Ben Gillispie

I'd call it nearly 6' visibility. I've been in or near it daily for 3 weeks.

I use a Gitzit often. This is the old term for a Tube Jig. If you're throwing at a school of Kentucky's or if most fish are chasing shad, then 1/8 tube insert makes it fall more slowly and they'll hit it on the fall. If I'm fishing mostly on the bottom or am fishing deeper water, say 25'+, the 1/4oz gives more weight to not only get down to the bottom, but to feel the bottom as you drag it slowly over things. Watermelon red and green pumpkin are great colors. At night, a black gitzit wih purple flake has done well. As for tackle, regular ole 8lb mono does best for me, but to each his own. You'll want something to feel the bite well especially if you're counting on then hitting it on the fall. Cast, break the bail, and let it fall. With light enough tackle you'll fell them hit it, then just reel to them and set the hook. My favorite kind of fishing!

The launch at Indian Point is still closed, as of earlier today at least. Water is getting a little better as far as clarity. Have not been out on a boat in a week or so, but have heard there are fish in the bushes and on out.

CURRENT drone footage of Indian Point Marina and Kimberling City Bridge. Taken today.

Bo - you're comment couldn't have come at a better time. I'm compiling data on bait behavior at various water temperatures. FInd the bait, find the fish - regardless of whether some are spawning or not. Seems like that is where the rubber meets the road as far as water temperatures. Sure, it affects metabolism, etc of the game fish, but the bait is the real key.

Nice, Chris. Thanks for the info.

Glad someone said it! Thanks for the input.

The more I study all the data I've compiled the more interesting it is...Table Rock is an ideal specimen to study this stuff. I know I've got some units down - money is just tight lately. However, units like Indian Point and Cricket Creek have been reporting every 15 minutes since Easter of last year. They haven't skipped a beat. I've got all of it archived. Alhonna Resort on LOZ has been equally as reliable. I've been brewing up an idea to be able to utilize this data better - an online fishing journal where one would input notes and the application would automatically append the current water temperature, lake level, generation, air temperature, wind, pressure, etc. so that all a guy would have to do is input a note and it does the rest. It'd be a 'smart' fishing diary. Anyone got $40,000?...ha.

I think you're right, Bo... Big Lake vs. small Creek Arm, Clear Water vs. Stained Water The things I saw are the times when Cricket Creek would spike, Indian Point would fester for a few more days, remain more static, before being affected. Must be due to the volume of water and it not being warmed as significantly by the sun due to less stuff in the water. I might just complile the last 18 months of data a write a book on this stuff

Thanks a lot Phil. Hope you all are prepared. I got my grandparents all situated, they'll head out by tomorrow morning. The NWS written forecast is likely what results from the calls you listen in on so is very similar. It gives good detail similar to what you've mentioned. Anyone who would like it the link is below. They usually update mid day, anytime now: http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=SGF&issuedby=SGF&product=AFD&format=CI&version=1&glossary=1 The most important thing you said is that we'll just have to see what hits the ground. The engineers at the Corps are sticklers for certanties - as they should be.....bring on the gripes about them not premptively releasing....decisions of the magnitude they make cannot be based upon anytihng but fact, anything less would be careless. Let's hope that the 8" moves north of here past the James and doesn't fall on Beaver, either. Ben

Just thought it was neat to see two sensors' data from the same time period. While they generally follow the same trend, naturally, they do differ. Cricket Creek being where it is and Indian Point being on the Main Lake over deep water. Kinda neat, thought I'd share.

This is just too good! Funny stuff.

Also, as an update, Big C checked in on the teenagers down at Indian Point. I think they got the jist of things - seemed to back down pretty easily when questioned.

For any lack of a better description....I caught the s*** out of them today, 4-26-2017. As I've mentioned before, I've gotten to know the vertical fishing game after fishing the docks at Indian Point for a few years, and today, my training paid off. I've been out on the boat 4 trips over the last 10 days and we've cleaned house with a watermelon red gitzit on pea gravel main lake points. Sitting in 30', casting to the point, and the smallmouth and kentuckies would hit it before it hit the bottom. An 1/8 oz tube insert did better than a 1/4 oz, since it fell more slowly. But today was at the dock was different. Bass of all types had the threadfin shad cornered underneath the dock. I suspected this to be the case due to all the rain - a rainy, cloudy, windy day. And was I right... I caught no less than 40 fish in the span of about 3 hours. One after the other. I was pitching a 1/4oz Kastmaster flutter spoon, silver with a white feather, and letting it fall either 25 seconds or until they hit it...the later was typically the case. Many fish spit up shad when I got them to the dock. See my picture to see why I was catching fish.... This was also the first time I caught smallmouth on the spoon. This was also the first time I've caught any fish on the spoon under the dock this late in the spring, 3 years running. This is typically a winter or late winter pattern I've found - so it was definitely a ton of fun! Closer to dark, I put on the watermelon red gitzit and went closer to shore, and what do you know, caught smallmouth there, too. All I can say is get out there, use your instincts, and you'll find them. Every female smallmouth I caught had eggs. About half of the kentuckies I caught, still had eggs. I caught zero largemouth. This is interesting to me because 10 days ago I caught a big Kentucky that was spawned out - so it goes to show you that the spawn happens over a period of time - every fish doesn't rush to the bank to spawn all at once. Water temps on the gauges show 63 at 10' and 62 at surface - I caught all these fish not much further than a cast distance from my gauge. The gar are thick, but the bass didn't seem to mind.

You and me both - if they're back tomorrow they are going to get in trouble! Indian Point police said they'll come down if they are there.