Thompson Fishing Guide Service

Vince, Sorry you were insulted. Nothing personal, it was certainly not meant that way and anyone who knows me would agree. Actually, if you have never fished a body of water before, hiring a guide is much more economical than bringing your own boat and equipment and trying to figure it out for yourself. I am very generous with Stockton lake information with my clients when they hire me to fish on Stockton, and I also spend a lot of time giving free information to people like yourself who read my fishing reports. Again, sorry you were offended; my comment was certainly not meant to touch a nerve. Believe me, I understand current economics. Marty Thomspon Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS www.fishstockton.com Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish the Finest!

August 11, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report Lake level: 868.27 Normal pool: 867 Walleye are still in the summer pattern, as discussed in my previous reports, therefore I would spend my time fishing the mud flats north of Googer between miles 5 and 7. Remember the thermocline. It seems like your most active fish will be those that concentrate around the thermocline around 20 feet. I scope a lot of fish 35-45 feet deep, but they don’t seem as willing to bite until they move to the dinner table, which is adjacent to the thermocline. Try main lake points around State Park and the dam, concentrating on the same approximate depth (20 feet). Slow drift jigs and night crawlers or jigs and minnows and if you keep the baits in their faces long enough, eventually one of the little finicky buggers is going to grab it if for no other reason than you are annoying him. A lot of small fish are being caught and that is an indication of great future fishing prospects, which are the result of high survivability among the baby fish the last couple years due to high water covering the brush. We have caught several keepers (several meaning a few, not a lot) in the last several days trolling deep diving crank baits late in the evening til dark. Crappie: if you don’t know the lake, and you are too cheap to hire a guide, look on your Hot Spot Stockton Lake map and find the marked crappie beds throughout the lake. Those are good places to start. Minnows and crappie jigs or just a hook and minnow are the most consistent. How you position your boat to effectively fish these areas without spooking the fish is up to you. Brush piles off secondary lake points that you’ll have to find on your own with your depth finder are usually better than the ones marked on the map due to the fact that the tourists all read the map too and these fish are probably pretty sick of vacation time. To make a long story short, spend a little time with your sonar, and find brush piles in approximately 20 feet of water. Crappie will be there. Largemouth bass: The problem I see with a lot of bass fishermen is fishing too close to the shore and actually having their boats positioned over where the decent fish live. In so doing, they wonder why all they catch are Junior Jaws. Remember this rule of thumb: baby fish are like baby humans, baby cats and dogs, or baby anythings in general. They are very curious, many times obnoxious, and if you are fishing in a tournament, downright disgusting. These small fish occupy about the first 15 feet of water along the shoreline. You need to get away from the shoreline. Because of the overabundance of bait in the lake, your bigger fish can eat at home and never move more than a few feet a day. Bass will not go any further than they have to in order to find food. Kind of like you and me. Also, the fish don’t feed near as aggressively, therefore they are not willing to chase down something moving fast. I do the worm thing. If you worm or jig fish, slow down and concentrate. Fish where the big fish live and always remember this rule of thumb if you want to catch a hawg: big fish for the most part bite very, very lightly. Good luck. One more thing: Have you hugged a hawg today? If you haven’t, and you have the urge, you need to call me right away. Here's a post spawn female from today, August 11, 2009. 8 pounds 8 oz. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish the Finest!

July 29, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report Lake level: 868.86 Normal pool: 867 Walleye fishing has still been hit or miss probably because of the weather we are having. We have been able to catch a few keeper fish, but it seems lately we have caught a lot of smaller fish, which is somewhat unusual. For thermocline information, read the last couple weeks’ reports. Main lake flats north of Googer and points on the dam are your more consistent places. A good friend of mine has been catching some walleye in the Cedar Ridge area. Jigs and night crawlers or Lindy rigged crawler harnesses are the best. You can try trolling some deep diving shad imitator crank baits. I have a question: Are any of you afraid of lightning? I was on my way in yesterday about 15 minutes in front of a real bad electrical storm and I saw several boats put in and drive right off into the middle of it. Lightning can travel a lot further than a person thinks, especially if you are on the water. Just something I think about. Bass fishing has been so-so. You would think with the water temperatures in the low to mid 80s and clouds overhead, they’d really go crazy. On the two days that I got to go bass fishing, I noticed that the bites seems to be more sluggish than normal; I am talking about plastic worms or jigs. The crank bait bite wasn’t very good at all. The good fish that we caught were between 15-18 inches. It is odd that we caught several bass that were right under 15 inches and weighed a little over 2 pounds. That goes back to the thing we talked about last week reference bait availability and fish catchability. The more productive spots were secondary points in your larger coves in about 15-20 feet of water. Crappie fishing has been pretty good for the most part. Several friends of mine have caught close to limits during the last week fishing deep timber. They caught a lot of the little buggers, though (which is good), because that is the investment for the next few years of fishing, so don’t complain. Crappie minnows on crappie jigs or on Aberdeen hooks are the most consistent. When you find crappie in deep timber or over deep brush piles, it is not too hard to find out what they want to bite. When I say deep timber, or deep brush, I mean around 20 feet, around the thermocline. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-414-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish The Finest!

July 22, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report Lave level: 868.7 Normal pool: 867 Fishing is not golf. The golf ball does not think or react on its own volition, but a fish does. Fish were designed with the ability to survive and to make other little fish. Within the scope of these two attributes, one needs to ponder the question: Why do fish do what they do? To get into the deep psyche of the fish mind, we (the predators), must think like they do. Why does a fish with a tiny amount of brain mass grab a lure that has “Bill Dance” written on both sides? How do I catch fish when they are not hungry? How do I catch fish when they are not protecting their babies? Why do fish bite in the first place? Have you ever noticed the anatomy of a fish, be it bass, walleye, or blue marlin? Fish do not have hands like we do. Therefore, information is limited by what they detect with their lateral lines, inner ears, sense of smell and sight. Fish use their mouths much like you use your hands. You may use your hands to eat a hot dog, or pizza with anchovies. You still use your hands whether you are hungry or not for investigation, or defensive movements. In the fishing world, this is what the big time pros call “reaction strikes.” Fish may want to remove an irritation or something that is in their space. What technique and what allurement do you know of that will engage at least one or more of these fish mechanisms? How do you catch fish when there is an overwhelming amount of bait at any given time? Bass go shallow to eat, but when there is food available in their comfort zone of 20 feet around the thermocline, they never leave home. You need to center on their mind set and that is “I am at home and I have shad on the grill.” How do you catch them? You must appeal to the other senses. A bass, walleye or crappie will not generally chase fast moving baits such as spinner baits and crank baits when they have food in their comfort zone. Therefore you need to fish in the comfort zone and provide them with something that looks alive; for example, a jig or plastic worm for bass, a small jig tipped with night crawler for walleye, or a crappie jig fished slowly right in the crappies’ faces. If a bait looks alive, and it stays in the strike zone long enough, sooner or later a fish will strike. A lot of the techniques will come from experience on your part. Always remember for one reason or another, like a little kid, fish will put something in their mouths if it made available in the proper way. Walleye fishing has been slow to fair, it is a day to day thing; as of yesterday, we have received two inches of rain in Dade County, so things may change, good or bad. They always say when you have a big rain it washes little bugs in the water, and the fishing goes wild; that is very true providing the environment in which they live is not already inundated with bait. That is the situation on Stockton Lake. More food means one less reason to grab a lure, unless it is presented in a timely fashion and manner. If you fish a high mountain lake in Colorado where there is very little forage, as opposed to a lake that has an abundance of forage, you will see the difference. The mindset that you have to have on Stockton Lake whether you are fishing for walleye, bass or crappie, is that fish don’t bite because they are hungry. To be perfectly honest, this situation is very good for the fish, but not good for the fishing. It makes it tougher, but you can overcome this. Think like a fish. Late evening fishing around the dam has produced fish 22-24 inches. Slow trolling the points and fishing around 20 feet deep (slightly above the thermocline), drifting jig and night crawlers or crawler harnesses have been catching fish not only around the dam, but also on the flats north of Googer and points around Cedar Ridge boat ramp. I had a client catch a 24 inch walleye a week ago and as I filleted his fish, I recovered two handfuls of fat from the belly of the walleye, attesting to my theory that fish grab a bait for a different reason than to eat it. Crappie fishing: deep brush piles 20-25 feet down are where you need to concentrate your efforts; the best are on main lake points or secondary points. To catch more quality fish, don’t sit right on top of them. The first time Bubba slams a compartment door, it will spook the fish. They’ll either move or go into alert mode to where they won’t bite until you and he move on. The key to this is to position your boat a cast length away and throw a crappie jig or Road Runner. You need to let it sink to the depth that when you reel it back, it will be about 2 feet above the top of the brush pile. If it is windy, forget that idea, and try to anchor so that your boat will be positioned about a cast away and use a slip bobber. The anchoring is a feat within itself, due to the fact that the stump you finally do get hung up on is 3 casts away and you have to cut your anchor line in order to get home. If you need further detail, you probably should enroll in a fishing guide school near you. White bass fishing has been slow…most of the fish we have caught are ones that didn’t have anything else to do but grab a crawler harness. That’s ok, because it is a quick thrill for a few seconds. The fish that are being caught are caught off main lake points at least 20 feet down on jigs or spoons. Largemouth bass: I haven’t had as many days to bass fish as I would like, due to walleye trips and other days when lightning was ripping through the universe. However, on a short day, in between bad weather, and my wife making me mow the lawn, I caught 3 bass. One was 4 pounds, the other two were about 2 pounds each and I lost what I thought was another decent fish. My technique is to fish deep and slow. I know you can catch them on deep diving crank baits, and maybe a top water bite here and there, but you have to admit that if that is the only way you are fishing, you are not catching quality fish. Main lake points and secondary points with cover and or structure are the places to target if you don’t have your own secret spots. Bass don’t move that much so if you did well on one of your secret spots, it behooves you to find out why it is so productive. That is fishing. Catching is the frosting on the cake. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish The Finest!

Raytown Bass Club Stockton Lake Results Sunday, July 12, 2009 The club had an outstanding night tournament on Stockton the evening of July 11th with all participants weighing fish. Allen Riddle come in first place with one of the best single day weights that I can remember. Allen weighed 5 fish for a total weight of 18.50 lbs. He also had the big bass at 5.58 lbs. Allen caught his fish on main lake points using an 8" worm. Dennis Mitchell came in second with 5 fish weighing 10.52 lbs. Dennis caught his fish using crankbaits and black spinnerbaits. Neil Parikh came in third with 5 fish weighing 10.44 lbs. Neil was fishing main lake points using a 12" worm. 4th - Tom Gann, 2 fish, 3.62 lbs. 5th - Larry Meyers, 2 fish, 3.34 lbs 6th - Ivan Thomas, 1 fish, 2.53 lbs 7th - Dan Hull, 1 fish, 2.22 lbs. 8th - Heath Stuart, 1 fish, 1.66 lbs.

Dear Brad, Here are the reasons I don't tournament fish: 1) Most quality tournaments do not allow a fishing guide to fish on their home lake in a tournament. 2) Like you expect to make the most money you can to provide for your family, so do I. Some tournament organizations require that you cannot fish a week prior to the tournament pre fish date. That's $225 per day that I lose, plus the entry fees. Unless you are a Kevin Van Dam, you are not going to make more money tournament fishing than guiding, at least in my experience. 3) Most quality tournaments are held on Sunday, and I choose to go to church rather than fish a tournament on The Lord's Day. 4) Reference your above challenges, please read my clients' responses. That is putting my money where my mouth is. 5) Yes I am trying to promote my business. Don't you? In return, I make the effort as the forum moderator, to teach people what I know. 6) There is a conflict of interest between many tournament fishermen sidelining as guides...not all, but it does exist. When you hire me, I am very forthcoming with my information; I encourage my clients to bring their Stockton Lake maps, and I show them by fishing spots. Besides this, I get a bigger thrill out of taking a father and son or grandfather and son, fishing than I receive from bass tournaments. 7) On the Thursday night local tournaments on Stockton, I usually have a client. Clients are guaranteed money, tournaments are not. And a final note to you, Brad. You said you don't need a fishing report. If you don't need a fishing report, don't read it. No need to get so upset. Go do the things your wife has been wanting you to do all summer. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish The Finest!

July 15, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report Lake level: 868.66 Normal pool: 867 Sorry for the absence of my weekly fishing report, but the bottom line is I have been in the office late every night and I don’t get home until about 9:30 pm. After I get home it takes about an hour to get my boat and bait put to bed for the next day’s trip. And by then, I don’t feel like doing a report. I hope you understand, a man has to work to pay his bills. Please realize that the information I give you on each and every fishing report is related to my personal experience and information I gather from speaking to other anglers on a day to day basis. I try to be as accurate as humanly possible. By the way, I always take into account fishermen’s reputation for exaggerating the truth…. Walleye fishing is fair to good, depending on the day. Walleye are being caught off the flats north of Googer near mile marker B7. That covers a great deal of water, so you are on your own unless you want to hire a good guide. For the most part, active fish are taking advantage of the thermocline, which is located about 20 feet deep. For those of you that have not graduated fishing guide school, let me explain, because this is very critical this time of year. The thermocline is where hot water on the top presses against cold water underneath and on Stockton lake this year, it is about 20 feet. You will notice on your depth finder a dark band or fish readings at approximately this depth. The thermocline is where the hot and cold water come together. The different densities in water trap microorganisms in which the main bait fish (the gizzard shad) feed. We call those little buggers filter feeders. The walleye, along with all other fish eating predators that swim, take advantage of the thermocline for this reason. You will notice from time to time a number of arches on your sonar at depths 15 feet, 30 feet, 40 feet, etc. It has been my experience that these fish in these various depths are less active feeders than those that are in the thermocline. This is the walleye summer pattern, and it will continue until the lake turns over and the thermocline diminishes. Not only are walleye being caught on the various mud flats on the lake, but they are also being caught off main lake points where the thermocline meets cover or structure. That means the walleye can ambush the shad from cover as the shad swim along the thermocline at about 20 feet deep. Slow drift crawler harnesses, jig and minnows, or troll deep diving crank baits at that depth and over time you will catch fish. You may not catch huge numbers of fish per day, but this has been most consistent for me and all of the other fishermen I talk to on the lake. Crappie: Remember thermocline. Crappie take advantage of the thermocline for the same reason the walleye do. However, crappie do not follow the shad throughout out the lake like walleye do. Depth is a key factor here once again, ladies and gentlemen. Brush piles, rock piles, humps, or bumps need to be at the 20 foot depth level to be productive. Crappie may be caught deeper in the middle of the day, but if you pay attention, you notice that your consistent bites are around 20 foot brush piles. The water may be 40 feet deep off of a main lake point, but the brush pile needs to be in 20 feet. Throw out a marker, get ready to hit anybody with a boat paddle that wants to fish your marker. Back off, and use a slip bobber. Make sure the bobber is positioned so that your minnow or crappie jig hangs about 2 feet above the brush or structure. You’ll have to find your own spots, but they are not hard to find. P.S. If you tell your minnow you love him, you’ll catch crappie over 9 and a half inches long. Largemouth bass: I will appear in an article in the September issue of Missouri Game and Fish on bass fishing. As you know, I bass fish on my days off. In my own mind, and in the minds of my dad, my wife, and my daughters, I am really quite accomplished at catching good bass (5-8 pounds) on a consistent basis. In any publication you find about fishing on Stockton Lake, you read about walleye and crappie. Stockton Lake is yes indeed the premiere walleye lake in the state of Missouri, and according to recent publications, in the top ten lakes for walleye fishing in the southern US. Stockton Lake is an excellent crappie lake; I have seen crappie come out of this lake that are bigger than the skillet you cook them in. But what people don’t know is that Stockton Lake is a premiere black bass (black bass meaning largemouth, smallmouth, and Kentucky spotted bass) lake. The state record for smallmouth (7 pounds 2 oz) was set and broken on Stockton. There is no private property on the 300 miles of shoreline, which increases habitat and spawning areas. In my own opinion, Stockton is a real hot bass lake. I have caught bass over 8 pounds, and I have had clients catch them over 9 pounds. Would you like to learn Stockton Lake as a bass lake? I can teach you. One other thing…I don’t eat bass. Little ones or big ones. Walleye, catfish, blue gill, are fair game, unless they are the really big ones that create 90% of the little ones. Channel cat fishing has been excellent all over Stockton Lake. Very few trips go by that we don’t catch 3-5 pound channel cats by accident. Secondary coves with access to deep water are a good place to go; anchor your boat, apply night crawler, chicken liver, or those cheap chicken/turkey/pork weenies. If you want to bank fish, anywhere you can get to the water you should catch fish. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish the Finest!

I have a Lowrance LCX 18 w/GPS and and an Eagle 320DX and am very satisfied with both. Read the material on these web sites. http://www.hightechfishing.com/lowrancetutorial.html http://www.lowrance.com/Support/Tips-and-T...Sonar-Tutorial/ Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish The Finest!

Crappie: take your sonar, and find brush piles or rock piles that are at the same depth of the thermocline. The walleye don’t move like crappie, but they station themselves in cover that is at the depth of the thermocline. To them, this is like pizza delivery. In real estate, the key word is location, location, location. And when it comes to the summer pattern, for all fish, be it walleye, bass, crappie or catfish, thermocline, thermocline, thermocline. Minnows and jigs or small crappie jigs work well for crappie when you find these locations. SHOULD READ: Crappie: take your sonar, and find brush piles or rock piles that are at the same depth of the thermocline. The CRAPPIE don’t move like WALLEYE, but they station themselves in cover that is at the depth of the thermocline. To them, this is like pizza delivery. In real estate, the key word is location, location, location. And when it comes to the summer pattern, for all fish, be it walleye, bass, crappie or catfish, thermocline, thermocline, thermocline. Minnows and jigs or small crappie jigs work well for crappie when you find these locations.

June 24, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report Lake level: 870.01 Normal pool: 867 Water temperature: 85 degrees We’ll start out this fishing report with a question to those of you who begin loading their boats on the ramp with fishing equipment, coolers, snacks, etc. when countless other people are waiting to launch their boats: When you go on a trip, do you begin packing your bags when you are waiting in line at the ticket counter in the airport? Walleye: now that the summer pattern has stepped in, main lake points and lake mud flats are the places you need to be. Slow trolled crank baits late in the evening will produce fish when the light levels are low in shallower water. For the rest of the time, these walleye will be in around 25 feet of water, following the shad as they take advantage of the thermocline. The thermocline, you know, is where the cold water meets the warm water. The molecular structure in this 12 foot band of water holds microorganisms that the shad (the #1 bait on Stockton) feed on, and that is why the walleye are there. The walleye move continuously and you need to cover a lot of water, so whether you use trolled deep diving crank baits, or slow drifted crawler harnesses across these points, or jigs and minnows, you must be conscious of this strike zone. Crappie: take your sonar, and find brush piles or rock piles that are at the same depth of the thermocline. The walleye don’t move like crappie, but they station themselves in cover that is at the depth of the thermocline. To them, this is like pizza delivery. In real estate, the key word is location, location, location. And when it comes to the summer pattern, for all fish, be it walleye, bass, crappie or catfish, thermocline, thermocline, thermocline. Minnows and jigs or small crappie jigs work well for crappie when you find these locations. Largemouth bass: the last two years crop of bass (for the most part) will be above the thermocline in shallower water chasing random bait fish. You can catch 13 inch bass all day long on spinner baits and crank baits in the first 10-15 feet of water. Like crappie, you need to find cover and structure at the thermocline level which is around 25 feet. My best weapon is plastic worms. If you are a jig fisherman, this will work also. With the abundance of bait in the water, bass will respond to the easiest and slowest meal available. What about deep diving crank baits? Well, in spite of what they say on television, I don’t know of a deep diving crank bait that you can cast that will stay at the 25 foot level for more than a foot or so unless you can cast about 100 yards. When bass have all the food they want at their beck and call, they will not move far and fast to catch a crank bait. Main lake points, secondary points, creek channels, ditches with brush, at the proper depth is where you should fish and this is when you should build an intimate relationship with your sonar. Top water bite has been hit and miss, because bass aren’t willing to leave home for bait when they don’t have to. For more specialized, in depth instruction on how to catch hawgs in Stockton you will need my professional guidance. We are blessed in the State of Missouri to have some of the best bass fishing lakes in America and Stockton Lake is one of them. The state record for smallmouth was set and broken on Stockton. Because of the excellent walleye fishery here that is known nationwide, a lot of fishermen overlook the bass prospects on Stockton. Channel cat fishing is excellent on Stockton, and is hot right now; we have caught numerous 5-8 pound channel cats while crappie or walleye fishing. If you focus on just channel cats, you should be able to have a fish fry the same night with little effort from boat or shore. Night crawlers, cut shad, chicken livers, you name it, they’ll eat it. The areas north and south of Cedar Ridge boat ramp are good places to go. The various points around the boat ramp across from Mutton Creek marina are also good places to fish from the shore. Shore fishing is accessible now due to the fact that the lake is below most brush lines and I think it would be well worth your effort. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish The Finest!

Yes, sounds like Cedar Oaks. It was foreclosed on, and is now under new ownership and mangement. Gerri and Bob are the managers and lovely people. The goal is to get their lounge and restaurant up and running as well as the pool and the 9 hole golf course...not sure how far along they are. I think they had a request in to the Corps for improvements to the private boat dock. Haven't checked in with them for awhile, but in April, members of Fishers of Men bass tournament stayed there. The rooms were $37 per night; clean, modest and adequate. Check them out. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish The Finest!

June 10, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report Lake level: 869.15 Normal pool: 867 Walleye fishing is still spotty; therefore the key is to cover a lot of water. I have been successful helping my clients catch walleye off of secondary points in big coves such as Googer, Chicken Rock area, and Turkey Creek. We have been vertical jigging with Gulp minnows and have been fairly successful. If you don’t have Gulp minnows, or you can’t stand the smell, try real live minnows on a 3/8 oz or ¼ oz jig. A few fish have been turning up by trolling deep diving crank baits across mud flats such as the ones north of Mutton Creek on the main lake. I have found, however, that when you troll through an area and pick up a fish or two, it is good to stop and fan cast the area with the same deep diving crank bait. Shad imitations do well, and also blue gill colored crank baits. Crappie: location, location, location…this is an old guide school slogan I learned. If you are fishing in a particular area for crappie and you are not getting bit, move to another area. During this transitional stage from post spawn to doing the summer thing, location is the key. Fish deep cover approx 25 feet with slip bobbers or vertical jigging. I use a jig and minnow with the smallest weight I can get away with. Find isolated cover on your depth finder. If the fishing dries up on the jig and minnow thing try slow trolling small deep diving crank baits such as the Shad Rap. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish The Finest!

Here's my advice: Place a weight (about 1/4 oz) aroud 15 inches below the hook, which you tie in the line. Use a Aberdeen hook, hook a minnow through the head, and pay attention because when your line gets slack, the crappie has the minnow. With the hook located above the weight, there is nothing to impede the feeling of a strike. Always remember that most crappie bite uphill, so when they approach the bait momentarily they are actually pushing it towards you. Therefore, there is less tension in your rod tip than there is when you have a downward strike, or tug. The weight below the hook does not interfere with subtle strikes, because the hook is between you and the fish, versus a weight between you and the fish. I'd like to thank a guy named Big Ron for this information. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish the Finest!

That's great, if you like fishing in the dark... Actually, you are exactly right. These fish get tired of the boat traffic all day long and as soon as it quits, they'll start to feed in shallower water. Don't overlook boat ramp areas...the constant upheaval of the bottom sediment made by boats getting in and out of the water creates a cloud of nutrients. Also, most ramps have lights and this in turn draws bugs and fish. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish The Finest!

May 23, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report Lake level: 872.2 Normal pool: 867 To start out with, I would like to tell you how extremely effective my whacket racket has become. You remember the whacket racket is actually a badminton racket that has been turned into a whacket racket, which is used to whack primarily wasps, but is also effective on other flying insects, whining clients, and water moccasins. Since I have been using the whacket racket, I have not even seen a single wasp. You talk about effectiveness. There are two water moccasins I know by name and when I saw them the other day in the Chicken Rock area, not only did they not attack unprovoked, but they rudely turned away as we made eye contact and swam speedily for the underbrush. Kind of like a meth dealer does when he sees a cop. They must have known I had the weapon on board and was willing to use it. When the enemy knows you are armed and dangerous, he will seek helpless victims. I lay my whacket racket in an obvious place so that all intruders know I mean business. Walleye fishing has been slow due to the rising water and dropping temperatures. For the third year in a row, the heavy rains have affected the fishing in a negative way, however they affect the fish in a positive way. The walleye that are being caught most consistently are in around 15 feet of water at the edge of the brush line on crank baits (white, chartreuse or shad colored). The fish have congregated on main lake points and are beginning their summer pattern following the thermocline (approximately 28 feet) which in turn holds the shad. Slow drift jigs and minnows/crawlers or crawler harnesses on the points and you should be somewhat successful. Mud flats are beginning to show fish; one such place is north of Mutton Creek, particularly late in the afternoon to early evening. Crappie: crappie here, crappie there, crappie everywhere. There are crappie in every stage of the spawn: post spawn, spawn and pre spawn. Therefore the crappie can be found in the backs of brushy coves in 4 feet of water or in 25 feet of water over submerged brush off main lake points. Minnows and jigs and small crank baits do well. Cover a lot of water because the fish are still spread out. A majority of the fish that are being caught are sub legal crappie; they are from last year and the year before. High water always produces large amounts of fish because of all of the cover that is available to the fry. This is why you need to cover a lot of water in various depths….to get away from the little guys. Largemouth and smallmouth bass: I have been fishing for everything except bass this last week; however, if you want to get put on some big bass (my best this spring was 7 pounds), book a June trip now; weekdays only available. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish the Finest!

It is not worth the pain to go fishing on Stockton on holiday weekends. It is dangerous, and the ski boats and jet skiers go to the coves to get out of the wind or get out of the chop on the lake. This makes these areas impossible to fish. I think the Missouri Department of Conservation should do like many other agencies throughout the United States and section off certain areas for fishing only. Stockton is not as bad as the killing fields of Lake of the Ozarks, but it is bad enough that I spend those days with the Bill Dance fishing show. Remember the guy who backed his trailer in the water and left the trailer and the vehcile on the ramp as he and his buddy motored off into oblivion? Picture this on Memorial Day weekend. One other thing you could do, however, to excite your weekend: take a lawn chair and a jug of sweet tea and sit in an obscure place in the shade near a boat ramp and observe these unending spectacles first hand. Watching boat ramp antics is some of the best free entertainment you can get. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish the Finest!

May 13, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report Lake level: 872.76 Normal pool: 867 Sorry for the delay in posting any recent reports; we were gone to Colorado watching my daughter graduate from nursing school. I remember when she was young, and she came to me and said, “Father, should I go to nursing school or fishing guide school?” I said, “Definitely go to fishing guide school.” Well, she did not heed my advice; however I was very proud that she accomplished her righteous objective. On to fishing…as a result of the weather, which includes 70+ mph winds, tornadoes, torrential rains, and a cold front every other hour, fishing for the most part has been slow. My clients and I struggled to catch a few crappie, a few bass, and a walleye here and there. With the rain on Friday, the east side of the lake changed color from clear to real muddy. In some parts of the lake, particularly above the 215 bridge, you have a very distinct dividing line in water clarity. This obviously affects the fishing. Water temperature has dropped at least 5 degrees according to my own measurements since Friday. The repeated cold fronts affect the fishing more than any other factor. When these conditions occur, fish will go into a negative mode which means basically without dynamite, you are eating Vienna sausages for dinner tonight. However, I am continuing to be vigilant in my quest to put my clients in a position to catch fish. I downsize my offering, slow down my presentation, and fish shallower because in rising water conditions, fish move towards the shore, especially in the spring. This applies to every fish, from crappie, to bass, to catfish, to white bass. One thing to remember: any day the fishing will take off, and really be productive, so it’s worth your while to be out here. Walleye: fish main lake points with a crawler harness accompanied by sufficient weight to put the bait at the depth of the fish that you mark (approx 15-20 feet, this time of the year). In the winter, a jig and minnow work well. In the summer, you get more bites on a jig and night crawler. As the water warms in the spring, bug populations begin to emerge and walleye go after these bugs. Crappie: Slow troll small, deep diving crank baits along the edges of the brush in about 10 feet of water and you’ll have your best chance to catch crappie. Because of the weather, some crappie have spawned and some have not. If you get in around the 10 foot zone (10 feet above the bottom) you should catch them coming or going. Don’t overlook deeper water (20-25 feet) on the south end of the lake because in these areas, many of these fish have spawned and returned to their summer haunts. Small crappie jigs with or without minnows fished above these brush piles will catch fish. Largemouth bass: Like, crappie, largemouth bass are getting ready to spawn or are spawning or have already spawned on certain parts of the lake. If you fish an area where the water is in the high 60s, you will have big bass in shallow water. Slow presentation works best with jigs and plastic worms. If you fish an area of the lake where the water is around 62-63 degrees, you’ll find fish in around 10-15 feet of eater in a very pre-spawn mode (this is actually the best time to catch big fish). Deep diving crank baits, slow rolled spinner baits or plastic worms will do well. Shoebox photo memories: I was looking at a fishing picture recently of a trip during which my dad and I were in the middle of a central California bass lake and out of nowhere came a bee and stung my dad on his naked side. He said something to the effect, and I paraphrase, “Wow. Why did that bee fly all the way across the lake just to sting me?” This event comes to my mind when I am trying to concentrate on catching the mother lode and these reddish, brownish, orangish wasps with faces that only their mothers could love come swooping down, ready to attack with stingers ablaze just because they feel their civil rights have been violated. As a highly skilled fishing guide, dedicated to the safety of my clients, I felt it incumbent upon me to devise a system by which I can protect them and myself from the bombardment and assault of these deadly flying creatures called wasps. My first attempt to alleviate the problem was to use my hat. However, that didn’t work because they saw it coming, dodged it, and then really got mad. Out of desperation, I have found out that violently swinging a 7 ½ foot flipping rod will do the job, providing it hits home, which is only about 1 in 4000 violent swings. I was in despair and one day it came to me how I could overcome this dilemma and entertain and keep my clients safe all at the same time. The solution: a badminton racket. I strap it down with my net. Everywhere I go, it is near me, just like my trusted 45 when I was a cop. Every time a wasp attacks, I see kamikaze written all over him. This technique is guaranteed 99% of the time. Try it. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish the Finest!

April 21, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report Lake level 869.87 Normal pool 867 Water temp 57 degrees Walleye: Overall walleye have been fairly slow, but with the warm weather we are expecting over the next week, walleye should go into their post spawn feeding frenzy. I say “post spawn,” referring to the majority of fish on Stockton Lake, but that’s not to say you cannot catch some pre-spawn females. One thing to keep in mind no matter what you fish for is that the fish are about a month behind schedule. Water temp in the southern end of the lake today was up to 57 degrees. When these walleye kick off, they’ll move from deeper water (25-30 feet) up to 15 feet and above. Gradual sloping rocky shorelines with brush will be your best areas to target because when the shad spawn, the walleye will be their ready to take advantage of the situation. Curly tailed jigs in a variety of colors slow drifted in these areas should catch fish. Adding a minnow or gob of night crawler won’t hurt. You can also try Rattle Traps slow trolled or fan casted towards the shore. Crappie: As a result of the warming weather, in most parts of the lake crappie are beginning to stage to spawn. The majority of the fish are still deep (we caught good crappie today down to 30 feet), but they should be moving up within days at the most. Target pea gravel shorelines with brush adjacent to secondary points, or main lake points. Slow drift or cast to the shore crappie jigs (anywhere from 1/8 oz to ¼ oz) and slowly retrieve back to the boat. These fish should move into the 15 foot on up range any day. Largemouth Bass: Big females ought to be moving into shallower water (approximately 10 feet) very soon. On Friday I caught a 7 lb bass worm fishing in over 20 feet of water; this was mid afternoon. Later that day, around 7 pm, I caught a 5 lb female bass on a spinner bait. So you can tell from this that bass are staging to spawn. These two fish were gorged with eggs so I let them go immediately and I hope you do the same. The crank bait and spinner bait bite are picking up, and bass fishing should be excellent in the near future. Boat ramp antics: I experienced an odd situation the other day as I was waiting to launch my boat, behind an individual who had a tremendous amount of time on his hands. As my clients and I patiently waited our turn, another vehicle towing a boat backed the boat down the ramp. Both individuals in the tow vehicle launched the boat, and left their truck and trailer in the water at the boat ramp never to be seen again. As I watched them roar off across the cove, fading into the waters of Stockton Lake, I considered the tremendous amount of faith these folks had in mankind. I’m probably not the only one who thought what a terrible thing it would be if someone slipped that gear in neutral and let the truck and trailer slowly slide into the water and sink. It may just be me, but I found that odd. I didn’t know you could park that way. Maybe he had a special permit. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish the Finest!

April 8, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report Lake level: 868.75 Normal pool: 867 Water temperature: 49 degrees Walleye fishing has been hit or miss for obvious reasons, which have to with the continuation of drastic cold fronts that cause a down surge in the barometer and for whatever other excuses I can come up with. Walleye, like other fish, do not all spawn at the same time in such a large environment. In some parts of the lake, the spawn has slowed, such as Sac River, Son’s Creek. In other parts of the lake, such as north of the 215 bridge, you still have a lot of large females which have not yet spawned. Two points I would like to make: 1) These large females that everybody targets produce 90% of the offspring that are reared naturally on Stockton Lake. Around 20% of these fish reproduce on their own here, I am told. 2) Walleye are quite different during the spawn than crappie, catfish, or largemouth bass. They do not build a nest, or spend any significant amount of time in an area during the actual spawning process. Therefore they have no nest to guard. Walleye also have a post-spawn period which lasts from a week to two weeks during which they become very inactive. Therefore the bite is slow. You ask, “How should I respond?” You need to cover a lot of water, in varying depths, with a variety of baits. To find the fish that will bite, you need to spend a lot of time on the electronics. Slow drift jig and minnows and jig spoons. Use medium running crank baits off of main lake points. There is no set formula, and you can see that when a walleye angler catches a big walleye in 40 feet of water off a main lake point and another guy catches an 8 pounder in 15 feet of water crappie fishing. I hope you get the point. Reference the wind on Stockton Lake: I was amazed at how many small boats loaded with fishermen were on Stockton Lake Saturday with no life vests. I admit that I stayed a little longer than I should have, in 45 mph wind gusts; I try to learn from these experiences. Not only do I have my own life in my hands, but others’ lives as well. If danger is even a threat, fun should take a backseat and go home. If you go out in dangerous conditions, at the very least you run the risk of tearing something up on your boat. I guess the term “high winds” is relative; when you see a white cap here or a white cap there, you better beware…especially this time of the year. A word to the weekend warriors: just because you see your favorite pro from your favorite outdoor channel, going 70 mph over whitecaps, does not mean you should. I have only been fishing for walleye. Next week I have several bass fishing clients; I’ll give you first hand information on bass in the next report. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish the Finest!

As far as I know, crappie only spawn once a year. It takes several months for the egg sac to begin and reach maturity. A thing that I have noticed is: 1)people will catch crappie that have eggs, to a degree, and think they are ready to spawn; as I said before, it takes several months for the egg sacs to mature. 2)I caught several crappie over the last few years in July that had not yet spawned. Not all fish spawn at the same time. In my opinion, some conditions exist that allow fish to be able to reproduce outside of their normal spawning spectrum. This is kind of a way that God gives his creation an extra boost. I think there are some environmental factors that are influential such as certain weather at certain times of the year (the roller coaster temperatures that we have experienced lately), and high water. Whrn you look at high water alone, the environment is drastically changed, therefore, creatures possess the ability to adjust to further their cause. After I worte this, I looked up "crappie spawn" and found the following article online from Steve Mcadams on Crappie World: What's considered by most members of the crappie-fishing fraternity to be the peak of the season is at hand for much of the country — spawning time, when more anglers crappie fish than during any other season. The phases of the spring ritual are affected by such factors as lake levels and water temperature. In the Northern states, the peak of the “crappie run” occurs a little later than in the Southern states. For example, the peak of the spawn in Tennessee, Alabama or Mississippi usually occurs in early to mid-April, while it may be as long as two weeks to a month later in upper Indiana, New York or Ohio. As a professional guide, writer and seminar speaker, I've been asked about a million and one times: “When is the best time to hit the peak of the spawn?” It's the most difficult question to answer because of the variables involved. Spring may bring a cure for cabin fever, but attached to the blooming of the dogwoods and the yellow buttercups is unstable weather that has the ability to deliver a devastating blow to the peak phases of crappie spawning. Crappie begin the early phases of the spawn by making a transition from deep to shallow water, but it's done in kind of a stair-step manner. As the days get longer and there are more hours of sunlight, the fish's biological clock sends it a message and changes its physiology. The male crappie incurs hormonal changes, most noticeable by the darkening appearance. Once the spawn is over, he will begin fading back to his true light color. Spawning generally begins when water temperatures reach 62 degrees, with the most active phases within the 66- to 68-degree range. Stability is important in both the water temperature and the levels of the lake. Anglers love spring crappie fishing because the fish and the fisherman come close together when searching the shallow waters of lakes. The fish migrate shallow, seeking habitat in which to lay their eggs. They look for roots, logs, stumps, rocks or weedbeds. The more stained the water color, the more likely crappie are to move shallow. It's their attempt to find that comfort zone where the sunlight can penetrate the water and aid in the hatching of the eggs into tiny fish, referred to as fry. That's why crappie spawn deeper in clear reservoirs than in a murky lake, where stained or muddy water means the likely spots will be visible stickup-type structure. Most crappie anglers prefer shallow, visible structure. After all, it's easier to fish something you can see. As you test the waters of your favorite crappie lakes this spring, remember that crappie begin staging in the mouths of big bays or creeks during the prespawn period. Study topographic maps and look for the irregular humps or shelves where the crappie can school as they leave the depths in preparation for the movement to spawning grounds. The crappie follow creek channels and sloughs to the shoreline or shallow habitat to spawn, but any secondary hump or shelf between the deep and shallow water merits your attention. Often the fish stage outside the actual spawning area, waiting for the water temperature to warm, or they might be under the influence of a cold front or falling lake level. While you can't change the weather or water levels, you can capitalize on the habits of the crappie as they go through the various phases of spawning. Learn to interpret your sonar units and topo maps as you follow the fish from the extremes of deep to shallow. Crappie don't all spawn at the same time. Nor do they leave deep river ledges and head to shoreline cover overnight. Their stair-step migration makes several stops along the way to peak spawning time, so take advantage of it and you'll be rewarded.

March 19, 2009 Stockton lake Fishing Report Walleye: this fishing report is a condensed version due to the fact that I have been busy guiding every day and I don’t have the time at the moment to put the effort into it that I would like to. That said, walleye fishing has been somewhat frustrating not only for me, but for virtually everyone I have talked to. I do believe, however, that the fishing will get better any day. There is no doubt that a lot of walleye have been spawning already, and are doing so in areas like Turnback, Son’s Creek, and Turkey Creek, to name just a few. You need to find the fish and spend a lot of time in hopes for the bite of a real big fish (8-10 lbs). Jig and curly tailed grub, or a jig and 4 inch plastic worm combo is one of your best bets. If you find a congregation of fish, vertical fish with the jigs and if there are no takers, get back and troll deep diving Rapalas through the school. Crappie bite has been fair; the best advice I can give you right now is fish the Turkey Creek arm, or Birch Branch. Crappie will be around 20-25 feet deep; they’re thinking real hard about the pre-spawn situation. Jig and minnows are your best bet. If you don’t get bit in half an hour, move. Largemouth bass: I will be appearing in a future issue of Missouri Game and Fish reference largemouth and small mouth and I’ll give more details. Reference bass fishing, backs of coves + warmer water = good bass ( 3-5 lbs). Jigs, slow rolled spinner baits, and deep diving crank baits in the shallower water will produce fish. Water temperature in the mid part of the lake as of yesterday is from 48-50 degrees. Monday Son’s Creek got up to 56 degrees in the timber. White bass have been slow, but a few fish are being caught around Maze Creek, Turkey Creek, and Aldrich. The spawn in certain parts of the lake should be in full swing, and like walleye, these fish will spawn in any and all tributaries. Start from the mouth and go in and you should find large congregations of white bass. Try any kind of vertical spooning or jigging or troll anything from deep diving crank baits to Rattle Trap type baits. Move around a lot. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often Imitated, Never Duplicated. Fish The Finest!

March 10, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report Lake level: 867.27 Normal pool: 867 Water temp: mid to hi 40s overall Walleye: the spawn this year will be more predictable and consistent, due to the fact that so far, we don’t have high water and excessive rain. In my opinion, the first few days after this week’s cold front will really ignite the walleye to spawn. The fish are starting to stage around main lake points around the dam, Maze Creek, Sac River near Turnback, and Son’s Creek. At this point these fish will be found in the deeper areas adjacent to their spawning beds, waiting for that special moment. Jigs tipped with 4 inch ringworms, curly tails, or paddle tail type swim baits should catch fish. Deep diving crank baits trolled through these areas from time to time have also been successful. I prefer the jigging technique over the deep trolling technique because you get more bites if the bait is in the strike zone for a longer period of time. Crappie are still in relatively deep water; by “relatively”, I mean fish will be in different depths in different parts of the lake. Fish are being caught on jigs and minnows and the bite is still somewhat light. I predict in the next two weeks as the water temperature changes, these fish will start moving shallower in their pre-spawn frame of mind (which means they’re thinking about having a family). Largemouth bass: up until this week’s cold front, 3-5 lb bass were being caught in the backs of coves on spinner baits and shallow running crank baits. The bite was on to say the least. I helped in a tournament weigh in where the winning anglers (17.55 lbs), caught 31 keepers that day, and started culling fish by 7:26 am, almost a half an hour into the tournament. After this cold front is over, the bass will resume post winter feeding patterns. Blue gill: try dangling a worm or part of a night crawler or cricket off the various bridge pillars. It is hard to spot fish on bridge pillars, due to the fact that in order to get close enough to the vertical target with your trolling motor mounted depth finder, you have to ram your boat into the concrete, and that isn’t good. Start at about 10 feet, and let out a little bit of line at a time until you reach about 25 feet. Fish this way all the way around the bridge pillar, especially on the downwind side, and you should catch saucer sized blue gill. If you don’t get bit on one pillar, move to the next one. Sometimes you’ll find big blue gill on pillars over the deepest water. Shoebox photo memories: Why We All Love Our Fishing Guides Back in the early 70s, my dad hired a guide on Ouachita Lake (pronounced “Washita”, not “Alcheeta”). His name was Stanley Nabors. He said he was Jim Nabor’s cousin (who was Gomer on the Andy Griffith Show). I have no doubt that he was Gomer’s cousin, because this guy looked, acted, and sounded like Gomer Pyle. We launched his 16 foot John boat at Crystal Springs Marina and roared off into the distance at approximately 15 mph. We came to a stick up covered point (which in Arkansas means a bunch of dead trees in the water). He reached into a metal tackle box, and Texas-rigged a 6 inch genuine Tom Mann grape flavored jelly worm. I can still smell that flavor today when I use the exact same worms. We cast among the trees, and you could feel the bass pick up your worm. Then you set the hook. My dad and I had never really fished really hi-tech before, and we found out that it was very profitable. My worm fishing career began at this point. With no electronics, no GPS, no trolling motor, no Bill Dance sunglasses, this man was able to put us exactly where we needed to be to catch a wonderful stringer of feisty bass. On our journey home, I asked Mr. Nabors “What did you base today’s success on?” And he replied, “I’ve caught ‘em here before.” Stay tuned next time for more shoebox photo memories. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish The Finest!

March 2, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report Lake level: 867.30 Normal pool: 867 Walleye: For the most part, walleye are still deep (35-40+ feet) off main lake points. However, fish in certain areas of the lake have started to move a little shallower in anticipation of the upcoming spawn. I believe that the moon phases in March coupled with warm weather (which we’re supposed to get for the next week) will trigger spawning activity. These fish will move up into the mouths of tributaries (Sac River, Son’s Creek) and will wait there for the opportune time. The best approach right now, however, is to stick with the winter pattern and find the large shad schools off the main lake points or in the mouths of coves that connect to these main lake points. Fish jigs, with a variety of plastic bodies (whatever you want as long as it has a minnow attached to it); the bigger the minnow the better. 4 or 5 inches is good. Note: nobody that I know of as of right now, sells minnows in Stockton. The closest place is the Trading Post in Greenfield (Hwy 160/Hwy H) or the Country Depot 9 miles east of Arcola. Just so you know. As the water temperatures warm (at present north of Hwy 215 the temperatures are 40-47 degrees), the fishing will become more consistent. As the water temperature reaches and stabilizes around 45 degrees, walleye will begin to actively spawn. Spawning areas include any and all tributaries flowing into the lake, and also rip rap around the dam and bridge areas. Walleye don’t build a nest like bass and crappie; they deposit their eggs on rocky shorelines. About 20% of the walleye reproduce on their own, which is a high rate for southern highland reservoirs. Added to that is the Missouri Department of Conservation’s walleye stocking program that contributes 750,000 fingerlings every other year. Stockton Lake Association is supposed to match that in the odd years, but I don’t know if they do. My personal prediction for the upcoming fishing season on Stockton Lake is that fishing should be very good for all species. Crappie: like walleye, the majority of your good bites will occur in deeper water (25-45 feet). Winter pattern techniques still apply for the most part, but some crappie are starting to show up in shallower water (15-25 feet) as the water warms. The warm weather this week should motivate the fish to move shallower and become more active as they get further into the pre-spawn stage. This is a bit off yet, but when the water temperatures start reaching into the high 50s, crappie will be shallower. Largemouth bass: Because the bass are still cold and sluggish, jigs are your best bet along with my favorite, plastic worms. Bigger bass (4-6 lbs) are being caught in around 15-25 feet of water off of key main lake and secondary points. The best points are the ones that have chunk rock shorelines; later in the afternoon, as the water cools, slow rolled spinner baits or suspending jerk baits work real well. Allow 5-10 seconds between jerks when you use suspending jerk baits. Bass on Stockton Lake are still in the winter mode, but will begin moving shallower to spawning areas as the water temperature warms. Shoebox photo memories: When I was a kid, you talked about plastic worm colors. You had black, blue, purple, and red. Those were the good old days. Bass obviously were not as politically correct then as they are today. For example, here’s a selection of colors that (according to the manufacturers) you better have if you want to be a success in life (at least in the mind of a bass). Have you ever heard of scuppernong? How about kudzu? Here’s an oldie, but a goodie: methiolate. Not to mention flying monkey, electric chicken, tamale pie, and guacamole. The first bass boat that my dad and I had was a high tech, high powered, technologically advanced fishing machine. It was 16 feet long, made by Cotton Cordell, brand name “Goin Jesse” with a 65 horse Merc. I was bad on the water, at least in my own mind. The point I want to make here, is that as outdoorsmen (fishermen and hunters) we can never lose the real focus as to why we do what we do. I now own a 21 foot bass boat with a 225 Merc motor with all of the scientific gadgets (some of which I am still trying to figure out) and I can honestly say some of the greatest memories I ever had were with my dad in the old Goin Jesse catching bass on Hula Poppers, Jitter Bugs, and purple rubber worms. As I think about it, I am sure the old bass gets a kick out of the good old days too. Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish the Finest!

In case you did not know, Stockton Mini Mart has closed its doors. This is a major loss for Stockton, for fishermen, and anyone who enjoyed a great cheeseburger. There is no place to buy minnows in Stockton as of now, so you need to plan ahead for your bait. Orleans Trail will not have minnows until mid March at the earliest. Just so you know.

January 14, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report Walleye/crappie/white bass: In a few short words, I’ll give you the basic pattern of fishing on Stockton Lake in January, winter pattern, no doubt. This is a condensed form of my last several reports (which I hope you read) to get you zeroed in on fish. Primary areas are the mouths of main lake coves, at depths around 50 feet, slow presentation with a jig and minnow, spoon and minnow/night crawler bounced off the bottom. As I have stated in previous reports, water temperature is more critical in the winter than any other time of the year. The fish seek water temperatures that are as close to their liking as possible; the warmer the better. Warm water also gathers shad by the millions. In many cases, the warm water in these areas is the result of warm water springs, which spew water 54-59 degrees. This would also account for the reason that the fish get so deep this time of the year. Shoebox Photo Memories: I am blessed to be a fishing guide. I live 4 miles from the lake, have a 21 foot bass boat with a 225 Mercury motor, and more bass plugs than I’ll use in a lifetime. I fish constantly and I meet a lot of real good fish (and people). One of the greatest experiences that I can still vividly remember was when my dad, grandpa and I fished out of our first boat with a motor. We hauled it to the lake in the back of a pickup and dumped it off on a sandbar. My dad finally figured out how to start the motor (5 hp at best). I remember smelling the exhaust as it kind of stuck to the water early on a summer morning. I don’t remember if we caught fish that day or not, but every time I smell boat exhaust, it brings back the memory of how I felt on that day as a kid. Stay tuned next week for more Shoebox Photo Memories. Dig through those old fishing and hunting pictures some night and see what you remember. Book your spring trips now. My calendar is getting filled up! Marty Thompson Thompson Fishing Guide Service www.fishstockton.com 417-424-BASS Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish the Finest!