Catfish good-fresh shad

Hybrids fair-rattle traps

Bass No Report

Carp No Report

 Report by: Wilderness Trail       "Braggin Board"

October 11, 2004

We started this last week with sunshine and moderate temperatures in the 70’s. On Friday the rain came in and it is still raining on Sunday. We have had a little over 3" as of Sunday night. Lake level is at 651.68, about the same as last week. On a positive note – the rain has cleared the lake visibility and we are now at 16 feet. On the negative side the lake clarity has shut down the fall movement for bass and walleye and the bite has slowed. The thermocline is still at 33 feet and the lake temperature is ranging from 67 to 69 degrees. Crappie have been so-so staying around brush piles in 26 to 28 feet of water. Best baits have been crappie minnows on pink or white jigs and crappie tubes in black or pink colors.

Saturday and Sunday the Angler’s Edge Bull Shoals Open was held out of Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock. Clarence Phillips and Jim Roberts won this tournament with 16.86 pounds of bass for the two day event. Big bass of the tournament was a 4.58 pound largemouth caught by the team of Shannon Schroder and Hunter Duren. Congratulations to all of the competitors.

Largemouth bass are in the creeks holding on structure in the middle of the cuts and coves and moving to the banks when they want to feed. Buzzbaits, spinnerbaits and Zara Spooks or Lucky Craft Sammy’s will trigger a few strikes up on the banks. Carolina rigged brush hogs or finesse worms are working in the middle of the cuts along with football jigs. 

Smallmouth bass left the points and flats with the rain. They are now back on the drop offs in 30 to 45 feet of water hugging the bottom. The bite is slow but a few can be triggered with football jigs, Spider Jigs, Mojo rigged trick worms and Carolina rigged lizards or brush hogs. Look for some top water action in the bigger pockets this week, the shad have started to move in over the last few days. 

Kentucky bass were active on the ends of the bluff walls and off the large flats around the lake but they have shut down and left their holding areas. We can find a few here and there but there is no pattern, so lets see what happens throughout the week and maybe we can key into their movement.

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 will soon be available at Wilderness Trail. The PWT is a Pro-Am and this past June one-third of the field consisted of local anglers.

Walleye seem to be the only game fish not affected by the cool weather and rain. The bite has been great this last week around points and across flats on spoons, crawler harnesses and trolling Reef Runners. Walleye are in a depth range from 20 to 44 feet. You just have to pick the right technique for the depth you wish to fish. From 20 to 30 feet use Bottom Bouncers and crawler harnesses (chartreuse or red blades). From 30 to 44 feet you can use spoons and fish them vertically over the walleye or troll lead core line with Reef Runners, Bill Norman DD14’s or Rapala Glass Shad. The best bite is from dawn until 10 a.m. and 3 to 9 p.m.

Trout fishing on the White River has been good on Power Bait in yellow 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 or brown 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

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 657.96 with a water temperature of 73 degrees taken at Bagnell Dam. Bass boat temperature gauges indicate surface water temperatures at 63-68 in the upper Osage River and 69-73 in the mid and lower end of the lake. There are reports some coves above the 55 mile marker show signs the lake is turning over, but the average water clarity still remains 2-3 feet. The water clarity in the mid and lower end of the lake still has that stained appearance, but it looks as if the lake is beginning to clear up some the last few days. The shad are still plentiful ranging from 2 inches up to 7-8 inches. The Grand Glaize, Big and Little Niangua and the Gravois Rivers are the clearest areas of the lake with the clarity being 5 to 8 feet.

LARGEMOUTH BASS - GOOD With all the schools of shad throughout the lake, the bass continue be spread out and be caught in 2 feet of water around boat docks and in brush piles located in 25 feet of water. The most consistent bite for good solid keepers continues to be the jig and tube bait (black/blue, green pumpkin/brown and green pumpkin) pitched around boat docks on the main lake flats and the back of creeks. The DD22 (shad colors and chartreuse colors) is also producing solid keepers off main lake bluff points and the inside of channel points off the main lake. The jig, tube bait, and Brush Hog and the 10 inch plastic worm (green pumpkin, red shad and watermelon red) worked around boat docks with brush will produce, but is taking a lot of casts to get a keeper bite. The buzz bait and spinner bait (white, white/chartreuse) worked around boat dock foam and inside the wells are also producing some keepers. Because the bass are scattered as they are, it is taking a lot of casts, confidence and moving to different locations to get a limit of good keepers.

CRAPPIE - GOOD The crappie bite is good. The crappie are suspended 15 to 18 feet over brush piles sitting in 20 to 25 feet of water in the creeks and in main lake pockets, bluffs and coves. Minnows and Road Runners worked over the brush is producing crappie 9 1/2 to 11 inches. When the bite slows down try tipping the bait with some Crappie Nibbles.

CATFISH - EXCELLENT The blues, flatheads and channels seem to be on a feeding frenzy. Jugs and limb lines are the best method baited with cut shad, goldfish, shiners and crawdads in the coves, creeks, main lake bluffs and on the upper Osage River. Tight lining from the banks or boat docks is also producing with the same bait in 12 to 20 feet of water.

BLUEGILL - FAIR The Blue are slowly disappearing from the shallow water and are now deeper, 6 to 8 feet, and suspended under the boat dock foam. On the sunnier days a few bluegill can be found shallow, but for the most part they have moved to the deeper water.

Date: 10/14/04

Lake Level : 607.62
Last Weeks Lake Level: 607.60
Normal Lake Level : 606

Water Condition: Dingy to Clear.

Surface Water Temp: 64 degrees

Crappie fishing has been varied, with some fishermen catching crappie near the bottom in 20 - 25 feet of water and others going up the rivers and catching them near the bank. With some of the fish being caught near the bank, this could indicate the beginning of a fall pattern, more reports will tell. The bite continues to be 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 continue to be worked pretty hard, expect mostly small crappie near the piers with a few keeper size thrown in. The lower main lake is still probably your best bet, keep on the move. Minnows or minnow tipped jigs.

Bass fishing continues to be slow.

Catfishing is good. Trotliners have been doing the best, pulling in flatheads using goldfish, or channel and blue cats using cut shad. Rod and reel fishermen haven't done as good, but some are catching channels using nightcrawlers or cut shad.

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: 60 cfs Outflow: 50 cfs Level: 0.15 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

Back to Top

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: 

Inflow: 250 cfs Outflow: 8 cfs Level: 1.45 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: 250 cfs Outflow: 40 cfs Level: 2.13 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: 349 cfs. Level: 2.22 feet low

No Report

Back to Top

Temperature:  Level:

Back to Top

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: 2400 cfs Outflow: 250 cfs Level: 0.13 feet high

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