Catfish fair-hot dog

Bluegill good-wax worms

Crappie good-small jigs

Bass fair-crankbaits

 Report by: Wilderness Trail       "Braggin Board"

This last week was a typical fall week with a few days of rain, a cold front moving through with temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s and a few days with blue bird skies and temperatures in the upper 70’s. Whatever type of weather you like it was there sometime during the week. Lake level this week is at 652.63, holding about 1 ½ feet under normal pool level, this is pretty good for this time of the year. Lake temperature is still very warm, 63 to 65 degrees, not fall like conditions to start the good fall bite. Starting this week we will be rating the fishing conditions on the lake from fair to good to excellent. The bass, crappie and walleye are confused and so are the shad, roaming from the shallows to suspending off points over deep water. Rating: It is tough so will give it a "fair" for this week.

Crappie are not holding on the brush piles, but they are around them, you just have to hunt for them. Crappie minnows, tube jigs and Bobby Garland Swimming Minnows are your best baits. Fish early in the mornings and stay in 20 to 30 feet of water.

Largemouth bass continue to roam in and out of the pockets and backs of creeks and right now it is hard to pattern them. If the wind is up work the banks with buzzbaits, spinnerbaits or Wiggle Warts. On low wind conditions fish secondary points from the entrance of the creek or pocket to the backs with Spider Jigs, Carolina rigs (brush hogs or trick worms) or Hula grubs. Stay in 35+ feet of water and work your baits really slow. 

Smallmouth bass seem to be on do nothing banks and points, at least the ones we can get to bite. Stay off straight banks and point jump using Wiggle Warts and Bandit crankbaits when the wind is up. On blue bird days, back out to 40+ feet of water and fish Spider Jigs, football jigs, Mojo rigs with finesse worms or Carolina rigs with brush hogs or Sink's. 

Kentucky bass are still traveling with the shad pushing them to the surface every once in a while. Pop R’s and Chug Bugs will trigger some strikes when the Kentuckys are frenzy feeding. Use your locator to find schools of shad and drop silver or white spoons down through them during the off feeding period. This spooning technique will trigger a response and you will be able to catch a few.

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. 

Walleye are extremely shallow for some reason. They are in 12 to 18 feet of water along chunk rock points and banks at night and during the day. Remember what you were doing last spring? Well go back to that technique at this time. Cast Lucky Craft Pointers, Suspending Rogues, pull bottom bouncers with nightcrawlers or just fish a nightcrawler on a split shot rig. The trollers must pull shallow running baits that stay above 20 feet if they are going to have any luck. Walleye, when not up on the banks, are suspending around 20 feet and can be over any depth of water.

Trout fishing on the White River has been good on Power Bait in yellow and orange and Belgian red worms. Buoyant Spoons, Mepps, 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 Suspending Rogues, 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 658.83 with a water temperature taken at Bagnell Dam reported at 65 degrees. Heavy generation is scheduled for the next three days, which according to AmerenUE will give the lake a level of 658.8 by Friday, November 12th. Due to the heavy discharge from Truman Lake, the upper Osage River is getting muddy and flowing down toward mid lake. The majority of lake is dingy with some portions of the Gravois, Big and Little Niangua and Grand Glaize being clear, but some coves are dingy. Above the Hurricane Deck Bridge and in the Big and Little Niangua Rivers the surface water temperature ranges from 52 degrees in the morning to 63 degrees in the afternoon. This could change by the weekend since a cold front has been forecasted the end of the week bringing low temperatures in the 20's and highs in the high 30's to low 40's.

LARGEMOUTH / SPOTTED BASS - FAIR Bass fishing is still tough, but some anglers have been able to catch a few nice stringers with a lot of hard work and moving to different locations. The upper Osage has turned over and the lower end is in the process, which some theorize is causing the tough bite. Over the weekend the best baits in the upper Osage River and its tributaries seemed to be the spinnerbait (black and/or chartreuse/white), a shallow running crankbait (chartreuse and chartreuse/blue) and the Melton and Eakins jig, and tube bait (black/red and/or black/blue) worked in the muddy water around laydowns and boat docks on main flats. In the mid lake area, topwater baits like the Zara Spook and chugger type baits worked on windy main lake and secondary points, and next to boat docks has been producing, but mostly Kentucky's. The buzz bait (black) has been producing some keepers on the same type of structure early in the morning before the sun gets high. Chompers (green pumpkin and/or dark melon pepper), medium diving crankbaits and top water have been producing in the clearer water below the lodge. Again it is taking a lot of casts and moving to different locations to get a decent limit.

CRAPPIE - GOOD The crappie have really been active especially early morning and late evening. The larger keepers are in 15 to 20 feet of water suspended over or around brush piles. The smaller keepers are shallower, 8 10 12 feet. Minnows and Road Runner have been the best producers. When the bite slows down try tipping the baits with Crappie Nibbles.

CATFISH - EXCELLENT Since the lake has come up a couple a feet the catfish have been on a feeding binge. Any method is working, jugs, limb lines and tight lining from boat docks or the bank. The cats are anywhere from 10 to 18 feet in the coves and on the main lake points. Cut shad, crawdads, shiners, gold fish and night crawlers will produce.

BLUEGILL - FAIR The bluegill for the most part have moved from the banks and seawalls and are now in 8 to 1o feet of water around boat docks. Some bluegill can found suspended under the boat dock foam in the afternoon, but are very spooky when approached. The best baits are nightcrawlers and red wigglers.

WHITE BASS / HYBRIDS - FAIR The whites and hybrids seem be on the windy main lake seawalls and flats. There have been reports some whites have been caught on windy flats in the back of the larger creeks where the shad are working. The best baits have been topwater chuggers, Mepps Spinner, Road Runner and Rooster Tails. Shad activity is the key. Trolling off the main lake flats and the mouth of the deeper creeks and coves has also been producing a few whites and hybrids.

Date: 11/11/04
Lake Level : 614.00
Last Weeks Lake Level: 615.31
Normal Lake Level : 606

Water Condition: Muddy to Dingy
Surface Water Temp: 58 degrees

After lots of rain the lake rose to 615.5 and is now dropping.

There are no more fishing tournaments scheduled for this year. The above link, to view scheduled tournaments, has been updated for 2005, and no doubt will be updated a lot more before next year rolls around.

Crappie fishing continues to be a challenge for most people. The reports are varied with crappie being caught at a lot of depths, however some of the best reports are from fishermen catching them near the bottom in 20 - 25 feet of water. Expect to go through a lot of small crappie, keeping bigger ones as you can and hopefully finding a good hole where several keeper size ones may be hiding. The bite is very light, with minnows being the best bait. Look for the clearer water.

Bass fishing has been poor, as reported by the few bass fishermen out.

Catfishing continues to be good. The rivers and creeks still have water flowing from the recent rains, and the catfish have been active.

Reports of White Bass have been good.

Black Jack Marina will be open year round, with varying hours, but basically from 9 - 3.

Indian Creek marina is closed for the season.

Deer firearms season opens this Saturday November 13th and ends November 22nd. I would suggest anybody out in the woods or fishing to wear orange, this will help hunters to identify their backdrop.

Duck season is open, fishermen please be respectful if you see decoys and blinds set up, by giving them a wide berth. The waterfowl refuge (Middle Fork and Elk Fork area) is closed to boaters and waterfowl hunters from October 30 until December 31. Buoys are setup to indicate the closed off area. Land based activities are still permitted, such as bank fishing, hiking and other in-season hunting.

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: 200 cfs Outflow: 500 cfs Level: 3.06 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: 54

Inflow: 20 cfs Outflow: 250 cfs Level: 1.83 feet high

CRAPPIE: Good: Lots of crappie are being caught in 20 feet of water along creek edges and in brush piles. Most of the fish being caught are nice keepers with some nice 13" and 14" monsters showing up occasionally. Minnows are still good and the jig bite is getting better.

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

CATFISH: Fair: The crappie fishermen are catching some nice cats on minnows in the deeper water while crappie fishing. The spillway is a good bet as long as they are running water. Large jig heads and a 3" or 5" grub drifted with the current will catch some flatheads.

White Bass: Good: If you can locate them. 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 on the main lake.

Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 867.7 Temperature: 

Inflow: 675 cfs Outflow: 40 cfs Level: 0.03 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: 275 cfs. Level: 0.18 feet high

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: 3900 cfs Outflow: 10712 cfs Level: 3.43 feet high

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

Tommy

Lake temp: and dirty

Crappie No Report

Bluegill No Report

Catfish No Report