Hi Coach D,
I read a comment you wrote inquiring about Lake Johnson. I fish Johnson several times a week, and being seven minutes away, I love it! Its relatively old compared to the larger reservoirs around here and the fish population is very consistent and established. This years Spring Bass Tournament was won with five fish weighing over twenty pounds, which impresses me for a 150 acre lake. Catching Crappie is easy (but not too easy) if you rent a john boat for a few bucks an hour. I regularly pull out 12 inch-plus Crappie, not because I'm a phenomenal fisherman, but because they live there. I catch more fish with a Rebel Crickhopper or Caterpillar than any other lure on this lake in particular. The blue gills eat up small spinners like the beatlespins. The largest bass I've ever caught on Johnson was 5.8, but I've seen 7 pounders pulled out and pictures of larger--up to 9 lbs. For some reason I have better luck with small lures catching bigger fish. Every bass I've caught over 4 pounds in Johnson was with a 4 inch fry worm in chartreuse, pumpkin green, or blue flakes, on either Carolina rigs or shaky head jigs. Don't be afraid to fish shallow water, especially if there are alot of people on the water. I mean real shallow, throwing a weedless rig onto the shore and letting in fall in. The fish will bite in inches of water! I don't do as much cat-fishing there, but last Sunday I watched my buddy Mike pull one in on a crank bait, again in shallow water, that was nearly 30 inches. I'm surprised at how often catfish hit artificial bait in this lake. I hope this helps you.
Crappiedude