Catfish biting good around jacomo where the creeks are running in

GENERAL CONDITIONS

SPRING- First, thanks to all of you that have had patience waiting on a new fishing report. I am finally back in Bull Shoals after spending most of January, February and March on the road doing sport shows. Spring is here on Bull Shoals Lake. It looks like it will be an early spring unless the weather changes soon. The long range forecast is for warm temperatures so fishing should start soon. It actually has up the lake. The small bluegills and perch are up near the surface here at the marina. This usually doesn't happen until April some time. They have been up a week or so, which is early. The Dogwood and Redbud trees are also starting to bloom, which is early, and that is another indication of an early spring. So fishing should start early.

As you can see, the water temp is warming up quickly.

FISHING-FISHING-FISHING-FISHING-FISHING-FISHING-FISHING-FISHING-FISHING-FISHING

We never did have the shad kill this winter. The water temperature never got below 45 degrees too much. It usually has to get in the lower 40's before the shad start to die.

LARGEMOUTH BASS- As usual, most of the largemouth are shallow in 10 foot of water or less. I have seen a couple of 5-6 lb. fish listed on the tournament sheets over the last couple of months. So, Bull Shoals has started to make it back from the LMBV virus that took its toll on this lake.

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. fish caught and released here at the marina this week. These are on the gravel flats and pre- spawn banks.

 BASS PATTERNS-

1. Crank baits in 5 to 15 feet of water are producing all species of bass. We have a tremendous small bluegill population since the high water of 2002 and the fish have been feasting on bluegills since then. Light colored shad is another favorite color or crawfish color will work. Try to match the water color. The more colored the water the brighter or more colored the crank bait should be. In clear water your bait needs to look as natural as possible.

2. Spinner baits is shallow water way back in the creeks. This has been producing some largemouth bass. Same as the crank baits on color. The more colored the water the more colored the spinner bait.

3. jig-n-frog on the chunk rock banks or gravel flats for smallmouth.

4. all types of plastics off of the channel swings, gravel flats and brush piles. Tube jigs, hula grubs, plastic crawfish, gitzits and any other normal plastic bait.

5. deep running rouges and rebels are producing some good fish.

6. live bait is producing some fish- mostly live minnows.

WALLEYE- NOT MUCH BEING REPORTED YET EXCEPT WAY UP THE LAKE

WHITE BASS- NOT MUCH ACTIVITY YET, SHOULD START SOON

CRAPPIE- NOT MUCH BEING CAUGHT YET OR BEING REPORTED

CATFISH- The trot liners did well over the winter. Not much going on yet. 

Catfish No Report

Bluegill slow

Crappie slow

According to AmerenUE the current lake level is 655.10 with very heavy generation scheduled for the next three days, which should give the lake a level of 655.1 by Friday, April 2nd. The water temperature taken at Bagnell Dam is 51 degrees, but there is surface water temperatures as low as 49 degrees in the back of some creeks and coves. Most of the lake is muddy with a visibility of 1 to 2 inches. The mouth of the Grand Glaize River and portions of the Gravois and the Big and Little Niangua Rivers are clearer, but dingy with visibility of about 1 foot. Although the lake is muddy, bass fishing couldn't be better. The bass are shallow and the 4 to 7 pounder are aggressive and being caught daily.

LARGEMOUTH BASS - EXCELLENT With the muddy water, the bass have been shallow and right on the bank. The spinnerbaits (white, white/chartreuse and chartreuse) has been very effective, but since the cold front moved in last Sunday the bigger bass have moved off the banks in 6 to 10 feet of water making the Wiggle Wart and Bandit crankbaits (chartreuse, firetiger and brown craw) the better bite. The most productive structure is points, main lake, secondary, pockets and small cuts, and channel swings with chunk rock/pea gravel mix. Once the cold front moves out the bass should move back on the banks and the spinnerbait will definitely pick up where it left off before the front moved in. The jig n trailer and tube (black, black/blue and black/chartreuse) is producing, but has not been as effective as the spinnerbait or crankbait.

CRAPPIE - FAIR The crappie have also slowed down, but when active are shallow, anywhere from 6 to 10 feet suspended around brush piles. The best bite are minnows tipped with Crappie Nibbles. Road Runners (chartreuse, yellow and blue/white) are producing, but not as good as the minnows.

Catfish No Report

Bass No Report

Crappie No Report

Pomme Arm good

Crappie: around the brush, Go 1020 feet deep with jigs(black and chartreuse) or Minnows.

Bass Throw white Rooster Tails in the river stay to main points at 10-20 feet.

Catfish; Stay up the river channel use worms, hot dogs or liver.

Lindsey arm Fair

Crappie 20-25 feet deep using minnows

Bass Lake is murky and 45 degrees so not much action

Lower Lake Fair

Crappie 12 feet around brush and structure use minnows or jigs.

CRAPPIE: FAIR Crappie are getting a little shallower. 10' to15' of water depending on the area of the lake you are fishing in. Shallower as you go up the lake where the water is shallower and warmer, deeper in the main lake area. They seem to be scattering some while they are following the creek channels toward the backs of the coves and the shallower water. You have to move around some to catch a limit. Jigs and minnows as usual are the best. The water has more color and is warmer up the river. Darker colored jigs are the best.

BASS: FAIR: Some bass were caught last weekend. Suspending rogues in the cleaner water around the main lake and jigs or spinnerbaits if you are fishing up the arms of the lake where the water has more color. In Burton's Tournament on 3-28, 20 of the 37 boats caught fish. See weekend results.

CATFISH: Good Worms, shad sides, or shad guts are all catching fish. The Platte and Little Platte rivers are also producing some fish since the rains. When it rains the fish move into the backs of the creeks and fishing can be great. The normal areas would be to fish the mouths of the coves in the little Platte river arm of the lake. Start at the mouth and work your way back till you find the fish.

WHITE BASS: Good The whites have started their annual run up the river towards Plattsburg. Fish the Little Platte arm of the lake from the free boat ramp to the public access on 116 hwy between Plattsburg and Lathrop. Throw rooster tails and road runners and you can catch both whites and some crappie.

WATER LEVEL - 915.12 Normal Pool 915'
JAMES RIVER Upper 45-50
MAIN LAKE 43-47

MAIN LAKE - DAM, KIMBERLING CITY, BAXTER & CAMPBELL POINT & SHELL KNOB

A lot of fish have moved up onto and around gravel flats and points. Try swimming single tail grubs3"-5" in smoke, slat & pepper, or pearl on 1/4 oz. jig heads with no weed guards in 10'-20'. If your not showing any fish suspended try fishing twin tail grubs in green pumpkin, watermelon or crawdad colors on bottom in the same depths. Also try Carolina rigging the same baits, or split shot 4" worms. Suspended jerkbaits will catch fish suspended around cedars and hard woods on main lake points, bluff ends & secondary point with submerged timber. Bites are few and far between on jerkbaits but will produce quality fish. You can try crankbaits-DT10, wigglewarts, 6A-TA Bombers in crawdad patterns in the same areas as the grub fish and further back into the creeks on channel swings. It's the time of the year where a variety of lures will catch fish. If you have more confidence in a certain lure throw it in these areas.

LONG CREEK & JAMES RIVER

Water Conditions: Off again last weekend. Have run something almost every day this past week. Off from 8:00 p.m. Thursday night until 5:30 a.m. Friday morning. High two (Tailwater 707.5) yesterday and two going this morning.

FLY FISHING TROPHY AREA (dam to Fall Creek)-SHALLOW WATER-WADING-
With the running water, our trips are still doing best on the red midge, size 16 and the tan flashback scud. This past weekend, with the water off, a rusty brown zebra, size 18 was the fly. Second choice would be the tan flashback scud. For grins we always like to fish soft hackles. Best colors were insect green and caddis green, size 16 but they were not catching fish as fast and furious as the rusty brown zebra. We caught over 30 fish each in about 4 hours, several of which were 16 inches and better. Several Rainbows caught with eggs. The roe (orange) and pink lady egg patterns are working.

STAN'S TIP: When fishing with an indicator, weight and a fly, remember to open up your cast a little. The more open loop will reduce the chance of the indicator, weight and fly from wrapping around each other. For the novice fly fisher, if you know how to do a roll cast, this technique might work best for you.

I have had several e-mails in the last couple of weeks telling me that I needed to get going on the fishing reports. I was really hoping that I could make the first report a good one. Well it just isn't going to happen. With all the rain we have had in the last couple of weeks the lake is not in the best of shape. We are about 5' high which is really not to bad but the water color is stained to dirty. I really don't think it will take that long to clear up, but the COE is running allot of water and this pulls the dirty water towards the dam. Another week will make all the difference in the world. One thing we have going is that it is still early in the year and we have allot of good fishing in front of us.

LAKE LEVEL: 711.6
WATER TEMP: 52deg.
WATER CLARITY: Stained to muddy

BASS: Last weekend we had Team Supreme fishing out of Sterett Creek and it took 20lb. of fish to win. I was told these fish were caught up Grand river on spinner baits in 3' of water. 2nd. place was 19lbs. which were caught on the Big Tebo arm in shallow water. There is a spinner bait bite going on around here. The fish are holding on the lee sides of the points in about 3' of water. The points have to have deep water close by. Points with chancel swings are the best. I had a fellow tell me he had fish on Sat. all the way in the back ends of the creeks on tubes. This makes sense due to the fact that the crawdads should be doing their thing now. There were two fish caught this weekend that were over 6lbs. so maybe some of the bigger fish are getting ready to start.

CRAPPIE: We are not seeing any crappie come in yet. I talked to Marty Zych yesterday and he said the water temp isn't warm enough yet to get the crappie to pull up yet. We have a surface temp. of 52deg. so it the crappie are in 8' of water the temp down there should be in the mid 40s. Here again another week should make allot of difference.

WHITES: There are a few whites being caught way up Little Tebo. They are not the real big whites but at this point in time a fish is a fish. Most of these fish are being caught on small spinners and tube jigs.

CATFISH: No report.

Sorry I couldn't give you a better report but there's always next week. We have everything open here at Sterett Creek and the coffee pot is always on. If we can be of any help you can contact us at: Sterett Creek Marina

So until next week we bid you good fishing.

Tommy

Sorry for not updating the fishing report as often as I should. We've done nothing but work on the RV Park for 2 months and haven't spent much time in the office. On those lines, we have got all the sewer lines and laterals in and are working on getting the roads finished. When we get that done and then on to water and electric service. Still looking at May 1st on completion.

Now for the fishing!

CRAPPIE: Some activity about 1/2 way back in the creeks on blue and white jigs from 10 - 15 feet of water on the creek channels. Our water temp is a little slow warming up so the spawn may be pushed back a little. The water is muddy up river and slightly stained down.

BASS: Decent spinnerbait bite in 1-4 feet of water in creeks down from Bucksaw. Nice 15 lb. limits seen on this pattern. Haven't heard of anyone trying anything up river yet.

CATFISH: Excellent bite with the current up in Deepwater Creek. Shad set at 10 feet in the creek have seen some great activity.

I know it's short, but that's about all we know for know.

* New Missouri regulations require that jug lines be attended at all times.