I almost lost one rod but grabbed it just before it went into the water. Surely a big catfish had taken the bait and the light line didn’t even slow him down.

  This wasn’t my first time to fish with Brandon Sargent and his Lead Slingers Guide Service but it was my first time to join him at his new headquarters at Sapphire Bay Marina.  He also does white bass trips on Ray   Hubbard which are lots of fun but, when the crappie are on a steady bite as they are now, it’s time to stock the freezer!

  For more information on fishing at Ray Hubbard, contact Brandon Sargent, Lead Slingers Guide Service at 469-989 1010 or through the Marina www.sapphirebaymarina.com .

  Contact outdoors writer Luke Clayton at www.catfishradio.org

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