Catfish fair-hot dog

Bluegill good-wax worms

Crappie good-small jigs

Bass fair-crankbaits

 Report by: Wilderness Trail       "Braggin Board"

October 25, 2004
Clouds, fog and very little sunshine covers the weather pattern for the last week. Daytime temperatures have been in the lower 70’s with foggy 50’s at night because of the high humidity. Lake level is down a little this week at 650.84, which puts us at 3 ½ feet below normal pool level. Lake temperature remains around 63 degrees and water clarity is about 16 feet, it’s been one of those weeks where just about everything has stayed steady. The crappie bite has picked up some and the nice 1 ½ pound to 2 pound crappie are starting to show themselves. Brush piles in the creeks and pole trees along the bluff walls are the key areas to work. Crappie minnows and a colored jig head (chartreuse, pink or white) is one of the best baits. Swimming Minnows and crappie tubes are also catching a few along with silver ¼ ounce spoons. The crappie are holding between 26 to 32 feet and the best bite is early in the morning and one hour before sundown.

Largemouth bass have not returned to the banks except in the upper part of the lake above Tucker Hollow. Spinner baits and Wiggle Warts V-37 and V-38 are the key baits up there. The rest of the lake is kind of iffy as the largemouth are holding on the deep side of secondary points just above the thermocline (34 feet). Best technique and baits at this time is Carolina rigs with Brush Hogs, lizards and finesse worms, football jigs tipped with Yamamoto twin tail trailers and Hula Grubs in green pumpkin and rootbeer colors. 

Smallmouth bass can be caught around pea rock points and at the end of chunk rock banks that have a transition change from chunk rock to pea gravel. Like the largemouth, the smallies are also hanging around the 34 to 38 foot water depth feeding on shad and searching for crawdads at night. Numbers are hard to come by but the few bites you get are from quality smallies. A number of baits and techniques must be used throughout the day to be successful. Spider Jigs, tube baits, Mojo rigs, trick worms and centipedes and drop shot rigs with finesse worms will trigger bites but you have to work at it. 

Kentucky bass are doing the same thing swimming with the shad out over open water. Some top water action is present but you need to wait until the Kentuckys push the shad up to the top to frenzy feed before you can catch them with Pop-R’s or Chug Bugs. Spoons and drop shots are working under the balls of shad no matter what depth of water you find them in.

Walleye are coming to the banks at night and can be taken on suspending Rogues in 15 to 25 foot of water around points. During the day, the walleye are still around the points but they are moving out over open water and suspending 26 to 30 feet down. DO NOT make the mistake of fishing too deep under the walleyes as they will not go down after your lure. Change over to shallow running baits and don’t be concerned if your over 60 feet of water – remember the walleyes are only down 26 to 30 feet.

The PWT will return to Bull Shoals on May 11 through 13, 2005 and entry blanks for amateurs are now available. The can be ordered by phone from PWT at 218-824-2542, or by downloading them from the PWT web site at www.professionalwalleyetrail.com. They are now available at Wilderness Trail. The PWT is a Pro-Am and this past June one-third of the field consisted of local anglers. The week of November 8th, the Bull Shoals PWT tournament from June 2004 can be seen on The Outdoor Channel, Monday at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday 3:30 p.m. and Friday 11 p.m.

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

Crappie- No Report

Catfish -No Report

Bass No Report

Catfish fair-shrimp

Bluegill good-wax worms

Crappie good-small jigs

Bass fair-crankbaits

According to AmerenUE the current lake level is 657.93 with no generation scheduled for the next three days, which should give the lake a level of 657.9 by Thursday, October 28th. AmerenUE reports the water temperature taken at Bagnell Dam is 69 degrees. The upper and mid lake is dingy with visibility ranging from 1 to 3 feet, but becomes clearer toward the dam and in the Gravois where visibility ranges between 3 to 8 feet. The Big and Little Niangua and Grand Glaize are clear with visibility averaging 3 to 8 feet. The shad are still schooling throughout the lake, especially in the creeks and coves. There are areas in upper end of the Osage, Gravois, Grand Glaize, and the Big and Little Niangua Rivers showing signs that there has been a turnover or is in the process.

LARGEMOUTH BASS - GOOD Right now it's typical fall fishing. The bass are chasing shad and on day they will be stacked on a certain bank or on a row of docks and the next day they're gone. This doesn't mean you can't catch a limit of nice keepers, it just means you've gun and run to different locations until their located. Right now the most consistant bite is the jig and tube bait (black/blue and green pumpkin) in stained water pitched or flipped around boat docks on the main lake flats in the upper Osage River and flats in the creeks, Niangua's, Gravois and Grand Glaize Rivers. The white and/or white/chartreuse spinner bait is also producing around windy docks and laydowns, especially in the dirtier water. In the clearer water, the jig n trailer (brown/purple and/ or brown/green pumpkin), the plastic worm (plum and June Bug), Brush Hog (watermelon/purple and/or green pumpkin) and the Chomper (green pumpkin and watermelon red) worked in brush piles and off ledges in 12 to 15 feet has produced some nice keepers the last week or so. Top water has also been producing a few keepers early in the morning on a regular size Zara Spook on secondary and main lake points. The DD22 crankbait has slowed down, but is still producing a keeper or two off windy main lake and secondary points.

CRAPPIE - GOOD The crappie bite is still good and seems to be getting better. The crappie are hanging around brush piles next to or underneath the Styrofoam of the docks anywhere from 10 to 15 feet. The larger crappie are suspended 18 feet over brush piles in 20 to 25 feet in the creeks and main lake bluffs and pockets. Minnows and Road Runner (white and or chartreuse) are the best bite.

CATFISH - EXCELLENT The cats have been on a feeding beige and still are. Jugs and limb lines baited with cut shad, goldfish, crawdads and shiners have been the best baits for the larger cats. Tighlining from the bank or boat dock is producing nice cats on cut shad, nightcrawlers, shiners and gold fish in 12 to 20 feet of water in the coves and creeks.

WHITES/HYBRIDS - FAIR The whites and hybrids have been very spotty, but there are some being caught on the winding main lake points and rocky banks. Small spinners, top water and medium diving crankbaits(shad colors) are the best bite

BLUEGILL - FAIR The bluegill are moving to the deeper water around the boat docks in 6 to 10 feet of water. Nightcrawlers, red wigglers and wax worms (grubs) are the best bite.

Date: 10/21/04
Lake Level : 606.90
Last Weeks Lake Level: 607.62
Normal Lake Level : 606
Water Condition: Muddy to Dingy to Clear.

Surface Water Temp: 62 degrees

Crappie fishing has been tough lately. Some of the best reports have been from fishermen catching crappie near the bottom in 20 - 25 feet of water. The bite continues to be very light, with minnows being the best bait.

Bass fishing has been fair, with mostly small ones being caught.

Catfishing is fair. Trotliners have been having a tough go of it this week. Rod and Reel fishermen had been doing good catching small to medium size channels using nightcrawlers.

Flathead fair

Largemouth Bass good on black/blue jigs and brush hogs

Stripers slow

Crappie fair

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool:  Temperature:  

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: 1000 cfs Outflow: 50 cfs Level: 0.05 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: 57

Inflow: 650 cfs Outflow: 8 cfs Level: 1.43 feet high

CRAPPIE: Good: Lots of crappie are being caught in 20 feet of water along creek edges and in brush piles. Some fish are also starting to show up in the backs of the creeks. Most of the fish being caught are nice keepers with some nice 13" and 14" monsters showing up occasionally. Minnows are still the best but you can also catch fish on jigs.

BASS: Fair: Not many people are fishing for the bass right now but the grass is the place to look. Top water or shallow crankbaits are your best bets.

CATFISH: Good The crappie fishermen are catching some nice cats on minnows in the deeper water while crappie fishing. The cats are also starting to show up in the shallow creeks along with the crappie. Lots of shad and the fish are feeding up for the winter.

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 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: 1400 cfs Outflow: 40 cfs Level: 2.02 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: 4507 cfs. Level: 2.04 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:  64

Inflow: 3400 cfs Outflow: 754 cfs Level: 0.10 feet high

More rain. The lake is still in good shape and the fish are trying to do their part and the leaves are still in full color. It's just a great time to get that last weekend of fishing in before it turns cold. The lake temp is still holding at 64 deg. and the water clarity is a light stain.

LAKE LEVEL: 706.13
WATER TEMP: 64 deg.
WATER CLARITY: Clear to stained. There is dirty water getting pushed in up the rivers from all the rain.

BASS: The bass fishing on Truman is not to bad. The jig bite is starting to pick up. Fish are scattered from the main lake points to the back ends of the creeks. You can find fish in 1' to 3' of water but the better fish are holding in 8' to 10' on the bottom. The edge of the shallow flats that fall into the creek channels are your best bet for better fish. PB&J jigs have been a good color. Also a bluegill jig has been a good choice. Spinner baits have slowed a little but with the cooler weather coming in next week they should pick back up.

CRAPPIE: There has been some crappie caught off the bluffs in 20' of water. These fish are holding about a foot off the bottom. One of the better banks is the bluff across from the dam. Brush piles are still holding fish. Best piles are in 16' to 20' of water.

WHITES & HYBRIDS: We are seeing a lot of whites come in. The big hybrids haven't started yet. If the wind is blowing the fish are on the windy points if it's a calm day the fish are back on the humps. Steve Blake did say that there were a few good hybrids starting to surface again. If you are fishing the points Rooster Tails are a good choice. It you are working the humps spoons are the best bait.

CATFISH: No Report

This weeks rankings from Sterett Creek are:

WHITES: # 1

BASS: # 2

CRAPPIE: # 3

We will be closing the marina for the season on Nov.7th. We will keep the campground open till after deer season. Next week will be my last fishing report for the season. we can help you with anything you can contact us at Sterett Creek Marina

That's it for this week so with that we bid you good fishing.

Tommy

Lake temp: and dirty

Crappie No Report

Bluegill No Report

Catfish No Report