Catfish fair using shad in Ligget Cove

Bluegill No Report

Crappie No Report

Bass No Report

Largemouth bass are now roaming the northern exposure points and a few can be triggered with Wiggle Warts (V37 and V38) and Bandit crankbaits. The best points have some waves pushing up on them and some big rocks. Shad are starting to show up in the back of the creeks and there are some largemouth bass following them. Fish suspending rogues, Lucky Crafts or small crankbaits like Bill Norman’s Baby N around the shad. 

Smallmouth bass have also made a move to the points but they are holding on chunk rock and pea rock points on the main lake and in the creek arms. Northern banks and points are the best to fish with jerk baits, crankbaits and Spider or Booyah jigs. They are up on the points in 16 to 20 feet of water one day and on the drop offs in 35 to 45 feet the next day, so you need to locate them before you can catch them. 

Kentucky bass are still traveling with the shad and the shad are moving toward the pockets and coves on the main lake and in the creek arms. Here again the northern side of the creeks and main lake are the spots to check. Drop spoons through the shad or a grub on a drop shot rig, which will trigger a few strikes.

Lake Rating: It is early in the season to see movement of all the game fish and the bite has started to pick up so will rate the lake fair for this week.

Walleye are now in the creeks and on the drop offs of main lake flats. They are still in deep water (40 to 50 feet) but they are closer than they were last week. Ball jigs with shiners and spoons are still the best bet on catching a few. Long liners pulling lead core line are starting to catch a few with Reef Runners and Rapala Glass Shad although the walleye are not chasing food yet.

The FLW Outdoors Walleye Tour will be coming to Bull Shoals April 6th through the 9th. This will be their first walleye event on Bull Shoals and are expecting a full field of 150 boats. Co-anglers will be paired with the pros for this tournament. You can pick up more information and entry forms at R&H Marine in Bull Shoals and at Wilderness Trail.

Fishing for trout on the White River has been fair to good this past week. There is shad coming through the dam, so white "anything" will work. When there is not much generation, Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and white have done well. With generation white chrome domes, the Buoyant spoon, Super Dupers, and Countdowns are the bait of choice. With the generation the fly fishing has been limited but when able the olive Woolly Bugger, sow bugs and scuds have done well. The Brown trout are being caught on Countdowns, Shad Raps and Rogues.

Crappie- No Report

Catfish -No Report

Bass No Report

Catfish No Report

Bluegill No Report

Crappie fair around the marine

Bass No Report

According to AmerenUE the current lake level is 656.89 and the surface water temperature taken at Bagnell Dam is 38 degrees. Heavy generation is scheduled for the next three days and according to AmerenUE this should give the lake a level of 656.8 by Friday, February 25th. Truman Lake is 709.65 with heavy discharge scheduled the remainder of the week. The Osage River and the coves off the main lake are still muddy and appears to be slowly clearing especially on the banks of the coves, but visibility is still less than 3 or 4 inches. The Big and Little Niangua and Gravois Rivers are the clearest tributaries with visibility ranging from 1 to 4 feet in the back portions of the creek arms. The Grand Glaize is slowly clearing in the upper portions especially above PB#1, but muddier toward the Ft Leonard Wood Recreation area and PB#2. According to bass boat temperature gauges surface water temperatures range from 38 to 40 degrees near the main lake to 44 degrees in the rear portions of the creeks in the Gravois and Niangua's. In the Ha Ha Tonka springs the water temperature is averaging 51 to 54 degrees.

LARGEMOUTH BASS - SLOW Although there were a couple of 14 pound stringers brought to the BWST weigh-in last weekend, bass fishing is still quite tough. The most consistant bite continues to be the jig (black/blue, brown/chartreuse and black) and the twin tail and single tail Chomper (black/blue, dark melon pepper and green pumpkin) worked slow on large chunk rock banks on creek channels and on channel swings near secondary points. The bass have been in various depths, but mainly 10 to 15 feet. There were some reports over the weekend that the suspended jerk bait (clown, black/silver with orange belly and firetiger) worked with long pauses produced some keepers in the clearer water of the tributaries. There were also some reports that the medium diving crankbait, Wiggle Wart, Bandit and DLN, (crawdad and shad colors) worked slow and bouncing off the bottom produced some keepers and non-keepers where water 40 degrees and higher was located.

CRAPPIE - SLOW The crappie seem to be in the same mood as the bass, slow and difficult. Crappie are being caught out of brush piles located in water 12 to 25 feet around boat docks and on bluffs in the creeks. The crappie seem to be spread out because lately no more than 2 or 3 crappie, if any, are being caught out of a proven brush pile. Minnow, Road Runners and tube baits (solid white, chartreuse-white/with red head and white/with red head) worked slow over or close to the brush is producing a few crappie. Tipping the bait with Crappie Nibbles seems to help.

Catfish Reports by: Anthony Ford: Catfish & Spoonbill Guide Updated 02/16/05

CATFISH - fishing is poor 

The lake is pretty much ice free.

Lake Level : 613.0
Last Weeks Lake Level: 607.0
Normal Lake Level : 606
Water Condition: Muddy

With the warm temperatures and rain the lake is open for business. A lot of rain last weekend sent the lake up 6 feet, freeing up the ramps that were still iced in. There may be ice drifting, use caution if you get on the lake. There have been very few fishermen out so far.

Flathead No Report

Largemouth Bass No Report

Stripers No Report

Crappie No Report

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool:  Temperature:  

Check out river bottom lures we stock 8 colors in 4 and 6 inch
Check out the new lx bow by Matthew's

The boat pass price changed to $5.00 day pass and $35 for the year also 

Come in and see the new switchback bow from Mathews

You guys do a real good job on the web site

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 839.0 Temperature:

Inflow: 1350 cfs Outflow: 2000 cfs Level: 2.47 feet high

Black Bass No Report 

White Bass No Report 

Crappie No Report 

Catfish No Report 

Muskie No Report 

Walleye No Report 

Bluegill No Report 

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Temperature: Clarity:  Level: high and dingy

Largemouth Bass No Report 

Channel Cat  No Report 

Blue cat No Report 

Bluegill No Report 

Crappie No Report 

Water Temp: 

Crappie No Report 

Blue Catfish No Report 

Channel Catfish  No Report 

Largemouth Bass  No Report 

Bluegill No Report 

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 864.2  Temperature: 32

Inflow: 120 cfs Outflow: 8 cfs Level: 0.65 feet high

Water Temp:32 degrees and the lake is starting to open quickly with all of the rain and the lake coming up quickly. 

Campbranch ramps are open 2-12 and a few boats are fishing just north of the bridge. The rain should really help get the lake opened up soon.

CRAPPIE: Good: Some fish are still being caught but the fishing has slowed down. All of the marinas produce fish during the winter months but even that has slowed lately. Minnows or jigs bite are working. The docks at Campbranch are open to the public and fish are being caught. $2 per day to fish.

BASS: No Report: Not many people are fishing for the bass right now.

CATFISH: No Report

White Bass: Fair: Some are being caught around the docks by the crappie fisherman.

WALLEYE: No Report

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 867.7 Temperature: 

Inflow: 2750 cfs Outflow: 4337 cfs Level: 6.58 feet high

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: 46 - 49

Release Rate: 7264 cfs. Level: 0.58 feet high

LAKE LEVEL 914.87 NORMAL 915
WATER TEMP 46-49

James River, King's River, & Long Creek
Water is starting to clear up, and fish are starting to bite Jerkbaits, Luckycrafts, Rapalas, Rogues, & Shad Raps. Try clown colors in the stained water or gold/black & chrome/blue-chrome/black in clearer water. Clearest water will be found the further up river you go. Key in on transition banks and bluffs that turn into chunk rock & gravel banks, where the river channel swings away from the banks. Also try 5/16 or 7/16 brown and black Team Supreme jigs tipped with pork frogs, fishing the same areas in 8'-12' on the ledges. Getting some reports of several Walleye's being caught up Upper Kings River.

The Dam Area, Kimberling City, & Baxter Areas
The deep bite hasn't been very consistent because of water clarity & water levels changing. look for shad from the mouths of the major creeks to the secondary points, also look right down the middle of the creeks in the channels for shad. Use chrome or white 3/4 oz jigging spoons fished in 40'-55' over tree tops or around shad. Try 3"- 4" Team Supreme grubs and tubes will work in pearl, smoke, or salt & pepper colors. Try fishing around the big docks 12 stall or larger that drop off into 30'-50'. Fish small jigs or Texas rigged 4" French fries

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Temperature:  Level:

Report by River Run Outfitters

GRAND OPENING Celebration for our new location! Come join us! We will have reps from Orvis, Sage/Redington and others on hand to answer questions - fly tying demos from area tiers - hot dogs - casting help - drawings and door prizes - but most of all FUN! APRIL 30, 2005 - activities run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. WHERE? Our new location - 2626 State Hwy. 165

GENERAL COMMENTS

Still running water...but, turning it off late at night for 5-6 hours.

Water Conditions: Four during the day, but it appears they are turning it off around 11:00 p.m. and leaving it off until 5:00 or 6:00 a.m. Beaver is now at 1120.3 and Table rock is 915.1. Beaver has been cutting back. Actually had the generators off for 10-14 hour periods over the past 4 days, then running 1 or 2 generators for a while. This is before the effect of this last rainfall. Not certain how much rain we received, so we'll have to wait and see what impact it will have.

FLY FISHING TROPHY AREA (dam to Fall Creek)-SHALLOW WATER-WADING-
Boat out Friday and they had a pretty good day. Found fish up on the grassy area of the island across from KOA camp ground and a few in the channel behind the island. Did our best below the Pointe Royale Island on the main lake side. Caught most of our fish on the size 16 red tunghead midge. Also found a new lay-up on the Pointe side downstream and about 1/2 mile up from the stairs going down to the water from Fall Creek. A nice cutback is created there when the water is high. Real calm water for the fish to lay in. Tough fishing from the main lake side as you have to mend constantly due to the extreme variations in the water speeds Had a boat out yesterday and it was tough early in the day. Improved in the afternoon and they caught 20-25 fish or so, mainly on the red midge. For you night owls or early risers, fishing has been good, especially early in the a.m. with the water off. Look for rising fish. Fishers have been catching fish on dry flies early in the morning, especially with this warm weather! Otherwise, when the water starts running, do the go-to red San Juan on the rise. Once it's up, the hatchery area is still fishing pretty good with chamois leech, scuds (gray or UV gray), and the worm brown San Juan worm.

STAN'S TIP: Time to get out the gear and clean it up for spring!

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Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 722.00 Clarity:  Level:

Temperature:

  Lake Map

Crappie No Report

Bass No Report

Channel cat No Report

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 706.0 Temperature:  

Inflow: 4000 cfs Outflow: 20646 cfs Level: 4.95 feet high

Lake temp: 

Crappie fishing around the Damn is getting better every day. Fishing the bluffs in 20ft to 30ft water using jigs. You need to be around brush piles or dropoffs

Little Tebo and lower Osage are the best bet.

Bass no report,

Crappie No Report

Bluegill No Report

Catfish No Report