# Hurricane Lake - question



## FishWalton

Does anyone know if Hurricane Lake holds crappie? Was reading the FWC website on the lake and crappie are not mentioned as a stocked fish. Somewhere along the way I thought I had read on the forum that crappie are there,but not sure.


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## Donut slayer

I'd like to know too. Lake Stone has a very good crop of crappie, but Ive never been able to catch any.


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## Try'n Hard

I know they are in bear lake but haven't heard of any big catches since the days of the air generators. Never heard of any from hurricane


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## jonscott8

IDK about Hurricane but I was at Bear lake this past weekend and talking with one of park guys collecting the fees at the pay station. He said he's been hearing people catching hybrid bass and crappy. My son and I didnt catch squat in the 2 hours there & 2 old guys on the pier said they didnt catch anything either.


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## FishWalton

*Crappie at Hurricane*

Ended up calling the Fish Hatchery over that way and they said Hurricane does have crappie. That's a good size lake to handle with just an electric motor when you are searching, but will give it a shot tomorrow and see how it goes.


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## Donut slayer

fishwalton said:


> Ended up calling the Fish Hatchery over that way and they said Hurricane does have crappie. That's a good size lake to handle with just an electric motor when you are searching, but will give it a shot tomorrow and see how it goes.


good to know, thanks.


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## Try'n Hard

In about two weeks the big momma bass will begin to get on the bed at hurricane. Every year I think about going after one of those 15#ers like when I was young, been about twenty years since I spent a whole night on that lake throwing a black lizard at a stick of bamboo in the dark. Haha. Those were the days!! Saw an easy 15#er one night that would never bite and hung a good 12#er that threw the hook 10 seconds into the fight. Did catch a nice 8#er in March once. I love hurricane but i think you have to fish there every week for a couple of years to figure out the fishing. Good luck and let us know how it goes!


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## FishWalton

*Bum Information*

It seems I received incorrect information about crappie in Hurricane. Called the Fish Hatchery the other day and the lady who answered said Hurricane had crappie, but I think the phone actually forwarded my call to some other office and who answered said they answered calls for the Hatchery. Said Hurricane had crappie. Appears it isn't so!

Went this morning for first time. Beautiful lake. Never found any crappie long-lining nor a bunch on the sonar. Partner caught one small bass. 3 boats on the lake.

Spoke with the southern campground Host who has been there about 18 months and he was a wealth of information about how to fish the lake in the coming spring. He said there are NO crappie in Hurricane. Sounds more feasible since crappie are not mentioned on the FWC website about Hurricane.

Also learned while camping has a fee there is no fee for launching and fishing, but Host said the word is that will be a fee sometime down the road. Some state lakes are already charging a launch and fishing fee. 

Learned last spring the bream and bass bite were awesome. Bream started about mid March and bass a little earlier. 

Plan to go back soon and often as possible. It sure will take some time to learn that lake. Fished it 20 years ago one time and remember many more stick-ups on west side of lake. Didn't go all th way up there but from what I could see they have disappeared from view.....may be underwater?


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## Try'n Hard

Hurricane has been a guinea pig lake for the FWC for years. I think FWC, along with state biologist and a Pensacola bass fishing club - thru the years - have all had negative impacts on Hurricane. Stocking shad, drawing down to kill weeds, fertilizing, the famous 18" bass size limit, and a few other interesting experiments have contributed to several fishless days for me at Hurricane... at least that's who I blame it on!


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## reelthrill

Brooks Hines lake has crappie.


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## Jason

fishwalton said:


> It seems I received incorrect information about crappie in Hurricane. Called the Fish Hatchery the other day and the lady who answered said Hurricane had crappie, but I think the phone actually forwarded my call to some other office and who answered said they answered calls for the Hatchery. Said Hurricane had crappie. Appears it isn't so!
> 
> Went this morning for first time. Beautiful lake. Never found any crappie long-lining nor a bunch on the sonar. Partner caught one small bass. 3 boats on the lake.
> 
> Spoke with the southern campground Host who has been there about 18 months and he was a wealth of information about how to fish the lake in the coming spring. He said there are NO crappie in Hurricane. Sounds more feasible since crappie are not mentioned on the FWC website about Hurricane.
> 
> Also learned while camping has a fee there is no fee for launching and fishing, but Host said the word is that will be a fee sometime down the road. Some state lakes are already charging a launch and fishing fee.
> 
> Learned last spring the bream and bass bite were awesome. Bream started about mid March and bass a little earlier.
> 
> Plan to go back soon and often as possible. It sure will take some time to learn that lake. Fished it 20 years ago one time and remember many more stick-ups on west side of lake. Didn't go all th way up there but from what I could see they have disappeared from view.....may be underwater?



I was told there is an ole bridge or some kinda structure (pilings) that actually went across the lake eons ago....I looked at googlemaps and thought you could barely see em. Now that I have a great GPS/FF on my newest sled, I'll be checking it out next time.

You go next time, hollar----I live 10 minutes from the lake....Right between Hurricane and Karick!


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## flounder1156

Fishwalton.....Lake Stone is your best bet for crappie.....of all the FWC managed lakes. A fair abundance of shad, are key ingredient for crappie.
Very few crappie have been reported from Bear Lake, I have not heard of any being taken from Hurricane Lake in years. .....no shad ,no crappie.


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## Mike Moore

I head to stone lake if targeting crappie. Long line 16th Oz jigs as slow as possible along the banks and in/out of the mouths of inlets.


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## RippinLips14

Flounder I seen that you work with the hatchery. Do the still have the youth fishing days? I had some great memories catching fish there when I was a young buck. Also what do you know about crappie on the Yellow River? I know they are there because I have caught a few bream fishing over the years, but wondered if the state stocks any occasionally.


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## Try'n Hard

Jason said:


> I was told there is an ole bridge or some kinda structure (pilings) that actually went across the lake eons ago....I looked at googlemaps and thought you could barely see em. Now that I have a great GPS/FF on my newest sled, I'll be checking it out next time.QUOTE]
> Pretty sure the bridge was on the E side of the lake close to the big oyster pile...It was a small bridge over the creek, when they flooded the lake it went about 10' under... there's a road that dead ends on the N and S sides close to that oyster bed - the road used to be connected but got blocked by the lake - the old bridge pilings were right in the middle


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## Jason

Try'n Hard said:


> Jason said:
> 
> 
> 
> I was told there is an ole bridge or some kinda structure (pilings) that actually went across the lake eons ago....I looked at googlemaps and thought you could barely see em. Now that I have a great GPS/FF on my newest sled, I'll be checking it out next time.QUOTE]
> Pretty sure the bridge was on the E side of the lake close to the big oyster pile...It was a small bridge over the creek, when they flooded the lake it went about 10' under... there's a road that dead ends on the N and S sides close to that oyster bed - the road used to be connected but got blocked by the lake - the old bridge pilings were right in the middle
> 
> 
> 
> That sounds like it....:thumbsup:
Click to expand...


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## flukedaddy

I would say the clay road camp and the pine tree camp site (primitive sites) back by the stumps... right


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## mikehh

*Hurricane Lake*

I fished that Lake for years. I caught some hammers there but boy are they far and few between. I don't know how in the hell the 18-inch size limit can be in place and still have a bass population completely void of fish between 14 and 18 inches. The fish are either 8 lbs or 12 inches. I watched a boat of three guys fishing with 6-inch trick worms one morning catch and release over 100 bass. Not a single keeper. Explain that please!!!

Some of the lakes I fish in other areas have slot limits and during the spring you see 3 to 7 lbers on beds regularly.

I have been there on Hurricane when the males and females are both on the beds doing their thing. I'm talking about 20 or thirty pairs of fish and not a single fish over two pounds.

Funny thing is, over on Karick Lake when it was catch and release only, the sizes were exactly the same..12 inchers and a few 8 plus girls now and then.

Sure would love to hear some improvements made in these lakes. The potential is there.


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## jcoss15

I call the bass at hurricane flip flops, when you set the hook they are so small they either fly over your head to the other side of the boat or go belly up and its like reeling in a flip flop across the surface. Its really sad how bad those lakes are for bass fishing. Bear has been dead ever since the dam broke after Ivan and Hurricane is just pitiful at times. Karrick can be decent at times (at least you can get a bite or two) and that is being nice..

Hurricane does how some monster shellcrackers though around the island towards the west side of the lake, they are worth messing with in the spring.


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## FishWalton

I don't fish those lakes but it sounds like to me there may be an over population of bass on some. Alabama has recognized this on their state lakes and they want all bass under 16 inches caught and removed....no limit on numbers. 
Florida is supposed to have a new regulation similar to this starting July 1st, but I don't think the last peg in the keg has been driven 
I suppose the idea is to improve the quality of bass overall by removing the small fish.
Over here on Juniper Lake I remember a tournament last spring that was a few weeks after the spawn. Fair number caught but I don't think any were much over 3 pounds...most were smaller.


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## flounder1156

RippinLips14 said:


> Flounder I seen that you work with the hatchery. Do the still have the youth fishing days? I had some great memories catching fish there when I was a young buck. Also what do you know about crappie on the Yellow River? I know they are there because I have caught a few bream fishing over the years, but wondered if the state stocks any occasionally.


RippinLips ...the children's fishing event which at the time was so popular( 11 years running ) is no longer being held at the Blackwater Fish Hatchery. 
With just 16 ponds for fingerling fish production and the youth fishing event taking up 4 of these ponds, along with the installation of liners over the ponds which are very slick causing a safety issue it was decided to cancel events.
Yellow river has a fair- good population of crappie ....local anglers target these during the fall ,winter ,early spring months.


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## flounder1156

mikehh said:


> I fished that Lake for years. I caught some hammers there but boy are they far and few between. I don't know how in the hell the 18-inch size limit can be in place and still have a bass population completely void of fish between 14 and 18 inches. The fish are either 8 lbs or 12 inches. I watched a boat of three guys fishing with 6-inch trick worms one morning catch and release over 100 bass. Not a single keeper. Explain that please!!!
> 
> Some of the lakes I fish in other areas have slot limits and during the spring you see 3 to 7 lbers on beds regularly.
> 
> I have been there on Hurricane when the males and females are both on the beds doing their thing. I'm talking about 20 or thirty pairs of fish and not a single fish over two pounds.
> 
> Funny thing is, over on Karick Lake when it was catch and release only, the sizes were exactly the same..12 inchers and a few 8 plus girls now and then.
> 
> Sure would love to hear some improvements made in these lakes. The potential is there.


New statewide Largemouth Bass regulations going into effect July 1 2016. Plans to do major work on the lakes is forth coming.


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## flounder1156

mikehh said:


> I fished that Lake for years. I caught some hammers there but boy are they far and few between. I don't know how in the hell the 18-inch size limit can be in place and still have a bass population completely void of fish between 14 and 18 inches. The fish are either 8 lbs or 12 inches. I watched a boat of three guys fishing with 6-inch trick worms one morning catch and release over 100 bass. Not a single keeper. Explain that please!!!
> 
> Some of the lakes I fish in other areas have slot limits and during the spring you see 3 to 7 lbers on beds regularly.
> 
> I have been there on Hurricane when the males and females are both on the beds doing their thing. I'm talking about 20 or thirty pairs of fish and not a single fish over two pounds.
> 
> Funny thing is, over on Karick Lake when it was catch and release only, the sizes were exactly the same..12 inchers and a few 8 plus girls now and then.
> 
> Sure would love to hear some improvements made in these lakes. The potential is there.


The 18'' minimum size limit on Black bass in Hurricane Lake has been lifted for two -three years.
New largemouth bass regulations go into effect starting July 1 2016..... those little bass are targets now.


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## Try'n Hard

flounder1156 said:


> New largemouth bass regulations go into effect starting July 1 2016..... those little bass are targets now.


Targets now or starting in July?


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## flounder1156

Try'n Hard said:


> Targets now or starting in July?


*July 1 2016 Largemouth Bass* only *5 fish limit* 
*No minimum size limit* ...that's right those 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12" fish are legal .* you can only posses 1 bass over 16*" :notworthy::notworthy:


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## born2fizh

What about the grass taking over the lakes?? Bear lake use to be my favorite lake to catch shell cracker and bluegill. Last year you couldn't even fish cause if the grass.


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## GatorBane

Granted..there are a lot of dinks in Hurricane. But if you fish the deeper structure you are going to find the quality fish. The west end has submerged timber and many stick ups. The road bed near the west end has probably the deepest hole (30') in the lake. Along the dam it drops to 25'. If you cruise and cast the shoreline all day, 12" bass will be all you catch.


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## flounder1156

GatorBane said:


> Granted..there are a lot of dinks in Hurricane. But if you fish the deeper structure you are going to find the quality fish. The west end has submerged timber and many stick ups. The road bed near the west end has probably the deepest hole (30') in the lake. Along the dam it drops to 25'. If you cruise and cast the shoreline all day, 12" bass will be all you catch.


Ding....Ding Ding..... we have a winner. :notworthy::notworthy::notworthy:
Big fish = Deep water.:thumbsup:


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## mikehh

*Good News*

Well that's the good news I was hoping for. It sure took them a long time to move on this. It is very evident that there is an overpopulation of dinks there. The foodsource to grow bigger than 12-inches is just not there. There are wild shiners in the lake, but probably not enough. If a fish does happen to live and feed in the areas where shiners are then they can make it over the hump and grow big enough to feed on the lake's main food source for giant bass; which I theorize is young bass!!! What else can they eat on a regular basis.


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