Catfish good in Jacomo overflow- live shad

Hybrids fair in Jacomo overflow- shad, liver, rattle traps

Crappie fair -jigs and small minnows

Surface temperature: Most places on the lake it is in the mid 70’s. There is a 1-2 degree drop until the 30 foot level where it drops 5 degrees or so. It looks like the thermo cline is starting to form there. This will fluctuate and change with the lake dropping.

VISIBILITY- With the lake dropping the visibility tends to murk up a little. However, most divers are reporting good visibility from 10 to 15 feet at most places.

Sunday June 13^th- There is still 15 foot or so of brush in the lake since the lake is still high. Most of the fish are hanging just below this brush line on the old shore line. Not much change from last report on the actual fishing. It has been great this last few weeks. The walleye bite has really turned on.

BASS PATTERNS- a few changes but not much since last report. Top water, night crawlers, crank baits and jig-n-frog at night seem to dominate the patterns.

WALLEYE- The walleye bite is on. The night crawler with a split shot or crawler harness in 15 to 25 feet of water is one of the best patterns. They are using shallow running stick baits- mostly rogues- in various depths depending on what type of structure you are fishing. The best colors are chartreuse, yellow, bluegill, perch or purple. They are also catching lots of walleye trolling deep diving crank baits and deep diving stick baits during the day. The walleye are shallow during the early morning and afternoon. They are deeper in the day so deeper diving baits are necessary.

WHITE BASS- not much reported except under lights at night with minnows in 20 to 35 feet of water.

CRAPPIE- same thing as the white bass.

CATFISH- The catfish are doing well on jug lines, trot lines and limb lines. We have seen several good catches and stringers. Most of the fish are in shallow water and being caught on the same bait- perch, dead shad, liver, stink bait, etc.

Crappie- good - being caught on minnows

Catfish -good - using night crawlers and Minnows in the evenings

Bass No Report

Catfish excellent on shad, nightcrawlers

Crappie good- small minnows, shallow water

Bass fair on topwater lures

According to AmerenUE the water temperature is 80 degrees and the current lake level is 659.83 with heavy generation scheduled for the next three (3) days which will give the lake level on Friday, June 25 of 659.7. The lake is clear and has been fairly steady, but there is still some debris floating in the creeks and the Osage River. The average visibility is between 3 and 5 feet, but the Gravois Rivers and some sections of the Niangua Rivers have visibility down to 9 or 10 feet.

LARGEMOUTH BASS - EXCELLENT The day bite is slow but the night bite continues to be excellent. The big fish are still active at night, with the best bite being Texas rigged 7 and 10 inch plastic worm and the Brush Hogs (black/red fleck, black and plum). The Melton jig n trailer and the single spin (black w/black blades) are also producing some good keepers. The bass are in brush piles 15 to 20 feet and it doesn't seem to make any difference if the brush piles are on points or straight banks. The most consistent area continues to be below the lodge and in the Gravois and dam area. There is some early morning topwater with Zara Spook and Pop R worked on points and around boat docks from the bank out to 10 feet.

SPOTTED BASS - SLOW The spots are basically the same...slow. The spots being caught are small with a few keepers that are coming off the main lake wave breakers and the deep main lake docks on Gitzits (white and/or brown), Flukes (white and/or shad color) and small crawdads on a weightless hook. Some keepers are being caught off main lake points on the Melton jig n trailer, crawdad colored crankbaits and live crawdads.

WHITE BASS/HYBRIDS - FAIR Since there has been a fairly steady generation the last couple of weeks, the whites and a few hybrids have been busting shad off the main lake points early in the morning. The top water bite with a Pop R, Chug Bug and Zara Spook Jr. has been the best bite. A 1/4 ounce Road Runner, spoons, and Mepps Spinners are also producing when they are busting shad and when they go deep.

CATFISH - GOOD Some cats are still spawning, but there are some blues, channels and flatheads being caught on jugs, limb lines and trotlines baited with cut shad, gold fish, perch and crawdads. Tight lining with stinkbait, cut shad, nightcrawlers and hot dog chunks are taking channels and blues in the creeks 10 to 15 feet.

Date: 6/24/04
Lake Level : 612.25
Last Weeks Lake Level: 612.42
Normal Lake Level : 606
Water Condition: Dingy - Stained

Surface Water Temp: 80 degrees

Bass fishing has been good. Some nice size bass and limits have been caught using 10 inch worms and lizards, with Carolina rigging being the most popular. Main lake points have been most productive, in water anywhere from 4 – 10 feet deep.

Catfishing has been slower this past week, with a lot of trotliners coming up empty or with small cats. Some catfish have been caught by crappie fishermen using minnows.

White bass fishing continues to be fun, they just can’t resist the schools of shad with a lot of surface feeding taking place. Silver rattle traps near main lake humps or points.

Flathead slow

Largemouth Bass slow

Stripers slow

Crappie slow

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool:  Temperature:   

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 839.0 Temperature: 70

Inflow: 40 cfs Outflow: 300 cfs Level: 1.20 feet high

Pomme arm good

Black bass use crankbaits fire tiger in color over shallow points

Catfish good use cut shad on flats from 20 feet up

Crappie 15 -20 feet in standing timber use minnows

Bluegill good use worms around shady areas down to 15 feet

Lindley arm good

Black bass use soft plastic on the points 10-15 feet dark in color

Crappie good around standing timber use minnow down go down to bottom and reel up

Catfish good use cut shad or perch on trotlines

Lower Lake Good

Crappie 15-20 feet deep in standing timber with minnows

Walleye are being taken by crappie angler using minnows

White bass troll a spinner bait on the flats

Black bass use wiggle warts silver in color off points or soft plastic in dark green

Temperature: 72  Clarity:  Level: high and dingy

Largemouth Bass fair using plastic worms and crankbaits

Channel Cat  fair in 10 feet of water using nightcrawlers, cut shad and minnows

Blue cat No Report

Bluegill fair 

Crappie fair in about 8 feet of water 

Water Temp: 68

Crappie fair using jigs and minnows in the brush piles

Blue Catfish good using night crawlers

Channel Catfish  fair using night crawlers

Largemouth Bass  fair on spinner baits

Bluegill fair using night crawlers

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 864.2  Temperature: 70 to 76

Inflow: 15 cfs Outflow: 1000 cfs Level: 2.11 feet high

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 867.7 Temperature: 80

Inflow: 300 cfs Outflow: 1629 cfs Level: 2.62 feet high

Black bass fair on plastic baits on points and secondary points

White bass fair early and late on Rooster Tails and small crankbaits

Walleye fair trolling crankbaits over points and drifting nightcrawlers on flats

Crappie fair on minnows 20-25 feet deep; catfish fair on trotlines using cut baits and by drifting shiners over flats

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 915.0 Temperature: 79 - 83

Release Rate: 3888 cfs. Level: 1.38 feet high

WATER LEVEL - 916.41 Normal Pool 915'
JAMES RIVER Upper 79-83
MAIN LAKE 79-81

Fishing has gotten tough in the past week, weights were way down this past weekend from the previous weeks tournaments, with winning stringers coming from the James River & Kings River.

James River, Kings & Long Creek

3/4 oz. football jigs still seem to be producing best, fished 15'-25' on main river points with deep water close by, also on humps and drop offs, try Carolina rigged Chompers, Team Supreme Tournament French fries, Brush hogs, or lizards in green pumpkin, watermelon, or pumpkin colors, and 7"-9" worms fished in the same areas. Some fish are being caught on spinnerbaits and buzzbaits early in the upper river arms around lay downs and bushes. In the Mid river the drop shot bite has slowed down, but should pick up when the weather stabilizes.

Main Lake-Kimberling City, Baxter, Campbell Point and Dam Areas

These areas have been real tough for me this past week, the bait fish are the key. Find the shad and you'll find the fish. Fish main lake gravel points starting from 25'-40' with 3/4 oz football jigs and 4" drop shot worms in watermelon, green pumpkin, or candy colors, a couple of feet off bottom. These fish should start to bite better once again when the weather stabilizes and the thermo cline develops. Also try chrome or white jigging spoons in the same areas. I've had some reports of fish being caught on Fat Free Shads and DD-22 crankbaits on secondary points with submerged timber @ 15'-20'. Shad, again seems to be the key, look for shad and fish starting to gather up over the deeper water 50'-100' off these main lake gravel points and bluff ends, fish should be suspending at 25'-35'

Temperature:  Level:

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 722.00 Clarity:  Level:

Temperature: 78 and Dingy

Crappie fair

Bass No Report

Channel cat good on setlines

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 706.0 Temperature:  75 and Clear to dirty

Inflow: 4600 cfs Outflow: 17283 cfs Level: 1.50 feet high

Lake temp: 75

White Bass  good using spinnerbaits

Crappie fair using minnows and jigs

Bluegill good using crickets 

Catfish fair on trotlines and juglines using live bait