MOBass

Tough time of year. Lot's of folks thinking more deer woods than lake. Also been a little tougher as of late and that culls the herd further. Have you tried State Park Marina? Gage's? Those are the only two that come to mind, but I don't know if they are open this time of year. Wish I could offer some more help. I am floundering on coming down Sunday. May go hit Taney and see how the high water is treating things. May get humble on the rock. May rake leaves and wait for the fish and water to settle down.

I was down two weeks ago and found the whites scattered a little shallower and surfacing. They had cut back from flood gates and turbines to just turbines. My guess is that the extra water draw helped stack the fish up. When the draw slowed the fish scattered. Just my guess though. I'll be down Sunday to see if I can find a fish or two. Probably go look for the whites for awhile. If there is some wind out of the south this week I'll hit the wind blown banks with a blade. If those two things don't pan out I'll punt.

With fall comes cooler temps, Friday high school football, Sunday NFL, and prep for the deer woods for those so inclined. All of these are contributing factors to the sparse reports. I was out fun fishing with my daughter on Sunday in the morning rain. Caught some shorts and monster bluegill around the 86 bridge on a drop shot gulp worm. We were just fishing for bites and it made a perfect day. We did find some whites busting but trying to get on them was like nailing jello to a wall. Saw one good jag of them on the electronics but they moved through fast and I could not get on top of them. Pulled a bone head move and need to get the trailer fixed so I am off the water until next weekend. Hopefully we will have stable weather of some sort by then.

A big thank you to everyone that came out to fish, Eric Prey for being the ultimate MC, Central Pro Am for the use of their trailer and everyone that contributed prizes, time, and effort to make this work. Here are the results: 17 boats weighed in 30 fish for total weight 69.53 lbs. 1st place Dwight Gates and Wayne Fowler 12.72 and big bass 3.95 2nd place Chris Hughes Dan Fenton 12.14 2nd big bass Van Cox Gary Cook 3.43 Everyone came away with a little something for participating thanks to all the companies that contributed products and services. Thanks again!

Excuse the bump. Just wanted to bring this back to the top. This is a worthwhile touranment and I hope to see some of you there.

What: David Beezley Memorial Tournament When:Sunday Sept. 27, 2009 Where:Ahoy's at Kimberling Inn Time:6:30AM - 3:00PM Entry:$120 including Big Bass Entry forms will be available at: Will have this info shortly Entries at the ramp starting at 5AM David was 26 years old and a vetran of Iraq and Afhanistan serving in the 82nd Airborne. He passed away suddenly leaving his family with expenses they never imagined. Your participation can make a difference. Whether you knew David or not, you share the same passion of fishing. Draw Prizes at the weigh in (must be present to win) Thank you to the following who have contributed to this event: Pro Mariner Battery Chargers Top Gun Marine Shimano DOA Lures Wiley X Sunglasses Culprit Yakima Baits Iron Breaker Lure Company Snip and Clip Pradco Lures

Thanks for the report guys. I'll be on the water the next three days trying to find enough fish to not embarass myself. The wind is looking to be a factor at least until Sunday morning. If you see a white Nitro 882 dual console in the dam area tomorrow that will probably be me. Stop by and say hello if you care to. Be safe out there.

I can attest to story number one because I can remember driving up to see the later part of said incident. I am somewhat disapointed that you didn't relate my story about the Mill Creek ramp, rolling into the boat in front of me, forgetting the plug, going for a quick swim and then stripping to my skivies in front of the tournament about to take off.....and the full blown feet in the air fall onto the courtesty dock at Mill Creek to check on my truck later that day. I believe I was awarded "Best Comic Lake Adventure" that year. Surely you remember that one.

The moss I found is the same old stuff from Indian to the Dam. I can not speak to other parts of the lake. I can't catch a fish on a stick bait to save my life. I am to the point of hiring a guide next year and asking for the remidial course in stick bait. I am optimistic they will move on to other things in the next week or two.

Can you educate me on how you are fishing the glo balls? I haven't had much success with them.

I needed an excuse to go fishing this weekend. Between this and the inlaws I think I have enough. Can someone help me out with directions to Old 86 from Ozark? I am navigationally declined.

You guys are terrible. I had resigned myself to a nice day of trout fishing Sunday on Taney and after reading all the post I want to get back on Table Rock again. The Stren will be done and the weather will at least be stable for a few days.

Is there much of a crowd for the start of C&R season? Do you still need a daily tag or will your trout stamp cover you?

A coworker caught a 20+lb. drum out of Table Rock about 8 years ago. I have heard of trout caught in several areas of the lake including by the dam. I would doubt that anyone would bring one up from Taney and release it. My guess would be it came in from Roaring River and worked it's way down.

I need some help. My daughter's art teacher needs some carp for doing fish prints. At one time there was a pretty good population around Rockaway but I have not seen them in a long time. Does anyone have a good carp hole they could share with me? I only need one or two fish on the smaller side for this. The teacher suggested bass as an alternative and I wasn't too keen on that idea. Any help would be appreciated.

I should print this off and stick it in the glove box of the boat. I was really trying to resist going fishing this weekend. After reading this I am already day dreaming about putting on fresh line and tying on baits.

I started late and hit the water about 9:30 at Indian Point. First stop yielded a hand size blue gill from shallow brush on a finess jig, a missed bite off the corner of a dock, and finally a keeper small mouth off the end of a boat ramp. I was pretty sure there were more fish there but just couldn't get them to go. It felt like spring so I got out all of my traditional spring time baits. 4" grub in watermelon which is a change from my normal milky white, splitshot with a green pumpkin french fry, the jig, and a wiggle wart. I went to one of my favorite spring points and picked up some short smallies on the french fry and missed a few scrubbing the grub. Depth was from 4' out to 25'. I saw a couple of guys fishing a bank with a white spinner bait picking a few fish so I decided to give it a shot for awhile. No love for me on the spinner other than a short smallie popping it a few times. There was plenty of shad in the bushes and I figured that all I needed was wind. I got some wind and the results didn't change for me and I could still spy guys picking up fish now and again. There was a piece of the spinner bait puzzle missing for me so I had to give it up. The wart didn't treat me much better so back to slower stuff. With the wind blowing and a little boat traffic I went back to where I started the day and found some brush on the side of a small point. It would prove to be my best stop for keepers. Three cast for two keeper smallies and one keeper K. Smallies on the fry and the K on the grub. I also picked up seveal more short smallies and a few more short Ks. They were stacked up on the brush and with the wind going they were on the feed. Most everything came from 10-15'. They eventually shut off so it was time to move. I found another piece of brush in the same depth on the side of another point and went to work on it. Same bite with only one keeper but lots of shorts. I worked it over with the jig, grub, and splitshot until they just stopped biting. That let me end on a high note and head for home.

Ouch. Glad I went to work today instead of playing hooky and going fishing.

A little late but I'll chime in anyway. I have been throwing a shakey heady with a finess worm or trick worm (trick worm produces better quality most of the time) and a 4 1/2" stick o in one of the watermelon colors. I usually drag the shakey head like I would a split shot rig in the areas that have more rock than the weeds. The sticko gets worked past the dock walkways and in the areas with weeds. I fish it with a twitch pause most of the time with anywhere from a 2 - 10 second pause until I find out what the fish want. That's what works for me. If anyone else fishes this area I would love to see your comments.

Yep pretty green fish. Nothing on the whites or walleye. A few weeks ago I came across some whites at the mouth of Bull. I wish I had more to add. I stay shallow along the wall. For the most part I look for the first good drop off and try to track along it. I would say 8' or so is where I usually put the boat. There were a lot of trout along the wall. Some of them were better than your average stocker. On the marina side of the resteraunt I have seen a particular guide do very well on the trout. I am usually fishing the creeks for bass. If I am out on the main lake for trout I am usually on the upper end fishing in 12' or less. Other than trout schooled up on the surface I haven't done much in deeper water.

I put in at Cooper Creek around 10AM and found plent of fog on the way down towards Branson. All I could do was idle until I came around the corner and the fog lifted. There were a few boats fishing the island above branson overall though there were not too many folks out. Made a stop at the Bass Pro marina for sunscreen and I was finally ready to fish. First stop was just the other side of the Bass Pro restraunt. Three bites on a 4 1/2" watermelon red sticko resulted in one fish small fish to the boat. I moved down the wall a bit trying different retrieves and picked up one more fish that was just a touch better than the first. I missed several bites and had a few follows. I also had a decent trout try to choke down the sticko. Their mouths are just not set up for a 2/0 offset worm hook though. I ran to Turkey creek and could hardly believe the temp. It was 70 degrees at the mouth. Lots of fish at the mouth but not much farther back. There were a lot of fry present also. I missed several bites and between a pontoon putting in and a kayker paddling through I decided to find some new water. I went back into Roark to the first bridge. This is the farthest I had been back up there and missed a good bite right on the bridge pilling. I was throwing a TX rigged hand pour power worm in bold bluegill color. I kept at it but no love. With the clouds starting to gather I went back to Turkey and stayed there the rest of the day. I caught a few fish on the stick o around the fry as the front started to move in a little. In the off and on rain the bite just got better. I had four or five small guys and knew there was better fish in the area. First I upsized to a bigger stick o and picked up nothing. I went back to my original bait fished wacky and had a couple of follows. Finally I found some power bait heavy weight finess worms. They look like a mini crawler and might be 4" long. They are fairly dense and designed to sink. I should have downsized the hook to a 1/0 and will the next time I fish them. This little bait produced my best fish of the day that went just a 5#. With the rain coming down and the thunder booming I hung it up. It was a decent day. I learned a little, tried some new baits, fished new water, and caught a few. Nothing broke, I didn't get hurt, and I stayed out of jail.

I saw a really good fish further up the lake this year. I wonder if it's the same girl that got pushed down stream with all the rain. When I saw her she came out to investigate a hooked fish and had a couple of solid buddies with her. I had handed the rod off to my daughter with the hooked fish and put a watermelon red sticko in front of her. She never really looked at it and I have to believe if I would have put a white one in her face it would have been game on. Lesson learned I now have a white sticko on line heavy enough to handle it should I hook a pig. I pull that rod out and have it on the front deck ready to throw all the time now. Hopefully I'll get another shot one day. Thanks for keeping a steady flow of lower lake reports. I'll be fishing Turkey and Roark this weekend and maybe the wall in front of the Landing if the water isn't running (yeah right). I haven't spent much time on the lower lake so I may just have to commit to some exploring. I'll be sure to take a camera in case I find a pig.

This is the first year I really noticed gar in Taney. Can you bowfish for them? I'll check the reg book and may have to keep a bow on the deck along with the rods. Nasty critters. The other thing I have noticed is a lack of carp this year. I had found them in Turkey creek, Roark, and around Rock Away in the past but haven't seen them in any numbers this year. I am looking for something to strip line so if anyone cares to share the carp honey holes I would appreciate it.

I like any bite I get! When I am fishing a grub, shakey head, or split shot I like a pressure bite. Just the growing weight and mushy feeling. Fishing jigs, tx rigs, stickos, flukes I like the line to go slack or move off or just a tick. I don't like the hard thumps for the most part because they seem to be smaller fish.

You can buy no fog drops for dive mask and that should do the trick. In a pinch a diver will spit on the lens of the mask and then rinse it. I don't recommend doing this if you have a wad of chew in though.