waterpossum

They have become quite commom in the winter months around Orleans Trail and Stockton State Park cove. Don't motor too far in the winter months, but see them a lot all over the lake. Watched some in State Park cove last year crusing around diving for shad. From time to time, especially close to dark they will let out their call that distinguishes them.

Put in at CC 2 p.m. yesterday. Water temp 70 at ramp. Water was pretty dirty so I traveled north and water started clearing after about 3 miles. By 5 p.m I was past Birch Branch and water temp was 69. No real pattern established other than most keeper fish (12) were coming in 12' or less. Didn't catch more than 2 on any spot. Using red and chartruse tube jigs. 1/16 oz head. Caught several drum, which seem to be more prolific this year. Beautiful day, lots of boats out, shad all over the lake. Thought I was doing pretty good until I figured I traveled 18 miles yesterday, and that adds up to less than a fish per mile. Anyway Ive got our Sunday meal covered.

Had a friend fishing about the same hours you were. He thought there must have been a bow fishing tournament that night because of all the boats he saw running the banks with the bright light setup usually associated with bow fishing. Did you see the same?

Seems like I do a lot of nostalgia fishing, but I do remeber being about 2 miles back in Maze Creek several years ago and decided to investigate a comostion in the back of a flat cove on the east side. To this day I have never seen fish that big in the lake. At first I thought they were just carp, but after watching them cruise the bank for a period of time they were just too long to be the carp I was accustomed to. After they disappeared I concluded they must have been grass carp. Have not seen them again. So many years have passed since then sometimes I get to doubting myself on this sighting. I might forget a persons name just after meeting them, but stories about fishing is a whole different matter. Swear to this story.

Just think if no one reports anymore gar over the next decade or two people will be praising you as the person responsible. By the way how did they taste. lol

I have always contended there were no gar in Stockton. You are the first person and I hope the last to confirm a sighting. Maybe you cleaned em out straw. If so,you will have that legacy.lol

This has been a point of contention with me and a couple of friends. Are there gar in Stockton Lake??

Southwest Missouri Bass Club

Kevin, you mentioned bass cruising the banks. Did you notice if the bluegill are making their late spawn. Was reading about the leader in the recent FLW tournament on Lake Ouachita fishing reel shallow for cruising bass. He said they were doing that because the bluegill were spawning. On Monday I was playing golf and naturally hit the ball in a lake. When I went to try and retrieve it I noticed packs of bass cruising the bank and sure enough the bluegill were on their beds.

Thats been my most consistent spot also.Caught a 4lb 12oz years ago. but nothing big recently.

This is one fish not talked about much, but I'm sure there are some good sized ones in Stockton. The state record 7 lbs 2oz was caught in Stockton in 1994. Maybe Bob can help me on this, but I met a Stockton fishing guide in the early sping of 1995 at a boat show here in Joplin that year and can't remember his name.??? The interesting thing is I talked at length with him about an article he had published in a newspaper or magazine about fishing for smallmouth in the winter at Stockton. He told about fishing main lake channel breaks in 25' of water with spoons in the winter months and catching some really nice fish. At the time he was trying to contact the guy from Springfield who caught the fish in Dec. of 94 to see if he had read that recently published article and used that method.

The canoe traffic is still heavy in the summer especially on weekends. When my brother-in-law and I float we usually get there real early. Most of the canoe rental places have a hard time rounding everyone up and most generally start what I would call mid morning 9a.m. If you play it right the hoard will be 3 hrs behind you. We have not had to pay for a permit. The outfitters may have to pay a fee for their rights to put a business on the river, which I'm sure they pass on to the floaters. I was in Jasper last weekend swimming and fishing at a family reunion in Bradley park ( Dr. Bradley was my great grandfather) The Little Buffalo flows through Jasper. The Buffalo River, which I'm sure where you were is a little north at Ponca on Hwy 7. This time of year a person would have to float the lower end off 65 hwy towards Marshall. Water permitting the best time to float now would be in Oct. and Nov. May not see a soul then.

When Paintfordoe gets it up to 80 his guiding fee goes up to 3 dollars a minute. You can recognize him by the junebug imprints on his forehead.

This might be a little far for you, but I would definitely take the kayak to the Buffalo River in Arkansas. I was raised down in that country and floated it often as a boy. The scenery is beyond compare and the water cool and clean. The lower end around Yellville, Arkansas will have enough water in late summer, so you wont have to drag the shoals. Weekdays are the best to avoid the weekend traffic. I believe the canoe rental places will take you back to your entry point (usually a small fee)if they are transporting their clients back. Fishing wise take an ultra lite and brown or olive colored maribou jigs and have a lot of fun catching smallmouth bass. You can make an 8 mile or 14 mile float last you a day depending how much you want to swim or fish. Keep in mind when the pick up time is. From Joplin it takes about 3.0-3.5 hrs to get to the river.

My first time on this site. Have viewed and enjoyed reading for the last couple of years the messages all of you have posted. In 1981 I took my first trip to Stockton Lake fishing with a bass club out of Joplin. Loved the lake but the fishing was not very good for numbers or quality. Most of the members said it was fantastic when it opened, but had steadily declined because of overfishing and a lack of regulations on size and creel limits. I would have to agree with that assessement at the time. A limit of any species of fish was hard to come by, and the quality of bass and crappie was poor. Still in 1984 I purchased a tract of land because my wife and I loved the beauty of the lake and shoreline. I still own the land, but still live here in Joplin, but do get to the lake fishing quite often. In my opinion the number one reason the lake has become so good is the greatly increased population of forage fish. The shad population in the early years to say the least was pitiful. I became President of that bass club and wrote the biologist back then and he said that indeed was their biggest problem in trying to increase the fish populations. At one time or another I have probably fished nearly every shoreline on the lake. I gave up the big bass boat years ago and mainly fish for crappie and walleye out of an old Ouachita boat with stick steering and a 65hp Evinrude. Hope to see you on the lake some day. By the way somewhere in my basement is a dryed up head of a Tiger Muskie my wife and I found on the shoreline back of our property back in 1986. By that time I think they had quit stocking them.