Beaver Lake permit

[bassmanic1]

Hey guys - got vacation coming up on the 14th and I have heard that Beaver Lake by Jasper is good for crappie . My Sportsman Guide says you need a launch permit to use the ramp & its available at the Jasper park & rec. Anyone know where it is & what the hours are ? How much is it ? Also , any hotspots for crappie ? Tight lines .

[raporter]

I have caught lots of crappies there but can't say that much about their size. There are some decent redears and gills there. If the water is down by then Patoka would be my choice for crappies. There will probably be a guy at the ramp you can pay is your just fishing for the day or if no one is there go for it.

[MissinTheFishin]

I can try to get the number of the guy that handles that. You really dont want to just "go for it" as the Jasper City owns that and the police train there quite often. The launce fee is for the year and its a sticker for the boat. Its easy to spot if you dont have one.
At times there is a guy there at the ramp. If you are there on a weekend you should be in luck.
I caught a nice little bit of them yesterday after work. So barring more rain it should be fine.

[zeke]

I think their not letting boats on beaver lake right because of the high water.

[MissinTheFishin]

I was there Sunday and MOnday.
There werent a lot of boats but they allowed them.
Beaver lake in Jasper has a spillway so its about at normal level right now where as Patoka is still super high.

I think their not letting boats on beaver lake right because of the high water.

[MissinTheFishin]

I called the parks department and you can pick one up there Monday through Friday. She said they were in from 7:30 in the morning till about 4 in the afternoon.
Here is the address.

1301 St. Charles Street
When you are in jasper follow the main road out towards Ireland. After the stop light at the top of the hill keep going straight till you get to the next light. At that light turn right and go till you hit the stop sign. The parks department is on the corner.

Hope that helps. On the weekends there is a guy at the ramp sometimes.
Good luck.

[bassmanic1]

Hey guys , thanks for all the info . The only problem I have is having to buy another permit sticker for my boat when I may only fish the lake once . Any of the state lake , including Patoka , require the $20 launch sticker so I might as well go fish Patoka . I went out to a friends Tuesday morning and couldnt get any crappie to bite . The bass are active and easy to catch but ol dad wants some fillets ! All my crappie holes are high & stained but hopefully the crappie will start a spawning run next week and be a little easier to find .
Tight lines

[MissinTheFishin]

An even better reason to try beaver over patoka with the water levels right now.

[raporter]

An even better reason to try beaver over patoka with the water levels right now.

Do you catch many "good" crappies out of Beaver? Most I have caught are on the small side. On the "go for it" you are probably right. That is just what one of the folks that live there told us.

[MissinTheFishin]

I have caught a few good ones out there. I have caught enough keepers to have several good meals. I haven't caught many of the big boys that could almost be decent sized bass, but many 1 to one and a half pounders. Thats not too bad in my book.

Do you catch many "good" crappies out of Beaver? Most I have caught are on the small side. On the "go for it" you are probably right. That is just what one of the folks that live there told us.

[raporter]

Yep, those are good ones. I have only fished it a few times and mostly for gills and redears. ended up catching several nice cats on small jigs and beemoths.