*** Caution-Full of small sample size error and the desire to see Silver Linings ***
2017 has been a year of highs and lows fishing wise for me. The rain event of Spring 2017 caused be zero hardships property wise and I feel a little bad complaining about it, but it derailed my fishing in Bull Shoals, Norfolk, and the White River.
it literally kept me from catching 100's of fish. Sad really.
but of late, I have made a couple of trips to Bull Shoals and I have been Happy with some things I have seen.
1) The fish I am catching are Fat and look very healthy
2) I'm seeing lots and lots of small bass of all three varieties cruising around eating and eating and eating.
3) Catching Big Bluegill. I bet they are giving the walleye guys fits. I'm catching them in 20-23 FOW while drop shouting for bass.
4) some of the flooded brush and trees survived being flooded for months and the banks are not total moonscapes.
5) Zebra mussels seem to be less of an issue. I don't think they are ever going away, but the fluctuating water levels seem to help knock the numbers back. 6 years of steady water is gonna be bad though. I had zero breakoffs on my last trip to Tucker Hollow. That's encouraging. And zero ZM breakoffs on a lower lake trip where I have had a few before.
Water temps are coming down. Fish populations are good. Air temps will be cooling. hopefully, I will find the time to get after them a little bit more frequently this Fall. I owe my Bass Cat some trips that I missed in May/June.