powerdive

Went to Stockton today looking for walleyes. Lake is 7' high; put in at Mutton South. All we did was troll cranks. Found a couple lost eyes suspended at the mouth of a small cove, west side just north of the Mile Long Bridge. Checked the usual late-summer spots from there to Chicken Rock, both mainlake and in the coves, and the only other place we found any action was on a little 15' spine on the Point 7 flats. There were lots of tiny shad on top, from 1/2" to 1-1/2" long, plus some mayfly casings floating on the surface as well. Using leadcore and shad baits, and also a 2-oz. inline with a small stickbait, we caught 35-40 walleyes. Only 4 were legals though, and nothing over 17". Bottom bouncing would've been much more efficient on that spot. Seems like the fish are scattered for the most part.

On Stockton, I prefer to troll cranks from mid August thru September. Flat edges and larger mainlake points, 18 to 25 feet. Mostly running shad-type cranks on leadcore a foot or two off bottom, or longlining deep divers and aggressively pounding the bottom. Seems to bring the larger fish out to play at that time of year. Of course, if the lake's 10 feet high (that never happens this time of year), that probably changes everything. Think I'd move up and troll the brushline........

Aha, it's not just me, fishing for walleyes and can't keep the bass away........

In another thread QB is running a poll on whether a new bait would outfish a Wiggle Wart. Instead of sullying that thread with my smart-butt reply, I think this would be a better place for it: I don't think it's expensive or exotic enough to turn the tide of opinion. A $6 Strike King??? Meh--just another me-too bait. No "investment" needed. Now, take the same bait, stamp a Spro or Megabass or Jackyl or even Lucky Craft brand on it, triple the price, and suddenly you've created the new magic bait. Believers will be jumping out of the woodwork before it ever hits the water... Sorry, maybe I worked in the tackle industry too long.

Steal me a couple hundred, wouldja please? They do look real purty.

Great report, Miguel. Fills in the blanks for us can't-get-there-very-often types who wonder how changing conditions affect the bite. Thanks so much!

Will you bassers please stop buying these overpriced baits? This bad habit of yours is driving all lure prices through the roof.

Hey QB, pretty sure we've ALL known that feeling at some point.

Yes, he was always upfront and helpful with his posts. I'm sorry to see him go as well. I didn't know it was possible to vaporize yourself, including past activity, as though you'd never existed. I assume you'd need admin help to accomplish that? (Or the NSA.)

I see what you mean. That's weird! Perhaps a learning opportunity loometh...

Hey QB, thanks! I love joshing the bass guys, just because they're so...numerous. I don't bleed out fish, but I do zipper the fillets to remove the lateral line (source of off-flavor) and pin bones. Here's a short video (from my home state) on how it's done--just a quick, simple extra step which makes a big difference on quality. It's amazing how easy it is.

QB, if I was catching 15 bass a day and averaging only two legals outta that mess, I'd be switching species, not locations. BWAAAHAHAHAAA! Really, I think you guys have over-C&Red those panfish cousins. True story: last week, we came into the ramp at Diamond City. Talked to a couple guys in a glitter sled. When we mentioned we had some walleyes in the livewell, they said they had a 3# bass that they weren't able to release, and would we take it off their hands? It was my turn to keep the fish, and I sure as heck didn't want to eat a bass from these southern waters, but they talked me into taking it. When cleaning the fish, I found that it zippered just as well as the walleyes, and I could NOT tell the difference at dinnertime. I'm guessing that's the key--zippering your fillets. The bass was quite tasty, to my complete surprise.

Bimmer, whatever works for you up north will work here--the trick is not WHAT, but WHERE. Unlike bass, which inhabit nearly every cubic foot of water, walleyes are not abundant here. As rps said, spoons in the timber will work on the upper lake, and as Wesley said, live bait and cranks take fish on the edges of flats in the lower lake (look for inside turns in the lakebed). The point being, go with what you have confidence/skill in, and concentrate on finding a spot that holds walleyes.

Great info, that's impossible to get otherwise. Thank you!

He's not asking how, he's asking where. I haven't been there lately, but the 4-mile stretch around K Dock (from Snapp Hollow to Hogan Creek) on the upper lake gets filthy with gar every summer. It's hard to get a bait through them at times, and every once in awhile they'll snatch the fish you're trying to fight to the boat. By road, this area is between Branson and Forsyth, on Highway K in Missouri. There are quite a few in the Diamond City (Arkansas) midlake area right now, but they're not as aggressive as in past years. You can see them rolling on the surface, but they seem spookier than usual. The water's not as warm this year.....

Two small trolling bags are vastly superior to one big one for stability and control, and they'll slow you down better too. Attach them to cleats on each side at the front third of the boat (just ahead of the windshield or console). Makes steering very easy, and speed consistent (and you can run downwind). Academy Sports has some modestly priced bags (14.95 each) that are superb for this--plus they're self-emptying, so you don't need to attach a second line to the nose. Well worth the investment.

Way to go, Jeff! Good info, boys. That's two votes now for the Trokar Re-Volve. Guess it's time to try it. I gave up on Mustad's Slow Death--they straighten out too easily for my taste, so I've been using Tru-Turns.

Interesting. Or maybe even a half-crawler on that jighead. Hmmm. Thanks, Bry!

I saw a lot of fish hanging at 20-24 feet. We caught eyes at 24-30. Big problem: mayfly casings all over the surface. Haven't quite figured out the best approach when that happens. We caught a couple nice ones on crawler rigs, but not the numbers we were hoping for..........

Leadcore, because I always know exactly how deep my bait is running, and I can repeat it every time. I do use bottom bouncers to present live bait, and inlines to deadstick a stickbait sometimes, but for crankbaits I prefer the precision of leadcore.

Applause, applause! Nice fish, BB. Especially for THIS forum.

We pulled a couple quick limits on walleyes (18-23 inchers) at Diamond City over the Fourth. Bottom bouncers/crawlers on points at 23-25 feet primarily, with a few fish caught deeper (down to 40 feet). Guess that's old info by now. Headed there again this weekend.

Aha, great point! Thanks!

I do a lot of precision deep vertical jigging in the wintertime, and I find that the "auto" settings on my trusty Lowrance X25C are perfect for cold water. With two other people in the boat, I can watch all three lures at 60' or 70' and tell someone when they're about to get hit. Getting the same resolution in WARM water, though, usually requires fiddling with the settings a bit. I wonder why the difference between cold and warm water? Anyway, I run on "auto" almost all the time also. Works great for me.

We only caught two or three bass all day, Jeff. That alone makes the day memorable. The big eyes must've run 'em off. Gotta love the Bull!