Catfish good-fresh shad

Hybrids fair-rattle traps

Bass No Report

Carp No Report

 Report by: Wilderness Trail       "Braggin Board"

ANGLER'S EDGE TEAM BASS TOURNAMENT

OCTOBER 9 AND 10, 2004

CALL FOR INFORMATION

WALLEYE SEMINAR - October 23, 2004

Professional Walleye Trail Angler - Lance Valentine

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Lunch Included)

COST $15.00 PER PERSON

This is a special seminar hosted by Wilderness Trail

Lance Valentine will be coming down from Michigan to give this seminar. Lance fished in the PWT tournament here last June. We are excited about providing this opportunity to our local anglers to learn more about fishing for walleye. Reservations will be confirmed upon receipt of the $15.00 per person. We will absolutely limiting this to 50 people. Again, the $15.00 cost includes lunch. Call us at 870-445-2703 for your reservation (confirmed with payment). ONLY 8 SPOTS ARE LEFT

October 4, 2004

We have had another beautiful week here at Bull Shoals with fall like weather at night and spring like weather during the day. The temperatures have been ranging from the low 50’s at night to the low 80’s during the day. Lake temperature has dropped with the cool nights almost 3 degrees this week. We are now at 69 to 71 degrees throughout the lake and the pool level is at 652.04, 2+ feet below normal. The water in the lake is stained and there is some concern that the lake is turning over, but it isn’t. The surface temperature must equal the thermocline temperature and then the lake will "flip" or turn. Right now we have approximately 70 degree surface temperature and the thermocline temperature is 61 degrees, so there is a lot of cooling that has to take place before the turn over. Crappie are starting to stick their heads out of the brush piles and feeding during the day. Crappie minnows, Twister tails and Swimming Minnows are working well. However after you catch three to four crappie off one brush pile the bite will shut down, so you need to move to another brush pile and start over.

Largemouth bass are staying on the banks in the mornings at the back of the creeks, cuts and pockets throughout the lake. Buzzbaits and small top water baits (Pop R’s, Torpedoes) will trigger some early morning feeders. After the sun is up the largemouth bass are moving to structure just off the banks (blow downs, boulders or brush piles). Jig and pigs, Texas rigged brush hogs, lizards and finesse worms are your best lures around the structure. 

Smallmouth bass are finally showing up on chunk rock and pea rock points. It is crawdad time and the smallies are feeding on crawdads heavily. Best baits are tubes, Spider jigs, football jigs, Mad Man craws fished on a jig head and Carolina rigged trick worms in watermelon/purple color. You need to check from 10 feet of water out to 30 feet of water every day to see where they are holding. 

Kentucky bass are following the shad into the creeks and pockets and moving to the chunk rock banks to feed on crawdads. They are staying close to deep water and the pockets that have 50 to 60 feet of water in the middle are holding the nicer Kentuckys. Live bait anglers area catching some nice Kentuckys on nightcrawlers and split shot dragged along the bottom. The best artificial baits are Spider Jigs, finesse worms and tube baits. Also, look for Kentuckys breaking on shad on top water. Throw Pop R’s, Zara Spook Jrs or Spit’N Image lures into the frenzy feeding.

Walleye slowed some this week but that is normal when they are migrating into shallower water for the fall feed. Points and feeding flats are still the areas to search for the walleye and they can be anywhere from 20 feet of water out to 35 feet of water. As the lake cools down their range of feeding becomes greater. Spoons are still a good bet for the walleye that are in 28 to 35 feet of water. Trolling lures on lead core is working okay with Glass Shad Raps, Hot’N Tots and Reef Runners, but as the walleye move in the best technique is crawler harnesses with Bottom Bouncers or a crawler and split shot rig. The reason the crawler technique is working better than trolling is that you can range from 30 to 35 feet easier with your trolling motor than you can trolling with your big engine.

Trout fishing on the White River has been good on Power Bait in yellow and orange and Belgian red worms. Buoyant Spoons, Little Cleos, Panther Martins and Rooster Tails have been working when the generation is on. The fly fishermen have done well on olive or brown Woolly Buggers, sow bugs, egg pattern in peach or chartreuse and San Juan worms. Browns are being caught on Smithwick Rogues, Countdowns, Flat Fish and nightcrawlers.

Crappie- No Report

Catfish -No Report

Bass No Report

Bass fair topwater in morning .

Bluegill good on crickets and wax worms

Catfish good on shrimp and liver

According to AmerenUE, the current lake level is 658.11 and the water temperature is 76 degrees. Bass boat temperature gauges indicate surface water temperatures of 72 to 73 in the morning and 76 to 79 in the afternoon. There will be no generation scheduled for the next three days, which according to AmerenUE will give the lake a level of 658.2 by Friday, October 8th. The lake is stained with the exception of some areas in the Gravois, Grand Glaize and Niangua Rivers. Visibility in the stained water averages about 2 feet and in the clearer water 5 to 8 feet. The shad population seems to be increasing daily and it is not unusual to see individual schools of shad flipping on the surface as far as the eye can see in the coves, creeks and on the main lake points.

LARGEMOUTH BASS - GOOD The most consistent bite is the jig and tube (black/blue, brown and green pumpkin) pitched around shallow boat docks, 2 to 5 feet, on flats and in the creeks. Swimming the jig or tube early around the foam has been the best method, but once the sun gets up it seems that working the jig or tube on the bottom produces better results. The DD22 (shad colors and chartreuse) worked off main lake points and secondary, especially near deep brush, has been fairly consistent throughout the day. The bass are still spread out as is evident from the tournament results this past weekend. Some anglers reported catching bass shallow and others reported they caught bass as deep as 25 feet in brush piles. Most of the deeper bass came on jigs and brush hogs. Neither the spinner bait or top water bait is producing very well, but should in the next week or so as the water temperature cools down. Some keepers are being caught on the spinner bait (white and chartreuse/white), but the majority of bass being caught or only measuring 12 to 14 inches. The buss bait (white and black/chartreuse), however, is producing a few keeper largemouth and spotted bass early in the morning worked along side the boat dock foam of shallow and deep docks on the main lake and in the creeks and coves. The largemouth being caught are averaging well over 2 1/2 pounds, but it is taking a lot of casts and moving to different locations to get that limit.

CRAPPIE - GOOD Crappie fishing has picked up over the several days. The larger crappie are suspended 18 to 20 feet over brush piles as deep as 25 to 30 feet. The crappie can be found in the creeks, deep coves and pockets and on the main lake bluffs. Minnows are the best bite, but Road Runners (white and chartreuse) will produce.

CATFISH - EXCELLENT The catfish are on a heavy bite and are being caught mainly on jugs and limb lines off bluffs. Cut shad, shiners, perch, goldfish and crawdads will produce some big blues, flatheads and channels. Tight lining from the banks with cut shad, stink bait, night crawlers and hot dog chunks is also producing.

BLUEGILL - GOOD The bluegill are beginning to go deeper, 6 to 10 feet, since the water temperature is slowly falling, but on the sunnier days they will come to the surface. Red wigglers, night crawlers and wax worms (grubs) will produce.

WHITE BASS/HYBRIDS - SLOW The whites and hybrids have been scarce as far as busting shad on the surface. Some are being caught off main points and flats by trolling deep diving crank baits, Rattle Traps and small spinner type baits (shad colors and chartreuse).

Date: 10/07/04

Lake Level : 607.60
Last Weeks Lake Level: 608.29
Normal Lake Level : 606

Water Condition: Muddy to Dingy to Clear.

Surface Water Temp: 72 degrees

Sporadic continues to be the best word to describe crappie fishing this week. While still tough we continue to get some good reports. The successful fishermen seem to be doing best near steep drop offs or shelves, using jig tipped minnows and working them at about 15 – 20 feet near cover. Other fishermen said they caught crappie in 20 – 25 feet of water by going to the bottom first and then bringing their bait up about a foot. The bite has been very light, requiring a sensitive touch and every once in a while gently pulling up the rod tip to see if there is any resistance. The bridge piers have been getting worked pretty hard, expect mostly small crappie near the piers with a few keeper size crappie thrown in. Most fishermen can catch small crappie till they’re tired of it. There is a fair amount of luck involved, some fishermen are getting lucky and stumbling onto a good hole and pulling several keepers out. There’s been several locals out working their favorite holes, not always with good results. The lower main lake is probably the best bet, and don’t settle in one place too long, keep on the move.

The few bass reports have not been very good.

Flathead fair

Largemouth Bass good on black/blue jigs and brush hogs

Stripers slow

Crappie fair

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool:  Temperature:  75.8 

Catfish No Report 

Bass No Report 

Crappie No Report 

Bluegill No Report 

Take a kid fishing or hunting they need it

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 839.0 Temperature:

Inflow: 10 cfs Outflow: 50 cfs Level: 0.32 feet low

Black Bass fair in 3 to 8 feet of water using brown or black plastic baits

White Bass fair along the windy banks using bright lures or road runners

Crappie fair using minnows in 8 to 15 feet of water

Catfish fair on trotlines and jug lines using shad, worms, dough baits or crawfish

Muskie good using shad raps, Bombers in 5 to 12 feet of water

Walleye fair using crankbaits while trolling in 10 to 20 feet of water on the points or flats

Bluegill fair using worms in 3 to 8 feet of water

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Temperature: Clarity:  Level: high and dingy

Largemouth Bass slow using spinner baits

Channel Cat  fair using cut bait and nightcrawlers at night

Blue cat slow

Bluegill slow using worms

Crappie slow

Water Temp: 

Crappie slow using jigs and minnows in the brush piles

Blue Catfish slow using night crawlers

Channel Catfish  good using night crawlers, stinkbait and liver

Largemouth Bass  fair using jig and pig 

Bluegill slow using night crawlers

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 864.2  Temperature: 68

Inflow: 35 cfs Outflow: 8 cfs Level: 1.26 feet high

Water Temp:68 degrees

CRAPPIE: Fair: The water is starting to cool and some of the crappie are starting to move. There are fish deep and shallow. Scattered fish makes fishing tougher. There are still fish in the deep tree lines and brush piles. Some fish are also starting to show up in the shallows farther back in the coves. Minnows are still the best but you can also catch fish on jigs.

BASS: Poor: There seems to be a topwater bite if you are in the right place at the right time. A variety of baits are working depending on where you are fishing. You can fish soft jerk baits on top of the grass or drop a worm in front of the grass. The grass is primarily on the main lake but is also extending up both arms of the lake quite a ways. Cool weather should have the fish moving shallow soon. Spinner baits are also a good bet to try.

CATFISH: Good Since they are letting water out of the lake the spillway is an excellent place to catch a few flatheads. The catfish are also starting to feed up for the fall. Fish in the coves along the flats where the shad are at. A variety of baits will work depending on the way you like to fish. Fish in 10' or less of water. Also fish along the flats near the creek channels.

WHITE BASS: Good: The whites are showing up on main lake points in the evenings and mornings. If you are in the right spot when the fish start busting shad you can have some fun. The fish are also on the old Trimble dam and some of the main lake humps. The face of the dam is also starting to produce some whites especially on windy days. Use pepper spoons in 15' to 20' of water during the sunny days and vertical jig for them. Move shallower in the mornings and evenings and on cloudy days. You can also troll small crank baits around the main lake points.

WALLEYE: Fair: You can fish points in the Trimble area or up Campbranch and catch some fish by trolling or casting a #5 or #7 shad rap around points and humps. Stay in 4' to 10' of water most of the time. Also try the main lake points. As the water cools the fish will move shallower.

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 867.7 Temperature: 

Inflow: 60 cfs Outflow: 40 cfs Level: 2.28 feet low

Black Bass No Report

White Bass No Report

Walleye No Report

Crappie No Report

Catfish No Report

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 915.0 Temperature: 

Release Rate: 1874 cfs. Level: 2.42 feet low

No Report

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Temperature:  Level:

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Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 722.00 Clarity:  Level:

Temperature: Lake Map

Crappie slow using minnows in the deep brush piles

Bass slow using lures

Channel cat good using worms and minnows

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 706.0 Temperature:  73

Inflow: 400 cfs Outflow: 992 cfs Level: 0.36 feet low

Tommy

Lake temp: and dirty

Bass fishing is getting better every day the water is cooling off so the bass are moving to the creeks and small pockets buzzbaits and spinner baits are your best bet fish are in 2ft -6ft of water. cover lots of water. 

Crappie fishing is slow on our end most crappie are being caught around the dam. brush piles in 18to 30ft are producing the most fish minnows are the bait of choice you can catch several fish off of some piles. 

Whites Bass are being caught on humps best water depths are 15 to 25ft vertical jigging a spoon on the humps and to the sides of the humps is working well.

Crappie No Report

Bluegill No Report

Catfish No Report