TYLER, Texas — East Texas boasts some of the best Crappie fishing in the United States. And one of the premiere lakes is right here in East Texas.
We tagged along with Lake O' The Pines Crappie fishing guide, Marty Thomas to find out what makes Lake O' The Pines, the honey hole of Crappie fishing.
Thomas told us that lake O' The Pines has become a destination lake and it's helping the lake enjoy some beneficial economic impacts. But Thomas says it's not about the money.
“I guide trips because I just love takin’ people fishing. My primary goal is not to get 50 fish, my primary goal is for somebody to have a good time”, Thomas said.
Thomas describes Lake O' The Pines as a community of anglers. That means it's not about competition but rather cooperation. Thomas says he, and other guides; Drew Black, Seth Vanover, Clay Gann and Todd Froebe have a group text where they share information about, equipment, fishing spots and customers. Thomas says if he's booked he'll get on the group text and see if one of the other guides can take the group fishing.
If the name Marty Thomas sounds familiar it's because he writes the weekly Texas Parks and Wildlife Fishing report and posts regularly on his Facebook page.
I asked him what the key is to writing a fishing report and he says tell the truth, "When you look at a picture and I've got somebody holding up a fish smiling. Every time, every time, I'm going to say where I'm fishing, how deep I'm fishing, and what I'm fishing with."
On our recent trip with Thomas, he took us to a part of the lake called, Camp Joy. They should call it pure joy.
I landed a two and half pound Crappie that was hiding near a brush pile. That's the biggest Crappie I've ever caught and it was a pure joy to land it.
But guess what? We threw it back. Why? The fish was spawning and full of eggs. One of the main reasons for doing Hooked on East Texas is to teach and conservation of this great resource, so without hesitation, we put her back into Lake O' The Pines so she could produce more great fishing memories for someone else.
Crappie fishing has exploded in popularity over the last couple of years. Crappie are now the third most sought after fish in Texas. If you're hoping to land a few, now's the time to strike. The fish are really hitting.
But spawning season is coming to a close and soon, as temperatures continue to warm, the fish will head for other parts of the lake perhaps making it a little harder to find and catch.