Fluke

Thanks MoCarp I use to have some of those and got rid of them upgrading to the green submersible ones.Big mistake. Was planning on going this weekend but this snow storm canceled that plan. Hopefully it warms up a tad next weekend. If I go out I will post how it was.

Thanks MrGiggles, I really appreciate the detailed answer. While your out and about if you come across some schooled up feel free to share where. Hopefully I can find their shallow spot close by. Thanks again

Thanks Dutch, I know every lake is a little different. At the only other lake I fished, in the winter they would move back and fourth from really shallow flats in coves with deeper channels close by. If it warms up for a few days they would migrate to the warmer water and head back to deeper water when a cold front moves in. I was also told if you find this pattern in a certain area they will do this in the exact same spot year after year. So a lot of people that don’t target shad specifically but seem to run in to them all the time at certain location, don’t realize they discovered a shad migration spot. I marked a couple of areas on my C-MAP app, I am going to look for them.

Does anyone know any good winter shad holes, around the Hawker point area?

I have been posting a few questions (a lot probably) on this forum since I started fishing Stockton. I live over an hour north of the lake but plan on moving there permanently in a couple of years. Since I can’t get down there every weekend I read a lot of stuff and ask a lot of questions. Growing up (before the internet) we did old school networking; looking at old charts, talking to commercial fisherman, party boat deckhands, and even bennys (tourist) to figure out what’s going on and where to go. So I try to use this forum in the same manner. Hanging out at the local bait store was a thing and everyone stopped by to say where the fish were running and tell the tall tales of the one that broke the line lol.

Very nice! Just catching shad is one of my favorite things to do and in my opinion there is not better bait for freshwater.

MoCarp, I have a green submersible tube light, I haven’t had much luck with it though. Starting to wonder if I “drank the kool aid” on going with green. What color light have you had luck with? And, are you using it in shallow or deep water?

I like to use size 6 or 8 sabiki rig, we used them in backwater inlets in Jersey and for our herring in the fall when the bunker were harder to find. When I moved to Missouri I started using them at Norfork (along with cast nets). When the shad were deeper you can get them to hit on one. I spoke with a couple of MDC people and they think it may be out of aggression or curiosity but the juvenile shad will feed on small insects. I posted the question because I have not ran in to anyone that targets them or follows their pattern routinely for bait at Stockton.

Nothing like having a bait store under your boat lol. I have several sized and weighted cast nets for different times of year but mainly throw a 7 footer now days and fishing for them with shad darts is just as fun.

Does anyone hear catch their own shad out of Stockton? Has anyone caught shad with Sabiki rigs (shad darts)?

Thanks all for the responses. The reading and asking questions part is just in my DNA, it’s a nerd thing lol. Plus it’s saves on time and gas. I hate fishing, I love catching!

I think I may have figured out what the rip-raps are. The large rocks along the dam. And what I read about the “springs”. I think the person was trying to say where water that warms up faster in the winter close to deeper pools. And the shad will move in to the warmer water we have a few days of warmer weather and can easily move back to deeper water when a cold front comes in.

Hope everyone is doing well. I was reading an article about some prospective place’s to fish and came across two areas. “The rip-raps” supposed to be down by the dam and “The springs” supposed to be some areas of warmer water relative to the surrounding waters. looked on my hot spot map but couldn’t find anything, has anyone heard of these areas?

Dustink, could you also pm me his contact information, I think I could use some help dialing in my electronics as well. Thanks

I didn’t know that, good tip. I think I am so use to fishing open water fish the whole brush pile, points, ledges etc will take a big learning curve. This is the closest thing to social media I have, someone else mentioned facebook but those places aren’t my cup of tea.

Thanks Dutch, I figured it would be a long shot and wasn’t sure who predominately fished Stockton and/or Walley but figured what the heck it’s worth the effort. I was surprised to see how many people were actually out fishing Xmas eave so it just got me thinking. I did learn two big lessons that day; when someone says it’s going to be windy on Stockton, it’s going to be windy lol, and second I need to learn to utilize my fish finder better along with where brush piles are around the boat when I see them on the fish finder.

Hello all. Been reading a lot of the older post and figured I would try something new out to help me and others get a starting point on where to fish each month of year for Walleye. This might be a tall order and weather patterns play a huge role but I think it would be interesting to see how everyone views the lake and fish habits based upon their experiences; plus due to work/travel I only get down there about once a month to fish until I can retire, so at that rate I will probably be swimming with the fishes before I learn the lake lol. 1. For each month of the year on Stockton Lake, if you could pick Only One Spot to fish during that month (be exact as you you can) where would it be. 2. What depth would you fish? 3. What structure would you fish? 4. What would bait/lure you would use? you can copy and paste the months with your answers. January February March April May June July August September October November December Thanks in advance to all who participate.

Thanks Dutch, I actually downloaded the GPX files last week. I didn’t get them installed in my fish finder yet. The areas everyone suggested had bait/fish, the lack of fish in the boat was all on me lol. Fishing large reservoirs is still pretty new to me especially Walley and Crappie fishing. Prior to discovering Stockton I spent all my time running down to Lake Norfolk and fished for stripers exclusively. So if anyone is interested in where to go for that I can provide some details on where to go for each month of the year. I use to reach out to guides for advice but a lot of them would either send me on a wild goose chase or respond generically. This is the first time I have ever used a forum for tips and I am glad I did.

I like to post pictures with the coordinates of where I mark or catch fish. Next time I will try and take a zoomed out view for those who can’t put in coordinates. I know a lot guys get weird about “the good spots” or giving exact areas but with the cost of gas and the time it takes to locate fish on a large lake, the more I learn about the lake I will post as much information as I can so hopefully everyone has a better chance of landing fish when they go out.

Hope everyone had a good Xmas! well we went out and it was definitely rough but none the less fun. Got one bite (don’t know what it was or if that counts lol). I marked some smaller bait-balls at the point (the rock bluff) north of Master Island. Didn’t get single bite but to be honest we couldn’t stay on top of it and the wind/current was taking our bait everywhere. We put in at Stockton State park marina and right outside of those docks/water breaks it looked like there was a bunch of bait (pictures attached) but might of been something used around the docks. I appreciate all the responses and I will be posting more questions soon lol.

Thanks MrGiggles, good information to have.

My apologies I meant state park or cedar ridge (not Crabtree, still a newb). I have a motorguide xi5 with GPS hooked to a Lowrance HDS. Should of sized up the trolling motor a little it has trouble anchoring in real rough conditions but I have seen some of the bigger ones struggle also. I appreciate your advice and concerns.

Thanks Jmidwest, I was just looking at the foundations marked on the hot spot maps. Bringing some jigging spoons, bottom bouncers, jigs and if anyone is open try to get some minnows and maybe even try a little balloon fishing. Breaking it all out lol.

Thanks for the heads-up Skeeter. Dutch mentioned the same, I have only been down a few times (seems like the wind is always blowing down there lol) and every time I have put in at Hawker Point. Decided this go around to put in either at Stockton Lake State Park or Crab Tree Campground to avoid crossing the main lake. I grew up on the water in Jersey and have spent quite a few nail biting days wondering why I went out lol. I have a 17’ center console, she displaces the water pretty good and keeps me pretty dry in rough water.

Thanks Nhornback, I will let everyone known how it goes tomorrow!