`Lake level is 704.97 with water temp in the upper 30's in the lower part of the lake.  The mid lake area is pretty clear. Watch for patches of ice early in the day and around the edges.  Be extra careful at the ramp sites. Crappie fishing is excellent right now with limits being taken pretty much all over the lake.  It's cold and windy but several days it was in the low to mid 50's just before this current cold s nap.  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we caught limits of crappie with lots of returns. Most all the crappie have been caught in the 12-16 foot  range in 20 feet of water or deeper.  Jigs with almost any color body are taking fish.  Caught a lot of white bass on the bottom in schools of shad.  Right now seems like crappie, whites and blue cats are feeding like crazy.  If you can brave the frigid temperatures you can get a limit in pretty short order.  We have been going out about 9:30 and fishing

Lake level is 705.53 with water temp in the upper 30's in the lower part of the lake.  The mid lake area is pretty clear. Watch for patches of ice early in the day and around the edges.  Be extra careful at the ramp sites. Needless to say, I've been in hibernation.  The main part of the lake has been pretty rough with the high winds except when the wind is out of the NW.  Then I can hide under the bare bank bluffs.  Of course, for some unknown reason my skin is not as thick as it was a few years ago.  Now that I have "wimped" a little, crappie fishing has been fair to good in the main lower lake area.  The little fish are hanging in schools in the tops of the trees 15-20 feet below the surface and the larger fish are scattered in the deeper trees and 20 foot brush piles. We were able to take this bunch from a brush pile half way back in a cove loaded with