Written by Scott on June 29th, 2010
The Lake is almost back to normal power pool. We currently are sitting at 657 and falling. The water temp has cooled from our 93 degree temp last week to around 87 degrees. The water is very clear and mostly free of debree.
Walleye have been coming in in good numbers! Try going deeper on both the sand flats and the high bluff sides of the lake. Many anglers are trolling with deep diving crank baits in the 25 to 30 ft range. Colors to try are Perch and Fire Tiger. Dragging a night crawler on the sand flats has been very effective as well.
Black Bass - Look for the bass to be in their summer pattern. With the water temp increasing, the bass have started hiding in deep cuts on the flats and in large chunk rock off of steep bluffs. Jigs and plastic worms have been the lures of choice in the latest tournaments. Colors to try with the jigs are brown & purple flash or peanut butter & jelly. Colors on the worms have been plum or blue fleck. Early morning has been great for top water as well!
Crappie - Very large crappie have been caught in deep water around submerged trees and brush piles. Live minnows have been the best. Go deep with these hot temperatures.
Written by Scott on May 5th, 2010
The water Temp is near 65 degrees with a Lake Level of 657.7. Lake levels should be steady this week which should help the spawn. Crappie have been hot one day and cold the next. However, good numbers have been coming into the dock. (Thursday looks like a good day to call in sick!) See you on the water!
Walleye have been caught this past week trolling. Not a lot of keepers, but the bite has really increased. Fishing from Snap Cove (below the 39 lake marker) all the way to Mincey (36 lake marker) has produced the most reports. Try a Chrome/Black Back crank bait, 12 to 15 ft diving range in about 20 ft of water. Experiment with all colors in your tackle box this week.
Black Bass - Excellent reports of bass moving more shallow and being caught throughout the day. Bass have started to bed and can be found on the main lake cuts. Some baits being used this week include:
Football, Finesse or Brush Jigs- Green Pumpkin/Orange, PB & J and Orange Craw. 6″ Lizard - Green Pumpkin fished parallel to the banks. Top Water Poppers or Chug Bugs. Spinner Bait- White or White/Red on a brezzy day.
Crappie Numbers are getting better each day with the water warming. Live minnows have been the best with swimming minnows working well on the points of the coves. Try smoke & glitter, pearl / black back and grape & silver glitter. The best bite has been from 3 p.m. till dark.
White Bass - Best fishing for whites has been in the shallows on sandy flats away from the main lake channel. Purple/Glitter swimming minnows have still been the best as well as small crank baits and lip-less crank baits.
Written by Scott on April 15th, 2010
The water Temp has now hit 60 +. Lake Level is at 659.4. Every species of fish have really been starting to get more active. The Bass have not moved onto beds just yet, however, the Crappie have started to move into shallower water and into the coves.
Walleye have been caught this past week trolling. Not a lot of keepers, but the bite has really increased. Fishing from Beaver Creek to Snap Cove has produced the most reports.
Black Bass - Excellent reports of bass moving more shallow and being caught throughout the day. Some baits being used include:
Spinner Baits and Wiggle Warts when there is a good breeze, Jigs are working at about 10 feet, Stick Baits of all colors and Tube Baits slow bouncing off of points and chunk rock bluffs.
Crappie Numbers are getting better each day with the water warming. Live minnows have been the best with swimming minnows working well on the points of the coves. Try smoke & glitter, pearl / black back and grape & silver glitter. The bite should really be on in the coming weeks!
White Bass - Still huge number of whites being caught. Try a smoke & purple glitter swimming minnow, white Roster Tail and chrome Rattle Trap.
Written by Scott on March 15th, 2010
The water Temp is reading between 44 - 47 degrees on the main lake. Warmer weather this weekend might bring the lake up to 50 degrees which should trigger many species of fish to start feeding. I would give the lake a week or two for some really great fishing!
Walleye have been caught on the flats near the channel drops on spoons and live shiners. Fishing from Swan Creek to Beaver Creek has produced the most reports.
Black Bass -Finally! Good numbers of Bass are coming in from allot of my friends who refuse to stay indoors during these cold, damp days. Now, what are they catching them on? Well… a little bit of everything! I will briefly describe some of the lures they have told me they were using.
Jerk or Stick Bait - Black Back Silver Bottom, Sour Grape or Clown. Football Jigs - Brown & Purple Flash 15 - 20 ft. Wiggle Wart - Craw or Phantom (most have hit in 8 - 10 ft. rather than right on the bank.) White Sliders pulled slow down the bluffs. Flukes, Black and White with a slow retrieve. Bomber Flat A”s, Red Craw with black stripes.
The Spotted Bass that were cleaned this week were all FULL of Crawdads. But, most of these fish were caught over 8 ft from the shore. They seemed to be coming off the bottom hitting the Craw Wiggle Wart in the afternoons.
Crappie Nothing to brag about yet, but should start seeing good numbers come in when we reach 50 + on water temp. The Majority have been caught on live Minnows. Vertical spooning has produced some good Crappie using a variety of spoons. Try different depths, some have been caught as deep as 25ft. or more.
White Bass - Wow! Huge numbers of Whites have come into the fish cleaning station! Try a variety of spoons, on flats, in about 20 feet of water.
Written by Scott on January 19th, 2010
The water temp is around 43 - 45 degrees with a current lake level of 655.28 and falling. The Corps has been pulling the lake down at a rate of 22,000 cubic ft. per second, which some say has and adverse effect on the fishing. This should be over soon. The launch ramp is now available for use. October 8th was the last time anyone was able to use the boat launch. It sure is nice to see so many fishermen once again parked over by the ramp!
Walleye have been caught by dropping spoons into deep cuts and trenches on flats (30 - 50 ft.) Most Walleye reports indicate that the best action has been seen just below Powersite Dam and around “Barker’s Hole” just East of the dam.
Black Bass -This time of year, it is almost a given that a suspended Jerk Bait should be your first choice, but not this week. With the extreme cold temps and the rapid release of water, most bass have been caught in deeper water and have not been found off of the rock bluffs and points as usual. Never the less, I would definitely have one tied on this coming weekend. The water drop should be over by Thursday. Most reports indicate that a jig or a silver spoon have been very effective the past week on some BIG Blacks. (18 to 25ft)
Crappie I believe the Crappie bite should be getting much better with the lake stabilizing this week. The majority have been caught on live Minnows. Vertical spooning has produced some good Crappie using a variety of spoons. Try different depths, some have been caught as deep as 25ft. or more.
White Bass - Wow! Huge numbers of Whites have come into the fish cleaning station the past 10 days! Variety of spoons, on flats, in about 20 feet of water. (No I’m not going to tell you exactly where… that’s why its called fishing!)
Written by Scott on November 17th, 2009
Lake Level: 680.00 (and rising!)
Water Temp: 57 degrees
We have experienced a dramatic rise in the lake level since the heavy rains hit the Ozarks in Oct! The lake has risen over 24 feet, with a heavy current of cold water still pouring in from Table Rock. Once again, we are experiencing abnormal conditions due to flooding which has created a Massive lake! Many of the “go to” spots on upper Bull Shoals are almost unrecognizable with the vast expansion of water. However, you can use this to your advantage when looking for feeding fish. The coves have now trippled in size and are holding shad and other bait fish. For now, trim up that main motor and explore the backs of these coves.
Walleye have been caught by dropping spoons, minnows and night crawlers on drop offs and channels. Early morning bite has been the best this week. Also having good results bottom bouncing Night Crawlers. Go heavy with your weights since there is a swift current do to the rising water. No reports of any Walleye being caught while trolling. Debris in the water has limited most of our trolling friends. (Walleye on Bull Shoals must be 18″ in length to legally keep.)
Black Bass(Line Sides and Spotted) have been caught deep in the coves early morning until early afternoon. Look for schools of shad where fresh water is entering the cove. If the water is clear, try a white spinner bait or a chrome rattle trap. If the water is stained to muddy, throw a chartruse spinner with large blades. Watch the graph while trolling down the middle of the coves. Bass have been sitting deep in the centers and have been caught on 5″ grubs and plastic worms vertical jigging. Remember, try to go with a heavy, weedless rig since you will more than likely be in 15 to 25 ft of brush!
Crappie (no reports since last post) Crappie are hugging deep cover in the coves and bluffs with the rapid rise of Bull Shoals Lake. The majority have been caught on live Minnows. Vertical spooning has produced some good Crappie using a variety of spoons. Try different depths, some have been caught as deep as 25ft. or more.
White Bass are following the shad into the coves. Main lake activity has slowed down. Chrome rattle traps and white spinner baits should do the trick when you see them busting the shad. Try a white or pearl Vibric Rooster Tail as well.
Written by Scott on October 19th, 2009
Lake Level: 666.5 (and rising!)
Water Temp: 57 degrees
We have experienced a dramatic rise in the lake level since the heavy rains hit the Ozarks on Oct 8th! The lake has risen over 10 feet, with a heavy current of cold water still pouring in from Table Rock. We are rising an average of about 8 inches per day, which has made fishing a bit challenging. Big bass are still being caught with a slight change of tactics.
Walleye have been caught by dropping spoons, minnows and night crawlers on drop offs and channels. Early morning bite has been the best this week. Also having good results bottom bouncing Night Crawlers. Go heavy with your weights since there is a swift current do to the rising water. (Walleye on Bull Shoals must be 18″ in length to legally keep.)
Black Bass (Line Sides and Spotted) have been caught deep in the coves early morning until early afternoon. Look for schools of shad where fresh water is entering the cove. If the water is clear, try a white spinner bait or a chrome rattle trap. If the water is stained to muddy, throw a chartruse spinner with large blades. Also try a large crank bait off of bluffs and rocky points. Colors to try are “Sexy or Foxy Shad” as well as Citrus. Bass are also beeing cautht with a heavy football jig or plastic worm in 25 to 30 feet on drops. Once again, if you can find the shad, and there are millions right now, you will find the fish!
Crappie are hugging deep cover in the coves and bluffs with the rapid rise of Bull Shoals Lake. The majority have been caught on live Minnows. Vertical spooning has produced some good Crappie using a variety of spoons. Try different depths, some have been caught as deep as 25ft.
White Bass are excellent right now with the amount of shad found in the coves! Huge females up to 16 inches have been caught this week! Chrome rattle traps and white spinner baits should do the trick when you see them busting the shad. Try a white or pearl Vibric Rooster Tail as well.
