By drifting over open water, he means just that. Anglers will launch their boats and let the wind, or their electric motors, move them over open, deep water. During this time, they’ll continually adjust their depth and keep a sharp eye on their depthfinders. Once they find a school of papermouths, they’ll hover over it until the bite slows. Then it’s time to repeat the process over again.

There are several boat-launching ramps around both of these pits. A regulation change in January of 2007 now allows anglers to use their gas-powered motors on these waters as long as they do not exceed idle speed.

Recent samplings in Loon Pit showed over half the crappies at 10 inches or better. Otter Pit is believed to be similar. “I don’t see any reason that Otter shouldn’t be as good as Loon. They both have benefited from relatively light fishing pressure in the past. That may change, however. Since the new boat regulations (allowing gas motors) have been in effect, we’ve seen a lot more anglers on these waters,” Carnahan said.

Both pits are only 10 minutes off I-64. For up-to-the-minute conditions, contact District 7 at (812) 789-2724.

HARDY LAKE
Hardy Lake, once called Quick Creek Lake, is located in Scott and Jefferson counties, about six miles east of Austin. That’s in the southeast corner of the state.

Though Hardy Lake is small at only 741 acres, don’t let that fool you. It’s full -- absolutely packed full -- of big, fat crappies. It’s one of the best, if not the best, lake in the state for both numbers and size of its papermouths.

As far back as 2003, this body of water has been a producer. A creel survey taken during that year shows an amazing number of respectable size fish being harvested. From April 1 through Oct. 31, there were over 12,000 crappies caught on hook and line. Their average length was 9.3 inches, with a size range between 5.5 and 14.5 inches. In 2005, a 13-inch, 1.42-pound black was trap netted by the DFW.

This heavyweight population shows no signs of slowing down. DFW studies from 2007 follow the same pattern. In April and May, creel survey results establish a size range of harvested crappies from 5.5 to 14 inches with an average of 9.1. In June and July, the average size is 8.6 inches. And even in August and September, the average holds firm at 8.6 inches.

Those are solid numbers. The size drop as the summer wears along is normal. In fact, the size drop on Hardy is less than in most lakes. It speaks volumes about the high quality of this fishery.

As you might guess, there are thousands of brushpiles and other attractors in this crappie hotspot. These areas will hold most of the fish, except during the spawn. This pattern is fairly consistent across the seasons except during the spawn when, like all other crappies, they move shallow.

The brushpiles are easy enough to find with a depthfinder, or if you don’t have one, watch the other boats and fish their spots after they leave. Hardy Lake crappies tend to turn on and off for reasons known only to them. Fishing behind another boat is rarely a problem.

Fishing for crappies is easy enough, too. By far the most popular technique is to dunk a minnow under a bobber. You don’t need anything fancy. A hook, a minnow, a couple of split shots and a bobber will usually fill your stringer.

There are several improved launch ramps around the lake. They’ll handle just about any fishing boat. For current information on Hardy, call District 8 at (812) 358-4110.