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Posted 04/22/2004
Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout fishing is good using wax worms with marshmallows or chartreuse Power Eggs. Fly fishermen are using sow bugs, dry flies and caddis Report by Ripple Outfitters Trout fishing in the Guion area is good and the fish are very active. Trout are active on the surface and can be caught on small spoons and #78 Pointers, and medium-size Rapalas. The usual methods of drift and anchor fishing continues to work well. Baits such as Power Eggs, corn, and worms continue to be effective and produce limits of fish whether fished behind a spinner or just drifted on a hook. Bass fishing is very good from Guion to Lock #1 with largemouth and smallmouth both biting well. Small crawdad-colored crank baits, Gitzits in green pumpkin and Irish whiskey colors fished on the rocks along the main river are producing smallmouth. Most of the largemouth are being caught from the grass. Floating worms, Gitzits, Hula Grubs, finesse worms and Pop R's are all working. Bait fishing with minnows in the mouth of the creeks is equally effective. Crappie continue to bite well in the creeks and along the river. The fish are associated with cover like lay down trees and brush that is partially submerged. Minnows fished beneath a cork and small jigs are accounting for most of the crappie. Walleye and sauger fishing is fair with several
fish being caught trolling medium and small crank baits such as Wiggle Warts and Model A
Bombers in fire tiger and crawdad colors. Best areas are between Locks #2 and #3 and
beneath Lock #1. Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 462.5 Temperature: Outflow: 392 cfs. Level: 0.50 feet high Walleye good using crank baits and small jigs in deep water Kentucky Bass No Report Smallmouth Bass fair using grubs in 20 feet of water Whites Bass good in the river using small jigs Largemouth Bass are spawning and hitting on floating worms and flukes Crappie good using minnows or chartreuse or white jigs in the timber (They are almost down with the spawn) Channel Catfish No Report Spotted Bass No Report Bream No Report Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 1121.4 Temperature: 58 Outflow: 0 cfs. Level: 4.61 feet low Crappie excellent using minnows and jigs in 2 to 8 feet of water Stripers No ReportLargemouth Bass good using soft plastic baits (they are spawning) White Bass good using live crawfish Catfish No ReportReport by Ripple Outfitters No Report Temperature: 59 Report by Ripple Outfitters The water temperature is 59 degrees and the river is very floatable. A goggleye are being caught. Small and largemouth bass are hitting Rebel Crawfish, Gitzits and plastic grubs. updated 04/22/04 Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 657.0 Temperature: 50's to 60's Outflow: 370 cfs Level: 3.44 feet low Fishing Report by: Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock "Braggin Board" GENERAL CONDITIONS Lake Level: hanging around 652, Surface temperature: ranging from the mid 50’s to lower 60’s We have had a colder than normal April. There were 5 mornings below 30 degrees, which keeps setting back the water temperature. There are several bass making beds on the banks in the cove around the marina. Mostly Largemouth Bass in 2 to 7 feet of water. There are a few Kentucky-Spotted bass beds around. Most of these seem to be in deeper water. The Smallmouth should be making beds too but they are usually in a little deeper water and on flatter gravel points. Bass fishing for all three species has been good. For other species see below. VISIBILITY- It is very clear here at the Marina. The backs of the creeks have some color in them, as does most of the upper lake from point 18 to the other end of the lake. With the water temp warming up the lake should clear up unless we get a lot of rain. LARGEMOUTH BASS- There has been several good Largemouth being brought in and reported. We have seen several between the 3 to 5 LB class. It has been several years since we have seen these size of Largemouth. Most of the fisherman have reported lots of 13 – 14 inch largemouth bass which is just under the legal limit. These should be the spawn form the high water of 2002. SPOTTED KENTUCKY BASS- These are in their usual deeper pattern then the largemouth bass, mostly on the channel swings and brush piles back in the creeks. SMALLMOUTH BASS- I have seen three 4 LB caught and released here at the marina this week. These are on the gravel flats and pre spawn banks. BASS PATTERNS- These are the 3 top patterns right now.
These patterns could also work or turn on in the next few weeks. WALLEYE- I know you won’t believe me but the Walleye are still spawning. Yes, that’s right. I believe they are on the back end of the spawn but they are still doing it. There are not very many being caught yet. The ones that have been cleaned here at the marina are full of eggs and spawn. I have been out in the lake three times in the last two weeks at night. It is easy with the clear water to take a spot light and shine the gravel banks and points and actually see dozens upon dozens of walleye along the bank in 5 to 10 feet of water. These walleye are in little groups of 2’s to 5’s. They are spawning which is late for them. They should turn on any day in this end of the lake. WHITE BASS- The water temperature has been yo-yoing so the white bass have been doing the same. We have had a few caught back in the creeks and a few schools have surfaced but nothing like the usual "white bass run" that we get. We will have to see if the warmer weather turns them on or if we will miss them like last year. CRAPPIE- Same deal on the crappie. There are very few being reported or being caught. I guess the water temperature is still to cold for them to turn on. The few that I have seen are being caught on the brush piles or timber bluffs on small minnows, white jigs or small tube jigs. If anybody is catching a bunch then they are keeping it a secret White River- Fishing has been good. All of our guides are reporting
good catches and activity. Same baits as always- worms, salmon eggs, power bait, night
crawlers, corn, for live bait. Rapalas, spoons, spinners for artificial. The top ranked walleye pro anglers will be in Bull Shoals this June for
the PWT tournament. You can fish with them to learn more about where and how to catch Bull
Shoals walleye. The PWT is a Pro-Am. April 19, 2004 Largemouth bass continued their pre-spawn staging throughout the week and should move to their spawning grounds this week, if the lake temperature holds or continues to rise. Fish secondary points and banks with boulder or ledge rock with tube baits, Spider Jigs, finesse worms and brush hogs, all are working on low wind days. When the wind is up work the back of the pockets with spinnerbaits and flukes or Sinko’s. Smallmouth bass are on their beds along northern ledge banks. This is a good time of the year to let them spawn instead of pulling them off their beds, so my suggestion is to back off the bank about ten yards and fish in 20+ feet of water where the spawned out females are laying. Mojo finesse worms and brush hogs will catch some nice smallies in the 4 pound class. Kentucky bass are also spawning in 15 to 25 feet of water on chunk rock banks and points. Carolina rigs and Mojo rigs are working the best, fished with a watermelon or watermelon/red lizards, finesse worm or brush hog. Spider Jigs will also trigger a few and color doesn't’t seem to make any difference. There has been a number of 3+ pound Kentucky caught this last week. Walleye are almost out of their spawn cycle in the lower and mid-lake areas. The bite has started picking up in the mornings on Suspending Rogues, Lucky Craft Pointer 78’s, Rat’L Traps and night crawlers fished on a split shot rig. The upper lake areas are jumping with walleye on their post spawn bite. Most of the action is on points and flats with crawler harnesses, Wally Divers and Reef Runner Deep Little Rippers. The next three weeks the bite will just get better and better, so if you have been waiting for the walleye run – it is here. Don’t miss the opportunity to fish with the PWT pros – there are still a few amateur spots left for their June tournament. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about the walleye fishing on Bull Shoals Lake. Under the Pro-Am format amateurs get to ride with them to their spots, fish with their tackle and weigh the walleye they catch together under the boat-weight format. For more information contact Wilderness Trail. Trout fishing on the White River has been best on Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and orange, Earthworms and Maggots. Buoyant spoons, Little Cleos, Mepps and Rooster Tails have also been working when there is some generation. The fly fishermen have been doing well on olive Woolly Buggers, soft hackles, pheasant tail and San Juan worms. Browns are being caught on Suspending Rogues, Shad Raps, Flat Fish and nightcrawlers. Remember to keep only what you can eat and release the rest for another day. Rick Culver of Wilderness Trail does the research for this report and the writing of this report. For more information call Rick or Sue Culver at Wilderness Trail at 870-445-2703, e-mail us at wtrail@bullshoals.net Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 259.20 Temperature: 63 - 70 and stained Outflow: 0 cfs. Level: 0.09 feet high Please use extreme caution in the river. Report by: Millwood Lake Guide Service }><(((º> Millwood Lake Fishing Report 4/20/04 <º)))><{ Millwood Lake Guide Service reports water temps 63-70º, clarity stained. Largemouth bass in the 4-8 pound range continue to
bite well, best on best on spring-bream (green/orange) Rat-L-Traps, Bass Assassins,
lizards in black/blue The sections with the most missing buoys are: Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 552.0 Temperature: Release Rate: 782 cfs. Level: 0.02 feet high Report by: Ripple Outfitters No Report Back to TopReport by Ripple Outfitters No Report Back to Top
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