MSUFisherBear

We went Sunday morning early. It's the second time in about the last 3 weeks that we've been out, but I thought I'd go ahead and make a post with a report. We've been putting in at Rockaway and fished primarily in that general vicinity (both up and down from the ramp). Both trips we've caught several on jigs and craw pattern cranks (specifically Bomber Square A's in the Brown Craw color). Sunday was slightly slower than the trip before, but we were catching a lot that were ambushing out of the grass on both trips. Most were around the 10 - 12" mark, but a couple were pushing 15". No big ones, but it was steady. One of the bass I caught on Sunday had been gorging on craws. When I picked her up and put my hand under her belly she spit out one craw that was about 3" long. It felt like there were several more, so I'd say if you are going to try, craw patterns/colors would be a primo pick.

Thanks Nitro. I've fished some of the creeks around the landing and done well. Turkey and Roark both have been good on bass fishing for me in that area, but it seems to be a little more hit or miss than lower in the main lake. I seem to do better when they are generating in those areas. I haven't really tried in the main lake area due to the boat traffic. I've heard bass and crappie can be caught around the landing occasionally. I'd imagine that is normally when the water is off. I'm still learning a lot about these lakes, so if I ever figure that out I'll definitely share. Hopefully guys who have a little more experience can tell you more about these. I also haven't done much trout fishing lately, but a buddy of mine said theyve done pretty good on smaller rainbows around the landing. Ill be honest though, that's one type of fish I'm still learning about as I honestly didn't have much chance at trout fishing when I was younger. From what I know, they are fun when I do snag one.

Well, I haven't posted about them, but I've taken some quick/short trips recently to try to avoid being out on the water too long in this crazy heat. Here's some of the things I've found on recent trips that I hope maybe helps others. 1. Generation vs. No Generation - When they've been running units, the bass have been a little more aggressive. I've personally had success with a shallow diving crankbait (Bomber Square A has been working for me). Color hasn't seemed to matter quite as much, as both brown craw and firetiger have been working. I've also done well on smaller swimbaits. When they aren't happening to generate, I've had to SLOW DOWN. Spider jigs and the Ned Rig have worked for me. Green pumpkin has seemed to be the choice color with watermelon seed coming in second. I will say that I haven't caught big fish, but numbers have been pretty good. 2. Relation to structure - In the kayak, I don't have a depth finder, so I tend to beat the banks or shallow water. Fish seem to still be holding in those areas well. Wood seems to be the preferential location. I've noticed bass relating to typical ambush points. If the structure gives a decent break in current that the fish can hold in and wait to ambush prey moving in the current, you will likely find a fish. I've been doing well fishing this much like I would in the river. Cast beyond the structure by a good bit and work the bait back with the current past the places they should be holding. If there is no current, I've caught fish as tight to the structure as possible. If I've missed my target and thrown too wide, the success rate has dropped greatly 3. Bluegill on bed - I did take a trip a couple of weeks ago with my wife to fish primarily for bluegill. They are definitely on bed at this point. I've done really well on a tube jig (1 1/2", White/Red or Junebug) fished under a bobber by about a foot. We've caught several big bulls this way and they've put up some great fights on ultralight gear. Hopefully I'll have the camera with me next time. I don't take the cell phone out of the dry hatch while in the kayak.

I hope no one took what I said the wrong way, because you can bet your bottom dollar that the moment I've got the disposable income to sink on a boat it's happening, I just have had more detours to get to that point. That being said, I too have seen some folks in Yaks playing it pretty risky on numerous bodies of water but especially Taney. I guess the point I was trying to make was that as a kayaker it's not worth the risk. Maybe a better analogy would be... if I were relegated to having to ride a bike back and forth to work, I certainly would, but you can bet I wouldn't be doing so on a busy highway, even though I would "technically" have just as much right. Instead Of be looking for the areas that have less traffic because accidents happen and there's a lot lower chance I'm going to get ran over on a backstreet than going down the main highway. My point was more that there's a lot of water (and productive water at that) that's available to fish that doesn't put you in harm's way. And theres no fishing or boating that's worth it that puts your life on the line.

Bill - I'm one of the guys in the kayaks, as I don't have the luxury of being able to afford a watercraft that isn't powered by myself (yet). That being said, I do agree that the 'yaking is a bit out of hand in regards to where people are traveling. I think a lot of it has to do with the local rentals (not knocking those; just sighting a lot of paddles in the hands of folks who have never paddled or been on the water before). I've seen a LOT of people floating down the main channel. Not that they or I don't have a right to be there, but in a craft that's only powered by how quickly and strongly I can perform a successful paddling stroke it's not the brightest idea to be cruising down the main body of water, especially in more hazardous conditions. If I decide I need to traverse the channel, I'm making a bee-line for the other side (no unnecessary delays) and I'm paddling for all I'm worth. There is no reason from the perspective of either an angler or pleasure kayaker to be out in the middle of the channel. For one, I can access places that other guys can't and, in that, I feel like I have an advantage (if only mentally) because I'm able to fish more "undisturbed" waters. Second, if I'm paddling, I'd much rather be in a shallower area. If I do tip, it's going to be slightly easier to get that kayak back over and bailed if I'm close to the bank rather than smack dab in the middle of the water. Yeah, there's points in time where I am crossing where a motor powered boat would be mainly traveling, but it's the exception to the norm if at all possible. Finally (and I may be the only guy or gal on here with this sentiment), I would MUCH rather a boat run full boar past me rather than slowing down. If a boat comes off plane or is underpowered, she's going to be throwing a LOT bigger wake than if it was just busting down the water (if it's not at idle speed). It's part of the reason I try to avoid areas where there may be pleasure boaters because I'm going to be dealing with much bigger wakes than if I was fishing a place that was mainly ran by fishermen, which just makes it harder for me to fish. Besides, I've been hit with wakes while trying to get to where I'm going and have never had a problem with tipping ( I guess that's where the inexperience comes in). I've never rented a 'yak from one of the outfits in town. Not that I could tell them how to run their business, but maybe they should give some tips on where to paddle and how to deal with both wakes and obstructions. But alas, even if they did who knows if the folks would still pay attention.

Bingo! - The cold weather months for that lake are one of my favorites. The warm water output at the power plant allows for warmer water, which I feel congregate the fish some during the colder portions of the year. That's where I see some of my best chasing action on that lake (crankbaits, spinnerbaits). Again, it's been a while since I've fished it so I'm not sure what it's like now, but... Look for schools of shad breaking the surface in the early morning or evening hours (early morning was still always my best bet). Tie on a senko or even a road runner (1/16 ounce was my favorite) with a paddle tail grub. Watch and be ready for the shad to move across channel swings and bottom structure and be ready to chuck. If you see swirls or fish driving minnows out, cast in the center and let it drop then hang on.

Flysmallie has the idea. Did best when I fished it SLOW. Make multiple casts to cover (don't just stop at one). I haven't fished it much this year, but it used to be about the only lake I fished. I always tried to be on the water EARLY. Mornings this time of year was when I did the best. Evenings were sometimes a crap shoot and mid-day could be some really tough fishing. Occasionally, I'll throw an off the wall color. Bubblegum pink was one of my favorites (trick worms or Senkos). Usually I'd try the darker colors (watermelon or green pumpkin) and then if I wasn't getting anything I'd move to something crazy.

Great advice and I appreciate the tips! May try a few different baits to figure out what they are really striking on.

I was finding them well up past the that first shoal/bluff wall. Several of them that I had seen were driving them in to the gravel bars. I thought it was a little bit odd for them to be chasing so much with it as warm as it's been and as fast as the water seemed to be heating up, especially that shallow, but I guess the front really had them really cranking.

Hey all, I'm hoping to chase some whisker fish at some point over the next few days. I've been seeing and hearing lots of good reports from the upper end of TR from some of my wife's family. As always, there seems to be a few more places to fish and a few less people to rub elbows with on Bull Shoals this time of year, so I'm thinking there might be a little more room to breath and hopefully not be too interruptive to other fishermen. I've never really fished Bull Shoals for catfish and am wondering what others think are some good baits and/or rigs. I normally do most of my catfishing with the slip sinker rig (like you do for trout with powerbait). Any other favorites for those that have fished it more often? I'll likely be fishing from the bank. Wrestling cats in the kayak isn't always fun.

Nice boat, by the way. I had just commented that to my wife when you guys had passed us up. Still saving the nickels and dimes for one of those.

Well I'll be. I almost said something to you about the fish we had seen, but I saw you were trolling so I was thinking you might be after another species at the time and wasn't sure how much further you guys were headed up. Holler if you see us again. We go down pretty frequently. I could only imagine how many more there were. Being in the kayak (at least for me) gives a tough vantage point for looking in to the water, but on the flip side, it' doesn't seem to spook the fish as much. It didn't help that I ran off and left my sunglasses at home. I hadn't seen the big ones this time but I had seen several a few weeks back when I had taken my father-in-law and brother-in-law there. We were looking for the 'gills on that day, too, and I had just taken the fly rod with me so I hadn't really even made much of an attempt for them (no streamers, just top water bugs). I'm not sure if you might have seen the same. When we first made it up there, I saw several chasing shad (lots skipping on to of the water and there were even a few driving them in to the shallow sides of the bank). Not sure if it was just a small school of shad that had moved in or not, but as we were paddling back out the action had slowed some (at least from what I could see).

Got to get out and do a little fishing yesterday. The wife and I took the kayaks out and paddled up Swan Creek from Shadow Rock. She was fishing primarily for the big 'gills we had been catching pretty well in the area and was using an all white Road Runner (curly tail). She ended up catching about 5 decent ones but we turned them all back. I was going to do the same (in hopes of another pile of fish that I'm still working on for a fish fry/BBQ on the 4th) but catching the sights of some LM's changed my mind quickly. Nothing of major size but there was a lot of them. Started by throwing a 1/4 ounce spinnerbait (White Skirt, Silver Willow Leaf Blade) as I had seen a couple chase shad. Varied speed and style of retrieve with not much luck (although I had several followers). It may have helped to downsize, but my wife hadn't been catching much on the Road Runner which tends to be a sure fire for me when the fish really move to small forage. Switched to a Watermelon Beaver Tail on a 3/8 oz. Arkie Rocker Jig Head and had better success. I ended up catching 6 in about 30 minutes of sporadic fishing (i.e. spending a lot of time drifting and relaxing) before deciding to paddle on back. The ones I did catch were pretty quick to pick up and run with the bait (not a whole lot of the tap, tap, tap, just a strong "wham") On the way back I saw several more in the 10 - 12" range. It seemed that some were chasing while others were pretty lethargic. The ones that were seemed to be shallow but were laying just on breaks from shallow to deeper water (creek channel in this case). I'm not sure if they were just getting going or had already got their fill ahead of the front moving in yesterday afternoon. I'm sure it's been tried (I didn't have one) but based on what I seen it may be worthwhile to throw one of the downsized Alabama rigs (like the ones made for crappie) to those fish. Again, I wouldn't expect monsters as I may have only counted 1 or 2 the whole time that would have measured out to be a keeper, but if you are in to just catching fish it may be worth a try.

Been a while since I've been on the forum. Took the father-in-law and brother-in-law Saturday for a little bit of bank fishing. We headed over to Swan Creek for a couple of hours. Mainly perch jerking on this trip (more just for the fun of it than anything). We did pretty well on some good pan sized bluegill. Most were caught on tube jigs and Rebel Crick-hoppers. I did really well on the fly rod with a black gnat pattern and even caught a couple of 10 inch LM's. Saw SEVERAL more while fishing. Most were cruising the channel. Lots looked to be around 12". None of us really went after them but I did see a couple chasing small bluegill. I know that area gets hit pretty heavy, but a guy might do pretty good on a firetiger or chartruse and white spinnerbait through there. My parents are coming down this weekend with the nephew. Hoping to get away with Dad in the kayaks for a couple of hours and may be back in that vicinity.

I wondered about the fronts that moved through. I know that strong fronts have a tendency to really change patterns. I guess just the lack of seeing them after seeing so many (or what I thought was so many) was pretty interesting and not something I had seen before. It seems like (in my experiences) that it's a bit of a sliding effect with fronts (there's a noticeable difference but not a complete lack thereof). In other lakes, some of the fish (or most of the fish are gone) after a front but a few still remain (albeit they can be extremely inactive) But again, different type of lake than what I'm used to fishing or have fished before. If they did drive off the banks, on a lake like Taneycomo, where do they go? I've surfed the boards to see and it seems like patterns for bass tend to be a little more scattered until either the dead of summer or the dead of winter (small fluctuations in normal seasonal patterns, I assume). Do they drive off in to the main lake? I tried slowing the presentation WAY down with some finesse presentations (i.e. the Ned Rig and 4" finesse worms) without any luck. I'd be interested to see what others have found success with. I will say this much... The challenge of figuring out how to catch these fish on new bodies of water is about as fun as it gets and Taney has already got me hooked trying to learn this trout fishing thing while figuring out the bass fishing as well. I appreciate all the sage advice that everyone has offered and continues to offer on it. I've learned a lot and still have a lot to go.

At the risk of sounding dumb... I saw your post and became intrigued to say the least. So, like for most questions of this nature I turned to Google. From what I could find searching about it, it looks as though some suppliers of fuel can have different shades (how true this is may be a little suspect). There was also a color comparison on another site for 87 octane vs 91 that looked very similar to your picture (http://www.corvair1.com/dont-be-cheap-pump-the-right-gas-avoid-a-trip-to-a-mechanic). All I know is what I pump in the vehicles (as I' stuck in the Yak or Canoe) and that of which I pump in to the tanks for the mower. That's all 87 and it's mostly clear from what I can tell. Hopefully someone who has more marine motor experience can be of more help.

Did a little fishing and a lot more paddling on Saturday morning/afternoon. I was targeting bass the whole way, so I'm not sure how the trout fishing was at all. Started off at the landing and dunked a couple of the creeks; No fish... Loaded up and headed down to Rockaway and paddled up Bull past the island. Again, no fish... The weird thing was what I did notice (or a lack there of). The last few weeks I had noticed bass and bluegill cruising some of the shorelines in the creeks. Anywhere that there was enough cover to provide some shade and reasonably warmer water from the main lake I was finding them. Last weekend I actually targeted them for a bit and caught some nicer bass. This weekend, nary a minnow. What changed? Again, I'm new(ish) to Taney so I haven't figured out a lot of the patterns. I know they could probably be VERY different from other lakes due to its very nature, but from a standpoint of what I have learned over time fishing I wouldn't have expected that radical of a difference in a week. Possibly a few more or a few less, but not the complete absence there of. I just can't believe how big of a difference that one week made.

The tournament at Lilly's this weekend sounds fun but I had plans before hand so I won't get that chance. Hopefully there will be more in the future in that regards. Not sure what that'd be like launching with a bunch of boats, though. I perused the Shoe Me page. Pretty cool stuff. I did notice something about having partner anglers. Is that a necessity to fish one of the tournaments? Or can you go solo?

What do I know http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/fishing/bass-fishing/2014/03/how-catch-trophy-largemouth-bass-big-trout-swimbaits Man those are some expensive baits!

Hey, I'll be the first to admit... never fished the pit lakes but I had seen you hadn't gotten any response and I just figured I'd give my thoughts on what I have found that works in pond type environments . Hopefully one day soon I'll get a chance. That being said, a lot of the lakes in California (western US) dump stocker trout in to their lakes for a catch and take type environment. Again, I've never fished those so take what I say with a grain of salt, but... I would focus more on what the fish in the pit that you are fishing are keying in on. If you have a pretty good mix of bluegill in the lake along with the bass, I'd be focusing more on baits that mimic that forage. Sticking with the bluegill thought, I think I would probably target bass with larger spinnerbaits (3/8 oz or 1/2 oz) in White/Chart, Chart, or Firetiger. I might downsize if the fish are sluggish or I'm not getting any bites. My other thought would be throwing shallow to medium diving crankbaits in a chart, firetiger, or bluegill pattern. Craw patterns might work, too, if you happen to notice some darting around the bank. Just try to match the color. That being said, if they are stocking trout (which after re-reading your post I'm thinking that's a possibility) I'd say you might be able to throw a swimbait in a trout pattern. Not sure what size they would stock, but if it's the put and take variety my guess is they are around the 10" - 12" size, so it'd probably need to be a biggun. I've always heard it that there are some absolute hogs in those pits, but I'd be patient as you probably won't catch the same types of numbers as you would sticking with those smaller baits. Hope you do catch a whopper though. Come back and post pics if you get one! I'd love to see one!

I really want to get in to one of those tourney's Crappie. Not sure how well I would do but I think it'd be fun. I've searched some out on the Internet. Any ideas on where to look? I've seen some past events for Taney and TR, but I'm not sure where I'd find any info on upcoming ones.

Will do! I'm still learning Taney right now, and out of the kayak it's been a blast. It's a whole different world in terms of water temps and fish species (trout) from what I learned on, but it's a blast learning about it, especially when I do run in to some success. I'm not sure why (it may be a confidence thing) but I've always felt I've done better on skinnier water (even out of a bass boat). It goes hand in hand with the kayak idea, especially with the layout of Taney. That's been part of my reason to want to know some of those places I can get to with a kayak. Likewise, I want to stay out of the way as much as possible of the guys in the boats. It's less of a safety concern for me, and I know it's a lot safer for them as well (they can maneuver much more quickly than I). Plus I like knowing that where I can get to, only a select group of people can fish, too.

Thanks for the tips guys! I really appreciate it!

Taking this week off to do some yard work, especially with the wind (tough to fight in the yak and fish when its gusting this much). I have a quick question for future reference, though. Does anyone know if there is any type of access points that I could launch my kayak from farther up other than at the boat ramp/park at Rockaway? I don't mind launching from there, as I know there is some pretty good fishing right at the mouth, but looking for something where it's not quite as long of a paddle to gt to skinnier water (especially if I want to take back out and relaunch some place else later in the day). I've scoured Google Maps but nothing really sticks out as an access point and MDC doesn't reference anything. Thanks for any help!

Thanks for the tip! I'll have to give that a try!