Catfish fair-shrimp

Bluegill good-wax worms

Crappie good-small jigs

Bass fair-crankbaits

 Report by: Wilderness Trail       "Braggin Board"

October 18, 2004
This week started with a continuation of rain from the previous week. By Wednesday we had a total of 6" but having been so dry through August and September most of the rain soaked into the ground. The back of the creeks and watersheds didn’t even stain up as there was not enough run off. The lake did clear up and visibility is now at 16 feet and the rain was cold, which dropped the lake temperature down to 63.5 to 64.5 degrees. With some stable weather the fall feed should be in full swing by next weekend. The thermocline is holding at 33 feet with a 61 degree temperature break. The lake will start to flip when the surface temperature equals the thermocline temperature so we are within a few degrees of turn over. Lake level is about the same this week even with all the rain, 652.02, which is two feet below normal pool. 

Crappie have been active this week just outside the brush piles and around pole trees along the bluffs. They are suspended between 25 and 30 feet of water biting on crappie minnows, Swimming Minnows and crappie tube jigs.

Largemouth bass again have left the banks and are hard to pinpoint. A few buck bass can be found running the back of the creeks but it is not a solid pattern. Wiggle Warts and Bandit crankbaits are catching a few on secondary points in the creeks but you will have a sore arm and very few fish after an eight hour day. Keep checking the bank throughout the week, stable weather should move the largemouth back up. 

Smallmouth bass also made a move this week, but it wasn’t what we expected. Do nothing banks, not chunk rock or points, but plain pea gravel nothing banks. Tubes, Carolina rigs and Spider Jigs are the key baits even though there aren’t any crawdads up on the pea gravel banks. Carolina baits that are working are brush hogs, lizards, trick worms and flukes. 

Kentucky bass are still with the shad and the shad are now in 20 to 30 feet of water in cuts and pockets. Spoons work well on the Kentuckys that are under the shad, white spoons have been dominant this week. Drop shot rigs are also triggering a few with small grubs and finesse worms as the lures of choice. Some Kentuckys can be found looking for crawdads around chunk rock banks, best lures have been crankbaits in crawdad colors or spinnerbaits with shad colored skirts.

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.

Walleye are up on points where they were during the spring. A lot of walleye are being caught by bass anglers that are cranking the banks. Shad Raps and Wiggle Warts have worked the best. Crawler harnesses are catching the majority of walleye this week pulled in 26 to 29 feet of water on Bottom Bouncers. Best blade colors have been red, silver and gold. Long liners have switched over to baits that dive 2 to 8 feet deep and using lead core line to get to the desired depth. Try suspending rogues, Hot N’Tots, walleye divers, and Bill Norman’s DLN’s at this time.

Trout fishing on the White River has been good on Power Bait in yellow, chartreuse 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 657.96 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: 10/21/04
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: 40 cfs Outflow: 50 cfs Level: 0.26 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: 

Inflow: 15 cfs Outflow: 8 cfs Level: 1.40 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: 100 cfs Outflow: 40 cfs Level: 2.15 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: 397 cfs. Level: 2.07 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: 700 cfs Outflow: 742 cfs Level: 0.03 feet low

Tommy

Lake temp: and dirty

Crappie No Report

Bluegill No Report

Catfish No Report