Lake Sampson and Lake Rowell

Panfish are abundant in these lakes and should be targeted near structure using earthworms, crickets, and grass shrimp. These lakes may not hold the numbers of crappie as a few other well-known lakes in the region, however anglers were catching impressive sizes in the fall. When targeting black crappie, focus your efforts offshore using minnows and jigs. Trolling and drifting are two effective methods for locating these fish. The key is to cover as much water as possible until you start catching fish. Once you find fish, stay on them until the action drops off. Experiment by fishing different water depths, lure depths, lure colors and boat speeds and use that information to duplicate your success in other areas of the lake. Anglers have traditionally done well while fishing near the bottom with jigs or minnows after they find the depth contours preferred by crappie on that day. The post-spawn period and warming temperatures should increase largemouth bass feeding activity and aggression. Bass anglers should throw soft plastic or topwater baits around nearshore vegetation. Look for birds diving or surface commotion to find schooling bass offshore. Approach these feeding schools with stealth, and you should be able to catch multiple fish before the action stops. Effective lures for schooling bass include shad or minnow imitators including spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and plugs. Submerged vegetation in Lake Rowell should provide a good target for bass anglers, and trophy bass have been reported in the past. Extensive offshore mats of hydrilla and southern naiad may impede boating and fishing access, so proceed with caution.