Don House

DavidB, welcome back up here. Fishing has been alittle strange around the lake. Some areas are producing better than other for sure. Lower Long Creek from Cricket Creek to the Hwy 86 Bridge is pretty muddy, Past the bridge up to the DAM is better, but not clean by any means. Fishing has been off and on for the past few weeks. Some days are a blast on the spinnerbait bite then some days it take a good swimming grub in the clearer water to get anything, and then some days are just hard. Football jigs have been catching a few also, biggest pain now is to find a place to launch your boat most ramps are under water but with a buddy it can be done at alot of places. Water temps are in the mid 50"s and some in the backs of the creeks are in the high 50's. I have heard reports of a few fish moving into the beds with a full moon right now, but I have not seen it myself. Maybe Jimmy D or Bill or some of the other great guides down here can speak up about that. Good Luck Keep looking at the site for reports as to time gets close. Good Fishing Capt. Don

Drove back by my stand buy place in Blue Eye is afternoon gas jumped to from 3.24 to 3.39 a gallon. Ouch! Capt Don

Guy's I had a client this week that was really proud of his new 2007 Z21 Ranger with a Yamaha 250 HPDI series II loaded with all of the goodies cost 61,000. I about choked on my coke.. And here I thought that a little over half of that for my new boat was crazy!! Don

Ok Jackie, I want to know exactly where you caught those fish, GPS information will be fine, don't worry no one will tell anyone else! Also need colors, sizes, speed of retrieve, color of socks you are wearing we want it all! Just had to throw that in with all of the posts on here today.. Anyway today was a little slow for me at first then it started to pickup, had to get in the wind to catch the few I had around Kimberling City on SB, had to look pretty hard but all in all not too bad.. Tons of Boats everywhere, I don't think there was a clean piece of bank anywhere.. Expected that with two big tournament this weekend.. Hope work is well for you two.. Good Fishing Capt. Don

Main Lake 52 - 54 Back in the pockets 53 - to the best of today 56, Much more muddy water in Long Creek past 86 hwy bridge.. Good Fishing Capt. Don

Bill, it is up for me also. I don't mind a little here and there but not this everyday thing, and were did that guy get the ideal that we are paid for this? Man I missed that check, I guess I was too busy trying to figure these fish out myself and eating gas at 3.17 a gallon... I'm very impressed that you even talked to him, I would have dropped the phone. Well hang in there Bill. Good Fishing Don

So Bill were can I launch at? Just kidding, from East of Kimberling City to Dam down to Long Creek only State Park is open good ramp but loaded with guide trucks and really bad on a hard south wind day.. I also heard you can put in a Aunts Creek on the new ramp only, but you need a buddy, not 100% sure but a few rumbles of that. Also seen guys launching at Mill Creek but very limited parking even worst on the weekend, need buddy. Good Wading Everyone Don

Jackie, nice bag of fish. You had a very good day from what I hear from everyone else.. Had the day off myself, kinda nice to just lay around.. Good Fishing be Safe.. Capt. Don

Bill ya it is tuff for sure, I waited for the wind and at about 2:30 then started catching them with grubs total 5 for the day. Your right one stop had 3 the other 2 came from another place, Nothing in between those. All in all still tuff we worked pretty hard for those. Still not too sure about the BFL guys if it gets warm at night like they are talking about could be really good, or atleast I hope for them! Good Fishing Everyone.. Capt. Don

Yes, I have clients and friends fishing in it.. Still on and should be a blast, warm weather and good fishermen bags should be big!! I guess it would take atleast 25 pounds to win and that may be light! These guys will figure it out.. Good Luck and Good Fishing Capt. Don

Tuff right now but things are getting better.. Kimberling Inn and mill creek for those areas, I also heard of a few guys putting in at Joe Bald.. Up by the DAM right now all we have is State Park.. Everything else is blocked off by the Corp.. Good Fishing Capt. Don

Bill, don't feel too bad I was out from 10:00 to 5:00 yesterday and only found 1 fish! And really fished hard more than likely to hard I guess. Struggled bad, then to make things worst I talked to three other guides and they did great? Timmy, Chris T, Eric O all reported great catches with 10 keepers or better... Some on Grubs early and some on blades all day... So I'm not too sure what I did wrong spent all night trying to figure out that part out.. So your 4 fish sounds really good to me! Will go back out today and do it again, only thing good about yesterday for me, I was by myself. Today I have a group in the afternoon it will get better and better as the weather gets warm again!! Good Fishing Capt. Don

Well, atleast they told you to get it replaced and they did! Good Luck and have fun with it, it will open up a whole new world for you. Capt. Don

Well as you can see by me posting on just about every part of this site, I'm bored and the only ramps I think you can get out on will be State Park, Mill Creek and maybe still Indian Point, but not sure on that one.. Also you might try Kimberling Inn but it will be full with Heartland Guys.. I know I have lost a few trips this weekend, so it looks like honey-do's for me.. Go give it a try I might on Sunday.. Good Fishing Capt. DOn

Tucker I would take them up around the Dam area and throw a swimming grub in Milky salt and pepper on a 5/16 to 3/8 dart head. Slow roll is the key.. That is about your best choice if they can't feel a bite on a jig. Good Luck and Have fun.. Capt. Don

I just called the Dam 932.2 so I don't know where those numbers came from?? Someone has put down the wrong information at the corp.. Capt. Don

Well as far as the muddy water it was very muddy for this lake, maybe a 6" or less in visibility. Hint the all white spinnerbaits so it could be seen. Lipless, sure if they are on! I was throwing a Balsa B square bill and they were munching it. Anything that really makes alot of noise or moves alot of water when it moves, helps the fish find it in this dirty water. Good Fishing Capt. Don

Mobass, I will do both but most of the time the fish will hit it on fall. Shallow docks it will hit the bottom deep docks of course fish are hanging right below the flotation and follow it down. As far as the cold front well there goes fishing again.. They will move back out from shallow to deep. It is already going on now, I spoke with a few other guides that fished yesterday and they are reporting that with the rain the bigger fish moved back out and they are catching a few but alot smaller. So it will be a day or so after or by next week sometime I hope they will move back in again. Those fish should be around close by I would think they would back out to the 15 - 25 foot range where before they were up really shallow. I'm going back to a grub or a football jig and move it slow in the deeper water until then!! Good Fishing Everyone Capt. Don

Fishnnut, well that is the magic questions right now on everyones mind! Not too sure but I know the fish are getting ready, all of these fish on Wednesday where just flat full of shad and eggs. I'm not too sure if there are just feeding like mad to get ready or if they have just had a hard time finding the bait and have finally found them and moving up in the dirty water? Even at 920 the fish will get to work and spawn when it is time water is going to warm here if we can stop this rain and the dirtier the better it warms so much faster. Most of the fish will that I have watched spawn alittle bit deeper than most people think anyway and I have seen fish spawn about 5 - 10 feet off the bank, so I would think these guys will do the same but on the old bank line. The Crappie well that is what I'm worried about they like to move up as shallow as they can to spawn, they are the ones that will be hurt really bad. So all we can do is wait and see right now, if we get more rain it's going to go back up again and this will start all over again. Maybe some of the other guys can put in there two cents worth and lets see what everyone else thinks.. Good Fishing Capt. Don

Mobass sorry it has taken so long to get back with you, been kinda busy.. Ok fishing the jig on Table Rock, well best place to start is the dock fishing. I really like to use a smaller 1/8 ounce jig on the docks even better on really sunny days when the fish get pushed into the cover of the docks. Early in the day I start by flipping jigs on the fronts and corners (Cables and Floats) of the dock then move into the dock and start by fishing the front one or two slips on each side then working my way down to the back end of the dock. When I fish these dock stalls I really pick apart each stall by fishing the very back corners right middle and left then move to the middle of the stalls same thing right side , middle then left and move out to the front and repeat same as above. Make sure you slow down and pay attention to the stalls with cables in them just about midway on most bigger docks. Once I have fished that out really good I move to the back of the docks around the walkways and floats on the walkways. I pretty much pick apart the whole dock until I get a bite, once I do then I try to replicate on other docks to find a pattern. Also in the Afternoons with good sunny days don't forget the sides of the dock with shade, bass can and will be holding in that shade waiting for something to go by them. Long Point fishing a jig. The best I found for this is a good Football jig in the 1/2 to 3/4 ounce. This really works well when the fish are holding on the bottom. Place your boat out in the deep water, say 40 feet range make a long cast up to the 10 - 15 foot range and slow drag this bait back to the boat. There are a few ways you can drag this bait, 1) Sweep the rod tip slow and long just like a C-rig feeling everything that the jig comes into contact with. 2) Hopping or slow swimming the jig back to the boat, wait for the bait to hit the bottom then lift your rod tip up to get your jig to lift off the bottom then lower your rod tip down to get it to fall. 3) Crawling the jig back to the boat, a slow way to fish but the best I have found for the football jig, I will cast out and wait for the bait to hit bottom. Once it does then I engage my reel and very very slowly reel it back to the boat. You should feel everything that your jig comes into contact with, such as rocks, brush ect.. Most of the time I have found that the fish will take your bait right after you come into contact with this type of structure like a rock so be ready you will feel it hit the rock and then pop it free and bang they will take it. Give this a try this year it will surprise you how many more fish you can catch if you just slow down and pick things apart. Hope this helped some and gave you a few pointers to help you out. Good Fishing Capt. Don

Hook Em Hard, water temps was from 52 - 54 at the DAM and in the Kimberling City Area 53 - 56 in most places. But the rain cooled it down again from what I hear. Water is rising again 929.? I was told it will crest at 933.0 on Saturday. Fishing also slowed again. But I'm sure the Heartland Boys will figure out the puzzle again and we start all over.. It should be hot again by the time you get down here at the end of the month! Good Fishing Capt. Don

Guy's, wow what a day put in at State Park motored over to the Bell put down the T-Motor and started fishing. Hour went by and nothing, then bang someone turned on the fish! We had two over 2 pound within 5 mins of each other then the big guy hit my grub 5 pounds 2 ounces by the Chat on the Lake. Kept fishing and a few more smallies in the 2 - 3 pound range, having fun at this point. Then a phone call from Mr. Philip Stone telling me to get over to Kimberling City, so off we went and that was the right move, we had 10 fish in over 20 mins all on a White and Chart Spinnerbait, nothing under 3 pounds with a few 4's and 5's pound blacks mixed in the bag. The day was just great, kept catching more fish all very nice and really fat and loaded with shad big time!!! Another Phone call it was Phil again, he ask me if I had my camera and he was on his way to meet us with a 7.4 pound black what a fish, we had just left him and watched him put back a good strong 5 plus.. All in all a day that I will never be able to replace, just could not believe it... Guys they are up and eating very well, time to get out there. Hope this rain coming will not hurt this bite, but I bet it will.. Here are the pictures of today feeding frenzy... Stoney, your pictures are on their way!! Good Fishing Everyone Capt. Don

Went back up yesterday and did the Dam drifting thing from 1 - 7 pm, fishing still very good even in the afternoon after the rains. 3-4 fish per drift until about 5:30 - 6:00 then it really slowed. All of our fish where in the 14- 16 inch range with only two nice browns this time. Moved back down to Monkey Island and tried our luck drifted a few times still caught a few more fish until we ran out of daylight. White Jig was the major producer in both areas. Get to go fish for Bass today then back over to Taneycomo on Friday if we can, If I can get access to the lake. Report later Good Fishing Everyone Capt. Don

Lilley, if you need any help please give me a call, I can be there on Thursday and Friday AM. Anything you need Just ask. Capt. Don

Ionkm, take a look on the upper left hand part of the screen, there are numbers right beside that black line. That line is your water temp. It's on every 997 unit. That is it. Any other questions drop me a post.. I have ran one of these for a few years now. Like it alot! Good Fishing Capt. Don