Lead Head

South End of the lake has a lot more ice than the north end. A person should be able to fish tomorrow near the dam if the ice doesn't shift much tonight. Wear a life jacket and be safe.

I am not sure what that ramp is a picture of but it is not the ramp on State RT RB on Stockton lake, otherwise known as the Stockton City ramp. I drove by the Stockton City ramp on RT RB at 2 pm today and it had an open lane to open water that was about 150 yards from the ramp. Someone had broken it open today and there was a boat in the parking lot getting ready to launch. The RB ramp does not have the curbed lanes on it like the one in the picture. If you are wanting to hit the lake this weekend you can put in at RB as long as the wind does not push the boat lane closed tonight. The air temperature at Stockton is currently 44 degrees with a stiff south breeze so I don't think it will freeze much tonight.

Do you mean the RB boat Ramp on RT RB otherwise known as Stockton City Ramp or are you using the initials RB for Roark Bluff. I could see how hknfsh saw the nearest timber as being at the far end of the lake from RT RB unless you go to Price Branch in the Little Sac? Sounds like you did well where ever you went.

First off, you sound like about everyone else. I have so many lures on peg boards lining the wall of my basement that it looks like the fishing department at Wal-Mart. I just have to buy another bait most every time I go to the store. I have no more room in the boat for anything else. That being said I think I could take your Wiggle Warts off your hands if you would like to get rid of them. I could probably come up with some 1/4 oz rooster tails to trade.

Old State Park was still iced in solid this afternoon. I could see ice about half way out of the cove toward the bridge, still pretty thick at the ramp but there is a little open water right next to the bank. Most of the ice was gone around the mile long bridge but there was a few chunks floating around in the open water.

Haulin Bass, you must really want to go BAD. From what I saw this afternoon you will need an ice breaker to launch anywhere near the dam. There were very few small open patches of water within sight of the Mile Long Bridge. All of the coves have what looks to be thick ice in them. I saw tracks where someone walked across the cove from the courtesy dock at Old State Park, not a move I would be willing to try. If the main lake would thaw the wind and waves should take care of the rest but if I was you I would be sure to bring an axe with you Sunday.

Hawker Point, State Park, Old State Park (Hartley), Stockton City Ramp on RT RB, the two ramps at Orleans Trail, and the three subdivision ramps on the west side of the lake near MO 215 Bridge (mile long bridge) and Crab Tree Cove ramp are all frozen solid as of the morning of 02-11-14. There was some open water around the mile long bridge and it didn't look as bad on the main part of the Little Sac River side out in the channel in front of the state park as it sis a couple days ago. Hopefully some warm weather and high wind this ice will break up and go away. The fish should be hungry for a change in their diet from the dead shad since that is probably the only thing they have seen for a while.

Woodland, Just let me know if I can be of any help and your trip sounds like it will be fun. Lead Head

Woodland, I live within sight of the lake and if you need help shuttling a vehicle from your starting point to end point let me know. A couple of the more deserted ramps have been having some fuel thefts in the area, the last one I heard of was a couple days ago a co-worker launched at High Point for some bow hunting and came back to an empty fuel tank.

Hawker and Orleans Trail campgrounds will be closed for a few days for a special deer hunt. I am not sure of the days but I did see a sign at the Hawker Pay Shack a couple days ago, wasn't planning on camping so I didn't pay much attention to the dates. The Corp puts on the hunt so I am sure they can tell you the dates. The hunt used to take place during the youth deer season but this year it is later. I believe camping is only allowed at approved campsites on Stockton lake, not sure. The Corp guys at the office by the dam will be able to tell you for certain.

The ramps that are "open" with no sawhorse barrier in the immediate north end of Stockton would be Hartley (Old State Park), State Park, Orleans Trail by the Marina, and the two subdivision ramps on the west side of the lake just north and south of the MO 215 Bridge (Mile Long Bridge), and a small subdivision ramp at Sac River Estates. I know there are several more ramps with no barriers up in the creeks and rivers but I have not gone to check them myself. I can think of seven other ramps that should be open but I don't want to list them without going to check them first. Hope this helps, you should have no problems finding a place to launch close to where you want to fish. According to Corp Rangers all of the subdivision ramps are open to the public even though some of the subdivisions try to make it look like they are only for subdivision use.

If you put in at Orleans Trail be careful around the courtesy dock at the ramp by the marina it will tear up your boat if you have a fiberglass boat and could put some nasty scratches in a metal boat too. There are several big nails sticking out and the rub rail is all but gone. When they start to take the sailboats out for winter parking gets very sparse. I launch there regularly but just be aware of the dock and use a bumper to protect your boat and be sure and check your hitch when you leave, it is the only place where I have had the latch flipped up on my trailer on two different trips while I was out fishing. It is something I have learned to check every time I start out with a trailer attached. Some good fishing can be found close to the launch.

The catfish are still biting up the creeks on the flats and around the old fence rows on jug lines. They slowed a lot on the evening that the front went through but they are picking back up again. Been using small shad and fishing anywhere from 5 FOW to 15 FOW. We anchor our jugs so you don't have to sit with them the whole time but right now if you do not run them real often the fish will die on the line within just a couple of hours, I think the oxygen content must be very low in Son's Creek right now. Surface temp has dropped to 77 degrees in the morning, been taking the bait off them in the evening and rebaiting the next morning due to the low oxygen problem.

I caught two Thursday while crappie fishing under shad schools in a creek chanel at 4o feet deep. One keeper and a short both on jigs. Had a nice limit of crappie and enjoyed a perfect February day. There were also several nice size white bass mixed in. The stickbait bite has been terrible for me this winter.

I would be very interested in a Stockton Bass Club. With monthly meetings, dues, and a monthly tournament schedule for members who attend at least a portion of the meetings. I recently moved to this area and had to leave a Bass Club that I had been a member of for years. Been disappointed that there is not a club in the area. The club I used to be with used a draw tournament format and did a measurement system to do the weigh-ins. It eliminated the need for scales and the hauling around of fish in the hot part of the year. I would be in for something similar but not a tournament schedule that just requires a yearly dues but no club. Thanks

Just checked the rain gauge at my house near the Stockton Airport and we had 1.5 inches and it is still raining. All the ditches are running full. It should be in the bushes all spring and flipping time is just around the corner.

My son and I saw three of them in Miller Branch Cove last fall. I thought the same thing you did when I saw the first one, thought it was a beaver, got closer and then two more joined the first one and they went up on the bank to eat a fish that one of them had. I have not seen them since but they are fish eating machines from what I have been told.

DLM84, I live within sight of Stockton Lake and fish it alot, no matter what the weather. I have an 18 foot Charger Bass boat with a 150 HP motor and there has not been a day I couldn't have fished somewhere on the lake if I thought I had top. If the wind is strong I make my decisions as to where to launch with the wind direction in mind and I don't usually run all over the lake. I dont't think you can go wrong with a fiberglass boat over aluminum unless you plan to tie up somewhere and fish stationary. Every aluminum boat I have been in has been affected by the wind more than my glass boat. There is alot of lake up here and it can be fished from any style of boat if you go to the right places, like up in the rivers or protected coves with the smaller boats or down on the main lake with the bigger boats. Think about how you like to fish and your budget and there is a boat out there that will work for you. Good luck and wear your life jacket.

I drove over the Son's Creek bridge on MO 39 today at about noon and it was frozen solid as far as I could see either way.