dtrs5kprs

If you can find some decent spawn banks and coves the little green stuff (fish doctors, shakey heads) should get you 11-13#. To me, the 20# type sacks scream sight fish, or deeper staging fish, although if things are right you can get there in a hurry winding a redfin. Not much of a night fisherman, so not sure what types of water you normally fish. Used to do it some at Bull Shoals, but from my few attempts at the Rock the types of water that hold fish must not correspond.

Right on to the above. Hard to beat a little green worm on 6 or 8# fluoro. If the lake continues to warm there should also be a senko bite, then flukes and topwater before too long...spooks and redfins. Dragging a smoke grub on windy gravel is always good as well. Slow as the movement seems to be, I am hoping to find some staging fish in deeper wood (20-30') off the spawn banks and spawn coves. Hit some big brownies in those places early last spring on C-rigs, football jigs, shakeys.

Doesn't sound quite right, besides the fact we don't freeze over. For this to happen, it would need to occur in Feb? early Mar? Not sure it would explain the color change people are currently reporting.

An answer that makes sense on "spring turn over" and spawn triggers. Explains why we used to catch nest fish in Iowa about the last 2 weeks of April in mid 50 deg water and also in the tri-lakes in mid 60 deg temps. Put daylight together with the full moon that usually occurs in those same last 2 weeks and off they go regardless. Maybe water temps are more of a spawn trigger farther south (TX, FL) where warmer temps occur earlier. Might also explain why the fish down there have reputations for being more put off by cooling temps, if they lack what appears to be the stabilizing effect of daylight length by moving up in Feb vs Apr. Thanks for looking into it Phil. Now does anyone have an answer for why the temp readings are so scattered right now? Just variance due to color?

Can't speak for the winter, but could the normal pool level be an issue now? Have had at least some high water (couple feet over power pool on up to the ultimate deluge) this month and May in 3 of the last 4 years ('06, 08, 09) if my records are correct. Given that history it makes sense to have lots of young blacks, might be a good thing if the perch jerkers don't damage them all. I have not done well on spots, excepting deep fish, since 2007. I grew up fishing little lakes where the only rocks were rip-rap, so the rock moss is as normal to me as not. Would the increase in it this year have anything to do with the lack of incoming water and corresponding reduced flow (essentially making a big pond)?

Curious...anyone else find the earliest fish tend to run a little bigger? Especially blacks.

This has never made sense to me either and I have a B.S. and am just short of a chem minor. But...there used to be an article in the Table Rock visitor's guide that tried to explain the spring flip. Seems like the deeper water would somehow have to warm faster than the surface layer(s) for it to happen in the spring. Not quite sure how that could happen. I'm just not convinced it isn't a run-off issue, wind issue, etc. Would be great to hear from MDC on it. I did win a bass club bet one time with the visitor's guide story after seeing similar water at Pomme though.

T...I thought you had a post a couple weeks ago that mentioned fishing being better than that. Have to remember it can always get too hot or cold to fish... . I do best on brownies from about 4/20 to mother's day, but I don't usually fish the rivers in April/May so that no doubt makes a difference.

Sounds like a lake wide trend. Any guesses as to whether these are early fish or part of the first big wave? Have to admit, sitting in KS and re-spooling line tonight, I am rooting for a cold front to slow things a bit until I make it down on Tuesday. If temps are actually pushing the mid 60 deg mark, where is the spook/fin bite?

It will work anywhere on the lake that fish pull up and spawn. Especially good if you have some gravel banks and pockets (nothing looking places) with some depth in front of them. Only negative thing at the Cape might be the water color from time to time. Can think of several places it should work from Flat to a couple miles down the river.

Spot on. Using 8# floro is the deal for rigs up to 3/8oz or so, 6# for the grub and shakey makes a huge difference. So does using smaller worms than the crowd. Just have to learn you reel and let those brown fish pull. Blacks will just wear out.

Well, some of them maybe, still not much of a spoon flipper. Mark told me about those doctors last spring...after they were gone. Conveniently enough, I used to have a hand pour biz. Too lazy to make that little bait though, unless the red flake dries up (hear yes and no on that). The V&M bait is very close, little bit thicker top to bottom. Did Mark get any special run finesse worms this year? Have to go, muscles in my right arm are twitching from anticipating the "loading up" on the little rigs. Good luck, Dave.

Looks like a big KS crappie.

Yes, spend the extra $$$ on 91+ octane gas. Even ran it in my old 150 EFI before the 250XS, and so far have avoided those kinds of problems. Now if I could quit dragging skegs and shearing shafts I'd be great.

Have the same motor, 2005. Have you ruled out all the easy things...bad gas, primer bulb not pumped enough, etc. Have had the occasional issue with mine when I thought it was adequately primed, then found out the line lost some pressure. Also had the same problem with my old EFI Merc. Have you run some quick kleen and stabilizer thru her?

Guesses.. 1) Zoom bulk special order 2) Rolling your own (or having someone else do the same)...easy bait to pour, may have to if they actually stop making w'melon red flake 3) V&M french fry...pretty much the same bait, more colors

Little green worms...fish docs, fries, etc. In poop green colors. Unless our esteemed Mr. Babler has a different definition ? Hopefully not one that calls for a colon prep kit. Thanks for the post Bill. Great to hear the time is upon us. Were you on K's, brownies? Now if we can get a cold night or two to stretch things out until I get down next week we will be golden...

that K looks positively uncomfortable

Only orange stickers I have handy are Caldwell target stickers...hate to push my luck with the local riflemen up the James. Oh well, my 521 sort of sticks out, or so I am told by the locals around Kimberling. Guess I'll just wave at one and all, likely they will be lurkers anyway. Did either of you throw a C-rig at all? Sounds like you found them starting the pulling up, unless you were on bluffs. That thought is pretty nice.

Will be down at the same time. Should still be some bed fish then, have been the last 4 years for me. If not should be a bunch on the going places (vs the coming) and the spook/fin bite should be going. I found fish the last day I was down in May in '09 still bedding in the 13HWY area (about May 7 or 8, w/o looking)...blacks and K's on deeper rocks well off the bank. Understand there were some K's bedding on bluff rock at the same time. Last year I found the most bed fish in the places I like during the April warm up, about April 22 or so when they made a big move, but wind was a booger. Was happier when they started getting done and started eating a fin and a rig.

Can usually catch some brown fish with it around (later in April/May), mostly on shakey heads, grubs. Rigs are a pain, the drop shot thing is a pain to throw and fish but does address the goop. I seem to break fish off on it when I am not fishing it vertically. I don't think bait or craws leave b/c of the slime, some of my long time "better" banks have it and still seem to hold fish. Quite a bit of it around some of the deeper brush and wood I have found the last couple of years. Zero opportunity for cranks and such though. Arsenal...if in Aunts just follow the little Skeeter and you should find some nice snot free places.

Anyone trying to drag a drop shot over the green goop? Kind of a hassle, but it does sometimes work.

Well...Baxter is the only place I've ever caught channels schooling on a spook. There were a bunch of them working up and down the Big Indian tearing up shad. But...the biggest cat I have caught on the lake was in Aunts cranking a point with a wart. Sorry Tim.

I'll be there April 20 thru May 9. Look for the big white Ranger going back and forth on the same boring looking banks, fishing deathly slow with little green worms. Mostly warts, bigger baits for the deeper post spawn fish later in May/June (DD22, big fat free shad), but you can catch some of those fish on football jigs and c-rigs. Lots easier on the arms. Mostly craw and natural brown/green colors, firetiger, black/chart, brown/chart, watermelon can be good. Hard to beat V38 or the phantom craw warts. Red craw can be good in the rivers. Shad and chart colors are good on the big baits. April is tough for me on cranks, seems like I always run into a lot of debris in the lake from rain, runoff, storms, rising water. Can even be a bear to fish topwater then. But...if you are going with Bill expect a lot of smoke grubs and such. Don't forget some big Redfins and junior spooks. Usually a good time of year to start running a fin.

I threw them some around 13HWY during the flood in 2008 b/c it really seemed like they should work...zero. Had no problem catching them on a blade or flipping. Think they may just be too "much" for these fish. Too much noise, vibration, too much wood in the rivers. No grass is the biggie. Once in a while the schoolies will eat one, but they will also eat spoons, grubs, spooks, etc. Whites will eat one in schools but not better than the others. Hear about people whacking them at LOZ with them, but have never seen or done it myself.