Fishing Report by:     Wilderness Trail      

TUESDAY NIGHT OPEN TOURNAMENTS

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$25.00 PER TEAM WITH $5.00 GOING TO BIG BASS POT

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There was not a lot of change in the weather, the lake or the bite this week. Daytime temperatures stayed in the 90’s with mid 70’s at night. We did have a couple of inches of rain mid-week, which we really needed. The lake level came back up about half a foot and is now at 653.26. Lake clarity depends on what part of the lake you are at. The dam area up to about Oakland is 16 feet and the Theodosia arm and Big Creek area is around 10 feet. The thermocline remains steady at 36 feet and the lake surface temperature is at 85.2 degrees.

Crappie are on the brush piles at night and moving into 30 feet of water out on the points during the heat of the day and in the pole trees along the bluffs. Crappie minnows and Bobby Garland Swimming Minnow are the best baits to use at this time. Hook your live minnows through the tail so they can swim.

Largemouth bass have been feeding in the mornings and at night on shad and crawdads. The day bite is very slow due to the bright sun and heat. Buzz baits, Zara Spook Jrs., Pop R’s and Chug Bugs trigger feeders in the creeks in the morning (5:30 to 7:30 a.m.). Back off the banks after the sun is up and throw Spider Jigs or Carolina Rigs and brush hogs, centipedes or finesse worms.

Smallmouth bass have moved to the middle of the channel swings in the creeks and on the main lake. Top water in the morning is a hit and miss thing and slow moving baits such as Spit’N Image or Chug Bugs work the best. Tube baits, Spider Jigs, Booyah Baby Boo Jigs and Mojo Rigs with Fish Doctors, centipedes or finesse worms were the key baits this week.

Kentucky Bass continue to do their summer thing, traveling with the shad and moving to the banks for crawdads every once in a while. Here again there is some top water frenzy feeding in the morning, but it is one of those "you need to be in the right place at the right time" things. Spoons are starting to work well under the shad along with drop shot rigs with finesse baits. Tube baits and Spider Jigs work the best on the Kentuckys that are searching for crawdads. Chunk rock points and banks are the areas to fish.

Walleye are inside the thermocline moving to the banks throughout the night and feeding in the mornings. Crawler harnesses and leech harnesses trolled in 20 to 25 feet of water with bottom bouncers is catching a few. Long liners are pulling Reef Runners and Glass Shad around main lake points and catching a few. Other baits working well are the new Wally Minnow, Jr., Bill Norman’s Deep Little N and Shad Raps.

NIGHT TIME UPDATE: The good bite is starting around 11 o’clock on channel swings and in brush piles. Pig and jigs and 8" Black/Blue or Strawberry Gold worms have been the best baits. Jerk baits will catch a few walleye and even a bass or two around points. Suspending Rogues, X-Raps and Lucky Crafts are the best baits.

LAKE RATING: Fish hard, the bite is slow, the rating is Fair.

Fishing for trout on the White River has been good this past week. The Berkley Power Egg bite has been good in yellow and pink or Belgium red worms. With generation the Buoyant Spoons, Little Cleo's, Blue Fox and Super Dupers are the bait of choice. The fly fishermen did well on olive and black Woolly Bugger, tungsten bead head midges, soft hackles and scuds. The Brown trout are being caught on Suspending Rogues, Flat Fish and nightcrawlers.

Remember to keep only what you can eat and release the rest for another day. Rick Culver of Wilderness Trail does the research for this report and the writing of this report.

Catfish are excellent at 4 to 8 lbs. average.

Bass will be excellent 3 to 5 lbs.

Crappie - good stringers being taken.

Channel catfish GOOD

Largemouth bass GOOD

Bluegill sunfish FAIR

Redear sunfish FAIR

Crappie SLOW

Cottontail Lake will be closed for physical renovation for the next couple of years. The lake has refilled and the stocking of small fish will occur this summer. After they reach a harvestable size the lake will reopen for fishing.

No Report

Lake Level : 604.7 
Normal Lake Level : 606
Water Condition: Clear
Surface Water Temp: 82 - 85

Crappie fishing continues to be fair. The crappie are well settled into a summer pattern. The bigger crappie are there, and we continue to get reports of crappie in the 10 - 12 inch range. With that said, the bite has been slow and you need to keep on the move. Most reports have the keeper crappies coming in 2 - 3 out of a hole, and then it's time to move on and find a few more. Some fishermen are finding them by trolling alone tree lines next to river channels. This is a good way to cover a lot of territory and find holes along the way. The better areas seem to come off of points with good cover and within close proximity to the river channel. The best bite has been early in the morning, slacking off about 10:00 am, and later in the day till about dark. They've been caught anywhere from 8 - 15 feet deep, over deeper water. Minnows or jigs, tipped with crappie nibbles.

Bass fishing continues to be very good. Crank baits and jigs have been the best lures, worked near points or rock cover, close to deeper water. Good catches of keeper size bass are being reported. Crank baits or spinners worked in 8 - 12 feet of water.

Cat Fishing has been slow. Nightcrawlers or cut shad for rod and reel fishermen, perch or goldfish for set lines.

White Bass fishing continues to be very good. Points and shallows near deeper water, where the white bass can funnel the shad and feed. Watch for them busting the surface, toss a silver spoon or rattle trap into the feeding frenzy and use a fast retrieve.

Several fishermen have commented on the numerous schools of shad this summer. This is indication of an excellent hatch and good news for all the other species that depend on shad as a food source.

Black bass fair on buzz baits early and plastic baits later in the day

White bass fair early and late on flats using top water lures and small crankbaits

Walleye good on jigs, minnows and trolling crankbaits

Crappie fair on minnows and jigs 10' to 15' of water over brush piles and good at night on minnows

Catfish good on trotlines using bluegill and shiners and drifting with nightcrawlers and shiners

Bluegill good on worms

Black Bass fair using top water poppers, white buzz baits, chartreuse or white top water spinners early morning or late evening, or on black, watermelon or brown plastic baits in 8'-10' of water around structure, points and drop offs

Bluegill excellent using crickets and worms around structure and docks in 3'-8' of water 

Catfish good on bank lines, trotlines, jug lines and limb lines using worms, shrimp, cut shad and sunfish off channels and points

Crappie fair on chartreuse, white or yellow jigs, green Twister Tails, white grubs with a spinner 10'-20' deep in the stumps and fish attractors

Muskie hitting shad colored lures trolling along flats and structure; walleye good while drifting jigs, leeches or worms in 10'-15' of water along channels and rock bluffs and trolling crankbaits

White Bass fair on the flats trolling rattle Rooster Tails, crankbaits, spinners or spoons. (Report made on 6/29/2005)

CRAPPIE: Good: The crappie have moved into their summer patterns. Fish the brush piles and tree lines in the deeper water. The fish are in 15' to 20' of water approx. 10' feet deep. This pattern should hold true for the rest of the summer. Minnows or jigs

BASS: The bass fishing is really fluctuating right now. Most of the fish being caught are relating to the grass. They have been pulling water for a couple of weeks so most people are fishing points. Some fish are starting to come from tree lines up in the arms of the lake. Rigs: crankbaits: jigs

CATFISH: GOOD: The catfish are feeding up before they spawn and are biting good. Fish shallow in the coves and just about any bait you like will work. Some nice flatheads are starting to be caught on trotlines.

White Bass: Fair: With the Corps pulling water the whites are relating to the points and can be caught under the bridges or by trolling small rattle traps around main lake points. You can see them busting shad in the mornings and evenings on main lake points.

WALLEYE: Good: The wallies are still biting and relating to the main lake points much like the white bass. Use crankbaits or a jig and leech or crawler. Fish 2' to 10' of water . The fish will either be behind or in front of the grass.

White Bass fair at daylight and dusk on top water lures and Rooster Tails

Crappie fair at night under light

Walleye good on jigs and worms and trolling crankbaits in 15' - 20' of water

Catfish good on trotlines with bluegill and shad

Perch No Report

No Report

GENERAL COMMENTS

Water still off most of the day. Fishing continues to be pretty good!

Water Conditions: Water still off most of the day. Past few days water has been off from 8:00 p.m. to latest, midnight, then on around 2:00 p.m. next day. When they turn it on, it has been 2 to 4 (today) generators.

FLY FISHING TROPHY AREA (dam to Fall Creek)-SHALLOW WATER-WADING-

Fishing is still good. Couple of weeks ago, fishing was pretty slow in the a.m. until about 10:00-10:30 a.m. No so now. Trips out every day and fishing has been good all day. It has not been uncommon for 20-30 fish half days and 50-60 for full days. Most of the fish are still being zebra midges, probably olive and rusty leading the way. The tan flashback scud (MS) was working good today. Did have reports today that the copper tungsten midge with a rusty dun body was working well. Most everyone is catching fish on smaller flies right now...size 18-20 scuds! Soft hackles in olive and dark olive are also picking up some fish. Better take advantage of the good morning fishing. Can't last much longer. As the weather gets warmer, we will probably see more generation possibly earlier in the day. Had a new lady fisher on the water Monday. She is still talking about how she caught more fish than her husband. She fished midges most of the 1/2 day, but switched to the red San Juan when the water came on and caught a couple of nice Rainbows.

STAN'S TIP: New regulations for most of the trout streams went into effect March 1. Read up on these changes. Specifically for Taneycomo, if you keep legal size fish, the limit is now 4. Also, a trout permit is required for anyone fishing above Highway 65 bridge.

Fishing Report from Sterett Creek Marina 7/6/05

The holiday weekend has come and gone and a busy one it was. The fish even cooperated. Talked to a lot of people who did good on crappie and white bass. The lake is clearing up nicely and the COE has been running water about everyday so we should continue to have good fishing.

BASS: The bass fishing on Truman has slowed a little this week. Between the boat traffic this weekend and the fire works I think they are still hiding under their rocks. Emil Tally and Jim Lehares won the hawg fights last night with 7.07lbs. Second place went to Chuck Strohman and Jeff Rehamar with 5.48lbs. Third and big bass went to Larry Wright and Tom Novinska 2.88lbs. Most of the fish were caught on worms. There really wasn't much of a pattern with fish coming from 6' to 20' of water. Long deep water points are holding fish in 12' to 16' of water using 9" worms. Points with current breaks are also holding fish when they are running water. The suspended bite has started on big worms. Tree rows with 15' to 20' of water seem to be the best rows. There is a top water bite in the Osage on the flats where the shad are present. Buzz baits and Pop R's are the way to go. Timbered flats with 6' to 8' of water are best.

CRAPPIE: The crappie are starting to move back off the bluffs and on the outside tree rows. 12' to 20' tree rows are the best. Minnows fished 7' to 8' down in the cedars and hedge is the best choice. There are still fish on the bluffs but they seem to be running on the small side. Talked to a buddy of mine and he did good in the Osage in the stained water tipping a jig with a minnow on the flats. Said you could fish as shallow as 10' and still catch good fish.

WHITES & HYBRIDS: The whites are doing good on the humps in the Berry Bend area. Spoons fished in 16' of water is the best bite. KK Island also has whites on the south end. The hybrids are still surfacing and the 5" sassy shad on a 3/4 oz head has been working well on them. Here again with the COE running water in the afternoons I look for this bite to keep getting better.

CATFISH: The catfishing remains good on Trot lines. The floating lines set in 5' of water on the flats next to deep water baited with leeches is the best of the best.

That's it for this week from Sterett Creek Marina

Crappie are biting on the flats in 15 ft of water or more. Fish down 12 ft using minnows. You will catch a lot of fish. Remember keep on the move go tree to tree not spending a lot of time on each tree several limits coming in.

Bass are still on the points being caught on buzz baits early and crankbaits later after the sun comes up. Some fish are being caught on 10 inch worms. Point hop is the best approach.

White bass are surfacing early and late being caught on any thing that resembles a shad. If you hit it right it don't take long to get a limit the best area is the damn area.

Catfish are being caught on jugs using cut bait. Fish the flats in 110 ft of water fishing down 6 ft. Several coming in.