*We have fishing reports for 10 different lakes listed in Alphabetical order, scroll down the page to see them all*
report made 07/19/2011
Bull Shoals Lake:
(East): 84 degrees, high, dingy; all species slow.
Report provided by Bull Shoals Boat Dock:
The lake has is still between 687 and 688. If somebody finds the plug let me know. I will scuba dive to it and pull it or blow it up. LOL. There isn't any projection on when the lake will get back to normal. The last thing I heard on the radio from the Mt Home corps was " sometime at the end of the year". Well, that could be anytime. So, we just have to deal with all the water. There is a HUGE bright side to all of this. There are a zillion ba gillion ka zillion little tiny spawn fish out there. This lake should be full of fish for years to come. The visibility is not very good and never is when the lake is up with all the brush in it or when it starts to drop. So the diving isn't the best for vis but is very good for spearfishing. The divers are reporting tons and tons of fish in the brush. The fishing patterns are starting to change a little with the water temperature zooming up to the mid 80's on the surface.
1. Top water at sun up and sun down. There is an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening when this pattern will work. Spooks, flukes, pop r's, frogs, anything that runs on the surface.
2. As the day progresses the fish are going deeper to get out of the sun and warmer water. split shot a night crawler and work above the brush, retrieve a spoon above the brush, drag a jig-trailer through the brush.
3. Night fishing is HOT with slow retrieve of spinner baits in 5 to 20 feet of water. I am told this pattern is very productive.
4. Trolling bottom bouncers with night crawlers in 28 to 32 feet of water has been very productive for mostly walleye. Some people are catching a little of everything doing this.
The patterns below are also still working:
BASS - Soft plastic baits in 25 to 35 feet of water on the "old shoreline." This is where the brush stops and the old shoreline starts where the there is no brush. I think the hungry fish hang in this spot because its easy to catch their prey here. A lot of the stuff they eat will be in the brush and hard to get to, but anything that is on the old gravel no brush shoreline will be easier to catch. Try a variety or different baits and mix it up. Tube jigs, gitzits, 4 inch finesse worms, 5-7 inch plastic worms, french fry worms, lizards, brush hogs ect. Green pumpkin, cotton candy, brownish seem to be the best colors.
2. regular plastic worms with no weight in 0 to 10 feet of water in the brush. This pattern is a little harder to fish and takes heavy line but can be productive. Green pumpkin or bubble gum seem to be the best baits.
3. retrieve a spoon- sit a ways out from the shoreline and cast a spoon in and retrieve it back varying speeds and depths. Sometimes you want to let it hit the bottom. The last time the water was this high in 07-08, this pattern was catching all species of fish.
4. Spinner baits in colored water back in the creeks. Bright colored big bladed baits will catch largemouth in that dingy water.
5. Flippin a jig in the dirty water around the brush will catch bass in shallow water.
6. Minnow fishing with a split shot or jig and minnow is producing all species of fish, bass, walleye, crappie, white bass ect.
7 Drop shot a night crawler from 5 to 35 feet depending on the bank and structure. The standing trees out from the shoreline are a good place to try this and then the old shoreline in 25 to 35 feet of water.
8. Top water minnow looking baits are producing some fish - Flukes, spooks, pop r's, chug bugs, ect.
Walleye - Drop shot a night crawler from 25 to 35 feet depending on the bank and structure. The standing trees out from the shoreline are a good place to try this and then the old shoreline in 25 to 35 feet of water.
2. Split shot a night crawler and drift fish with in in 20 to 35 feet of water
3. Retrieve a spoon form the bank very slow
4. vertical jig a spoon
White Bass - cast some type of minnow bait on the gravel flats on the old shore line
2. night fishing under lights
Report provided by Davy Wotton:
OK guys let's get up to date with what's going on as of now!
As many of you will be aware of both lake levels are well below pool levels at this time, so flood control measure are not an issue. However, so far as SWP generations for power demand, they are. Therefore expect to see periods of zero generation and periods of high water, you will need to keep up to date both with predicted schedules and actual generations taking place at the time you choose to fish. Prior to the Artic conditions moving in, fishing has been very good indeed, particularly for the larger brown trout, be it drift, Streamer fishing, or low water wade fishing techniques.
Bull Shoals Trophy zone opened Monday, all be it l doubt few ventured out in this extreme cold to fish there!
Many will have a wish list for a Shad kill. No guarantee of that. There are a number of factors that have to come together for that to happen. Most assume that it is all related to low lake water temps in the low 40s. Granted that is one reason but there are many others. How generation periods have taken place, the cfs of water release, are shad in close proximity of the draw off points and so on. Generally if we do see a shad kill word gets around in a hurry.
Read the full report
Hello Fly Fishers!
Low water for both White and Norfork rivers. If there have been extended periods of low water and very low temps you may well find the fish lethargic and not too interested to feed. If during the day periods there is a few degrees of temperature rise odds are fish will feed for some period of time, as a rule midges will be on the menu and possibly BWO.
Typically when trout are lethargic they will not chase food source, therefore you need to focus on having your fly at the right depth with a good dead drift. Choices of fly should include midge pupa in sizes 16 to 22, white tails, prism, Rs2, zebra and the new craze shimmer midges in colors of black, red, gray, olive/gray, with and without bead heads. Add to this list both sowbugs and scuds in sizes 16 and 18.
If fish are seen surface feeding then opt for midge emergers and micro dries, a Adams is a great choice as is the Baby Sun fly. Midge in the above colors in sizes 18 to 22. To effect good drifts use long leader systems with micro size indicators. extend from a regular 9ft tapered leader at least 3ft or more of 5 /6 x, you may have to reduce to 7x in the case of using flies smaller that size 22.
Small soft hackles fished dead drift under a indicator may also catch at this time, likewise very slow crawl retrieves. If water temps are good then this opens up more options for fishing streamers, woolly buggers, soft hackles.
If fishing high water flows options will be. If close to Bull shoals Dam zone first give a white fly a wetting, white streamers or Jigs. If there is no interest, and if there is you should know this in a very short time then change to dead drift techniques with combinations of San Juan and Dynamite worms, coupled with white, prism, zebra style midges, soft hackles may also be a choice here at this time. Eggs may also be a option at this time.
Within the Bull Shoals zone at this time there are good number of trophy browns and way better than average Bows. From State park downstream for the White there are good numbers of stock rainbows as well as good numbers of browns. Here again cold water may influence the bite on any given day. Look for the slower deeper water zones, fish close into shorelines.
If there is a shad kill early on as a rule both surface fished flies and dead drift at depth will nail fish until they have bulked with food or wised up. Simply the deal is to be there when it happens, all be it if there is good generation odds are fish will still be looking for shad, fishing shad flies at this time can also be killer.
Other than that best options will be dead drift with worms, midge and egg combinations. If conditions are dull and overcast then make sure one of your flies is hi vis, pink, orange, red and white jigs are good choices at times.
If overhead light is good then try a dead drift olive woolly bugger, often this can be the downfall of a big Brown.
Streamer fishing may also be well worth trying. During high water big fish will hug tight into shorelines. Most times a class 4 sink tip is a good option or a full sink line. The deal is simply to have your fly more or less hit the water line at the bank and then strip it away. Odds are if there is a good fish in the zone he will nail it in a hurry. The longer the fish sees your fly the less likely he is to take it. the vast majority of fish will nail your fly within 3 to 5ft off the bank. It is very difficult to say what would be the best choice of fly for any day, its one of those deals you have to figure out, unless you have particular flies that you know as a rule will work. My choices are Zoo Cougars as number ones, followed by sculpin patterns, in sizes from 3 to 5 ins. Do not fish light leaders. I use as a rule from the fly line a 2ft butt of 20lb to that l add 2 to 4 ft of 12 lb. Lien diameter will make no difference when fishing this way.
OK, guys. It's very cold out there on the water so stay safe. The last thing you need is to get wet!
Tight lines all
Davy.
Clearwater Lake:
Water is 85 degrees, high, dingy; largemouth bass fair on topwater and plastic baits; all other species slow.
Lake of the Ozarks:
(Bagnell Tailwater): 80 degrees, normal, dingy; crappie slow, try minnows and crappie jigs; black bass slow, try worms, crankbaits, crappie jigs and light colored soft plastics; white bass fair on light colored soft plastics and crappie jigs; catfish fair on crayfish, worms, cut shad and chicken livers. (Glaize) 89 degrees, dingy; crappie fair on minnows and crappie jigs; black bass slow, try dark colored soft plastics and buzzbaits; white bass slow, try light colored soft plastics and Rooster Tails; catfish fair on worms, bluegill and stinkbaits. (Gravois): 89 degrees, dingy; catfish fair on cut baits; all other species slow.
Mark Twain Lake:
Water is 85 degrees, high, dingy; crappie fair on assorted jigs and minnows; channel catfish fair on nightcrawlers and cut bait; all other species slow.
Report Provided by South Fork Resort:
Water level is at 609.8 and falling steadily. You almost have to think of it as river fishing right now. Look for current breaks. Everyone is telling me the water is as clear as they have seen it in a very long time. We are talking 3 feet of more of visibility. That is great for this lake.
CRAPPIE: They are still on a nice steady summer pattern. Look for tree's on the edges of channels in 20-40 FOW. Try almost any jig color as long as it has chartreuse included. They will be venturing up on the flats at times as well to chase shad. Look for them in 6-10 FOW for this bite.
CATFISH: The flatheads are in transition with a lot of them off the nests, but some still not on them yet. There are definately some being caught right now. There are still some good blues and channels being caught as well. Toss a crawler or some cutbait or stinkbait out while crappie fishing and chances are good you will tie into a couple.
BASS: The white bass are still biting pretty good. Same places and methods as last weeks report. I have heard of some good largemouth being caught but you know how that is no one is saying where. Read the comments from last week and there is a comment there about it.
Lake Pomme de terre:
Lake is 86 degrees, black bass good on plastic baits around structure at 8'-20' depths; crappie good on minnows around bluffs with tree structure at 13'-15' depths; walleye good trolling with diving lures; catfish good using live bait on trotlines and limb lines; all other species good.
Stockton Lake:
Water is 82 degrees, walleye fair on points in 18'-22' of water, trolling with harness rigs or jigs with worms; crappie slow trolling coves and points with jigs and minnows; all other species slow.
Report Provided by Square Deal Bait Shop :
Water is 56 degrees, high, dingy.
Black bass- good on crankbaits off banks in 12' of water.
Crappie- good on minnows and tube jigs in 10 to 15' of water near brush piles,
White bass- good on Rebels and tube baits in upper lake arms.
Catfish- good on nightcrawlers and liver,
all other species slow.
Table Rock Lake:
(James River arm): 84 degrees, high, dingy; bluegill good on live crickets, nightcrawlers or mealworms in 10'-15' around bridge piers and standing timber in clear water; black bass fair on crankbaits that dive between 6'-14', large 10"-12" purple plastic worms Carolina or Texas rigged are working best; white bass fair on bright colored topwater lures or shallow diving lures in the evening; all other species slow.(main lake)84 degrees, dingy; black bass fair dragging jigs on points and using crankbaits that dive 6'-14' deep or using plastic worms, Carolina or Texas rigged are best; white bass fair in evenings using topwater lures or shallow diving lures, bright colors best; bluegill good on live crickets, nightcrawlers or mealworms 10'-15' around bridge piers and standing timber in clear water; all other species slow.
Report Provided by Table Rock Guide Service:
LAKE LEVEL: 921.4 and falling WATER TEMP: MAIN LAKE - 85 degrees clear to stained
The river bite has really heated up and the good ones are biting. The areas to fish are bluff ends, main river ledges, and points. Typical summertime bass haunts. The key baits to throw are shad colored fat free shad and norman dd22 crankbaits on 10 lb test, Carolina rigged watermelon candy and green pumpkin brush hogs, red bud and plum 10” worms on 3/8 oz weights, and my favorite - Pigsticker football jigs in 5/8 oz and ¾ oz. The best colors have been P&J, and Green Pumpkin tipped with chompers twin tail grubs in dark melon pepper and watermelon candy colors. The main lake bite has turned into a drop shot bite for sure. Catching lots of kentuckys and smallmouths on points and gravel flats 26'-30' deep. Chompers drop shot worms in watermelon candy and plum have been the best as well as live nightcrawlers. Still catching quite a few schooling fish on pop r's and redfins in shad patterns as well. Around docks some kentuckys can be caught on war eagle ½ oz white spoons and a drop shot as well.
Lake Taneycomo:
Water is 50 degrees, trout good on Rooster Tails, Rapalas, marabou jigs, chartreuse and bubblegum colored Power Baits, worms and corn also working well.
Report Provided by Table Rock Guide Service:
Lake level: 713.3
Well the high water and swift current has helped the size of the trout that are biting. This week we have caught numbers of big rainbows. We are even catching some nice walleye and even smallmouth bass. Red and pink san juan worms on drift rigs have been a solid pattern, as well as drift rigs with orange egg patterns and grey scuds trailing behind. A 1/8oz and 1/4oz white jig is working extremely well as well as small jerkbaits in white and chrome black back colors. Remember the water is high and the fishing is good, but be careful.
Truman Lake:
The lake is 85 degrees, low, clear; crappie good; black bass fair on main lake points using crankbaits and plastic worms; catfish fair using cut bait or shad; white bass and hybrid bass fair using spoons.
Report Provided by Sterett Creek Marina:
The current lake level is 704.64 (Normal 706)) Water surface temps are right at 88 degrees.
Crappie, crappie, and more crappie is still the hottest thing going on Truman. If you can believe it, the crappie fishing is getting even better. The hot weather seems to have turned on the bigger crappie. Size of the fish has been improving every day. Long poles and minnows fished on the fencerows and outside treelines in 10 to 15 feet of water 8 to 12 feet deep are the best technique.
Fish 8 feet deep early in the day and as the sun gets up go to 10 and 12 feet down. Area of the lake doesn't seem to matter just keep on the move til you hit a few good fish then slow down and fish each tree very throughly. Water oaks and cedars seem to be holding the most fish. The Tebo, Grand, and Osage Arms are all good. Bass are still on the ledges, humps, and points 12 to 18 feet deep, and suspended in the main lake treelines 4 to 10 feet deep. 10 inch Plum and Red Shad Yum Ribbon worms are working the best.
You can take some surfacing bass early and late with Pop R's in these same areas. Again stay on the move til you hit fish and then slow down and fish throughly. Whites and Hybrids are still surfaceing on the calm evenings with no wind, but not every nite. Look for them on G-10, KK Island, and near the dam. Cats are also being taken by the guides in these same areas. Spoke with a friend of mine who guides cat and he has been taking cats near the Mile Long Bridge, and in the KK Island area on shad drifted very slowly on the bottom in 10 to 25 feet of water. Our jug fisherman also continue to do well on the cats setting jugs 10 to 20 feet deep in Sterett Creek baited with live bluegill, and shad.
I have 3 days open this week if anyone would like to get in on the fast fishing action give me a call at 660-525-0692. See you at Truman!!!!
Lake Wappapello:
Lake normal, bluegill good on crickets and worms; crappie fair on minnows and jigs in the lake and good in the spillway; black bass good on plastic worms and crankbaits; channel catfish fair on trotlines and jug lines at night using live bait and nightcrawlers. Anglers should note the 9" minimum length regulation for crappie on Wappapello Lake. All areas around the lake are now open since the lake water level has dropped. Call the Wappapello Lake Recreation Hotline for updates at 573-222-8139.
