This Fishing Report Is For:

December, 2003 - updated every two weeks, or when fishing conditions change 

GENERAL CONDITIONS

Lake Level: 647, dropping slowly

Surface temperature: 50's on surface and down to 60 feet

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I have been gone for a month on my annual bow hunting trip so I haven't been around to report on the fish. I have been back a week and the following is what I have found out. The water temp is in the mid 50's, on the surface and down to the 60 foot level. Therefore most of the fish can be in this wide depth range. It seems that the largemouth are shallow as usual, the smallmouth are ranging from 10 to 30 feet, and the spotted bass are 40 to 60 feet. I went fishing on Monday and we caught 12 bass in 4 hours dragging night crawlers in 35 to 55 feet of water in the back of a creek on a flat off of a channel swing. These fish were full of crawfish. They were not schooled up chasing shad like normal. We caught mostly spotted bass with one smallmouth.

From what I am being told and have heard the best patterns have been spinner baits and crank baits for largemouth bass in shallow water. For smallmouth bass use a jig-n-grub combination, crank bait, or plastics in 10 to 300 feet of water. For spotted bass drag night crawlers or jigs in 40 to 60 feet of water. The rest of the patterns below will also work as they do every winter.

Recommended Baits 

-SPINNER BAIT- good pattern to use on a cloudy or windy day. Mostly around the brush piles or chuck rock banks, anything with cover on it.

-LIVE BAIT- Night crawlers are catching fish in the 35 to 60 foot range during the day. Main lake bluffs, bluff ends, lake flats, drop offs, timber and brush piles are the best places to look.

-DROP SHOT- This pattern is working well with night crawlers in 35 to 50 foot of water. There are several places to look- bluff ends, timber bluffs, brush piles, channel swings, and main lake flat points. I know this is a lot of places but the fish are really moving around to find the quality of water they need.

- SPOONING- This pattern is working well in 35 to 55 feet of water on the flats, drop offs and brush piles. The best thing to do is to try to locate the shad balls or bait fish and then drop your spoon around them. If there are any hungry fish around they should not be too far from the bait fish. The other thing to do is to look for bigger fish on your depth finder then entice them to bite by jigging a spoon in front of them.

-PLASTICS- The old grub, gitzit, tube jig, hula grub and any other variation of these are producing fish. Also, the lizards, french fry, salt craw and small plastic worm. Especially the bluegill or crawfish colored ones. Drag these in 10 to 60 feet of water depending on where the fish are on your depth finder. This has been the hottest pattern for smallmouth bass especially on the gravel flats and chunk rock banks on the main lake.

-JIG-N-FROG This pattern is working in the 15 to 25 foot range for smallmouth bass and 40 to 60 foot range for spotted bass

-CRANKBAITS- This pattern is producing fish esp. on cloudy windy days around the brush piles. Any perch-bluegill-sunfish color is working.

-TWIN SPIN- this pattern should also start to work on the timber bluffs any day.  

Recommendations for Specific Species 

WALLEYE - With the water temp increasing and the thermocline dropping the walleye are moving down past the thermocline. The old time fisherman will go way out on the gravel flats this time of year and look for the walleye hanging out there. They will look for shad balls and spoon around them or spoon around the blips on their fish finder screens.

1. Spooning in 35 to 55 feet of water on the main lake gravel flats.

2. Dragging a night crawler. This can be done with a basic split shot and hook rig, or with bottom bouncers. The walleye seem to be in the 35-45 foot range.

3. Trolling with chartreuse crankbaits. Flat trolling with deep divers is producing fish later in the day when the sun goes down and the walleye come up.

CRAPPIE- The crappie fishing is good. They are still coming in on small minnows, small jigs and small tube baits. Look around the sunken brush piles or standing timber in 30 to 40 foot of water.

CATFISH- The catfish are being caught on jug lines and trot lines off the main lake pockets and coves around brush piles and stumps. They are mostly feeding at night, however some day fisherman are catching them on night crawlers in 30 to 40 feet of water.

TROUT- There was a lot of trout caught on Bull Shoals Lake this last week. They are trolling spoons around the bluffs and deep water in the Bull Shoals Dam area and doing quite well. Most of the trout are in 55 to 65 feet of water. 

Catfish fair on shad

Bluegill slow

Crappie slow

According to AmerenUE the current lake level is 659.73 with heavy generation scheduled for the next three days, which according to AmerenUE should give the lake a level of 659.5 by Friday, January9th. AmerenUE reports the water temperature taken at Bagnell Dam at 44 degrees. Bass boat temperature gauges show surface water temperatures ranging between 39 and 42 degrees. The lake has good color with visibility ranging between 3 to 8 feet depending on the area. Because of heavy generation from Bagnell and Truman dams there are logs, styrofoam and even dock parts floating in the Osage River and it's tributaries.

LARGEMOUTH BASS - FAIR Bass fishing is still tough and it's taking a lot of patience to muster up 2 or 3 keepers. The keeper bass seem to have moved out to deeper water anywhere from 15 to 20 feet. The bass have been spread out, but with the colder weather moving in the lake area and a drop in the water temperature, the bass should begin to school up like they should this time of year. The main problem lately is there hasn't been a specific pattern. The bass have been in brush piles, on plain chunk rock banks, creek arm channel swings, on and inside main lake points and on secondary points. The most consistent bite seems to be the jig n trailer and chompers Twin Tail grub (brown, brown/purple, brown/black, gree pumpkin) with (brown and/or grn. pumpkin) trailers, but the bite is still light and difficult to detect. There have been very few reports if any that the suspended jerkbait is producing, but the best presentation has been letting the jerkbait set for at least 20 or 30 seconds and sometimes longer. There were also reports from last weekend that the medium diving (shad) colored crankbait, Bandit 300 and Norman's DLN, and a (white) tandem spinnerbait with nickel blades worked with a slow retrieve produced some keepers off main lake and secondary points.

SPOTTED BASS (KENTUCKY) - SLOW The still hasn't been many reports of spots over 14 or 15 inches being caught. The few spots being caught are averaging 11and 12 inches. The best bait has been live crawdads off points and bluffs, and Road Runners and doll flies around the foam of deeper docks on the main lake and larger tributaries.

CRAPPIE - FAIR The larger crappie are suspended over brush in 18 to 25 feet off bluffs, in the creeks and coves. Minnows are the best bite and if available tip the hook with a Crappie Nibble. Road Runners and jigs (white, chartreuse/black, purple/white and blue/white) are also producing.

Catfish No Report

Bass No Report

Crappie No Report

Trimble Wildlife Refuge is now closed to all boat traffic. You may not go North of the W-hwy bridge from the W boat ramp for any reason.

CRAPPIE: FAIR to GOOD After the water cools down most people start fishing in the marina coves and around the docks. Some nice fish can be caught under the W-Hwy bridge also from time to time. More people are starting to fish around the docks at the marinas and are catching fish. Small jigs and spoons are catching fish as well as minnows. Minnows are still your most consistent bait but the jig bite is getting better. Try pink jigs.

BASS: Poor: Fewer people are fishing for the bass now. Sunny days along the rocks or lay downs on sunny banks in the Campbranch arm. Jigs, spinnerbaits or crankbaits should work.

CATFISH: Fair: Some people have been doing well on the catfish using shad or goldfish but fishing in the deeper water. 15' to 20'

WHITE BASS: Fair to Excellent: The whites are feeding up in shad and can most often be found on main lake points in fairly shallow water. 10' or less. Use jigging spoons for best results usually in less than 10' of water. Around the mouth of Sail Boat Cove and main lake points, in the Little Platte area are also good. Fish the shallower points with the shallow water markers on them.

WALLEYE: Slow: A few small walleye are starting to show up in the main lake points with the white bass. As the water cools they should start moving up into the shallower water and onto the points.  

Updated December 13, 2003

Fishing Report from Sterett Creek Marina 10/30/03

Seasons come and seasons go, for this year, ours is pretty well gone. We will be closing the marina store this Sunday, but will keep the campground open till Thanksgiving, So I guess that means that this will be the last fishing report for the year. As good as the fishing is right now I may try to run a week or so more, but I hear my tree stand calling. The weather is still great and the water temp. is still good and the fish are doing a good job of biting so you want to come and enjoy at least a couple more good fishing trips. The white bass are doing really good and the black bass are not to far behind. The wind has been a little tough this week, but it has helped the white bass and hybrid fishing. The fall colors are still great so come to the lake and enjoy.

LAKE LEVEL: 705.93
WATER TEMP: 60 de.
WATER CLARITY: Clear to lightly stained.

BASS: The bass have finally started to move on a fall pattern. Spinnerbaits have are starting to pick up allot of fish on the flats. Just look for lay downs in 1' to 4' of water. This can be on main lake flats or back in the creeks. White willow leafs seem to be working the best. Brush hogs and black and blue jigs will also work in these areas. You can use a buzz bait early and late or on cloudy days to pick up some good fish. The same jig will work on main lake points in 3' to 6' of water. The big thing is to have shad present. With the water temp. and the weather we have these fish should hold on this pattern for a couple of weeks.

CRAPPIE: I wish there was something good to say about the crappie fishing , but I don't know what it would be. This last month the crappie fishing has been as slow as I have see it. We know they are still there, but finding them is a different story. The best thing I have heard this week is 30' of water 25' deep on jigs close to a main lake point. Black and chartreuse was the best color.

WHITES & HYBRIDS: It's that time of the year and these fish are doing just what they are supposed to do. Windy points are the best of the best. Rooster tails and Rat L Traps are the only two baits you need, and I don't think you can fish them to shallow on the points. These fish are in 1' or less of water. Best time of the day seems to be from 4pm. to 6pm. If you have a young one that is starting to get into fishing, now would be the perfect time to get them in some fast action. Ed if you read this Tom Pollard is really catching fish and it's not to early.

CATFISH: No Report.

This weeks rating from Sterett Creek are:

Whites & Hybrids: #1

Bass: #2

Crappie: #3

I and the staff at Sterett Creek would like to thank all our friends and customers new and old for another good year of fishing. We will be reopening the second week of March 2004. So with that I wish you a Happy and safe winter and if you need something you can contact us at Sterett Creek Marina---660-438-2280.

TILL NEXT SEASON WE BID YOU GOOD FISHIN!