Bank fishing by the marina ramp... anybody still having luck this time of year?

Saw a post on Reddit a while back where somebody said the cove right next to the Fairfield Bay Marina boat ramp, down by the public fishing sign and the stairs, is a good place to fish from the bank. Walleye, hybrid stripers, crappie and bass all got named. That person was out there in November though, so I don't know how it holds up in April...

My grandson is up for a week and wants to catch something off the bank. I'm not much of a boat man anymore, so bank it is. But my neighbor has a little jon boat we could borrow if the fish aren't cooperating from shore.

A few things I'm hoping somebody who fishes it regularly can tell me:

- How's the lake level looking right now? Seems up some to me but I'm no expert on that.
- Which ramp around Greers Ferry is the easiest to launch from? Marina ramp, or somewhere else that's less of a headache...
- Which coves are holding fish this time of year? I'd guess crappie are up shallow but I'd rather hear it from someone who's been out.

Gear is covered. I picked up a decent rod and reel combo at a yard sale Saturday for six dollars... just need to know where to stand. Thanks in advance.

I'm not a fisherman, so take this for what it's worth. I walk down by the marina a few mornings a week and there are usually a couple of folks on the bank near the stairs with a bobber out. Can't tell you what they're catching, but they seem to stick around, so something must be biting.

The lake looks up to me too, but I'm only eyeballing it. The folks at the marina store would know the real number and which coves are producing right now. Those stairs can get slick after a rain, so watch your grandson's footing.

Six dollars for a rod and reel is a great yard sale find. Hope he catches something!

Second the marina store, they'll know more than Reddit does. And it's April, so check the radar before you take a kid down those stairs. We've had enough rain lately that the lake level is probably not the same as it was last week.

Six bucks for a rod is a steal though, I can't even get a decent trowel for that at the farmers market.

Thanks both... I'll stop in at the marina store before we head down and ask about the lake level and where the crappie are sitting. Should've thought of that first instead of asking the internet.

Good point on the stairs. I'll make him hold the rail, and if it's rained the night before we'll skip it and try the jon boat instead. He's 9 and thinks he's invincible...

Alyssa, you watch, next yard sale season I'll keep an eye out for a trowel for you. Usually run across one in the box of mismatched tools for a dollar or two. I'll report back on whether he catches anything or just feeds the bait to the bluegill.

Did you ever get down there with your grandson? I've been by the marina a couple of mornings since you posted and the bank near the stairs has had a few folks out, but I wasn't close enough to see what anyone was pulling in.

Hope the marina store pointed you to something good. And if the bluegill got the bait, a 9 year old will still count that as a catch. Let us know how it went.

Haven't seen Cedric report back yet, but if he went when the water was warming up, he picked a good time. Late April the crappie come up shallow around brush and rocks, and a small minnow under a bobber is about all a 9 year old needs. Bluegill will take a worm all day too, so the kid's going to catch something either way.

I've stood on that bank near the stairs a few mornings myself. Go early, before the boats start coming down the ramp. Keisha's right about the stairs after rain, they get slick.

Cedric, if you got into some crappie, let us know. I've got a smoker that needs something besides pork butts.

Ha, Wayne's really just recruiting a 9 year old to fill his smoker. Smoked crappie sounds good though, I'd buy a plate.

Took my niece down to the marina bank last spring and we got nothing but bluegill on worms, she was thrilled anyway. Agree on going early, by 10 or so there's a line of trucks and trailers at the ramp and it gets kinda hectic around the stairs.

Cedric, curious how it went... even if it was all bluegill