Don House

Sorry, Jason.. Slow is the Key!!! Don

Hillbilly Deluxe... Did not have any paying clients for the BASS or the FLW.. So I will speak up.. Indian Point area will get Hammered over the Next three weeks one way or the other, really the whole lake will take a beating, going to hit it just about perfect for the spawn, it has already started in some places in and around Indian Point, Kimberling City, even down buy Long Creek/Big Cedar it is really picking up now.. Just get out there and fish, elbow to elbow is what I have to do.. Location, Location, Location... Best bet Pea Gravel anything, pockets, primary points and secondary points in the Bigger creek arms like Jakes Branch, Little and Big Indian anywhere you can find it towards Point 5 towards Kimberling City to the Point 2 in Long Creek.. Water Depth 10 to 30 feet, Sunny Days seems deeper Cloudy Days they roam a lot. Here are a few for the best bite on those small jaws.. 1) Shakey Jigs with smaller craw looking plastics.. Stay with your basics natural colors, Green Pumpkin, Watermelon Cotton Candy, or with Red or even Purple flakes, I'm really doing well with the 4" Zoom Vibera Craw, picked up a few really nice small mouth on it last week in your area.. Make sure you tip the pinchers in spike it chart color.. 2) Split Shot Rigs with Zoom Fish Doctors, in same colors also tip one end with spike it.. 3) Windy days Spinner Baits tandem willows.. Best color for me Cole Slaw by chompers or War Eagle.. All chart and white skirt and blades or just plan old all white with gold blades... 4) Last but not really on right now on windy days is a 4" Zoom Fat Albert Grub same colors, but add smoke with red flake and Salt and Pepper to your list, run these on a 1/4 ounce dart head, swim around pea gravel points and pockets.. Slow is the key for everything, if you think you are going too fast then down twice as much..That should at least get in the right location and with the right baits.. Hope your week in a nice one have a fun time on the Rock!! Good Luck and Good Fishing Capt. Don

Here is something you really don't get to see this time of year, unless you spend a boat load of time on the water... This is two large pods of Spotted bass about 200 yards away from two large spawning flats.. Found these fish staging on the front of a couple of docks.. Hint. Hint... We ended up finding these guys early and at first got our bites on redfins early, then moved over to vertical jigging grubs to get the best bite.. Few were caught on shakey jigs as well.. These guys were in a feeding mode for sure.. Good Fishing Everyone.. Capt. D

Jason, best seemed to be running it into the pole timber, then flat killing it allowing it to flutter down the tree.. Other ways was to jerk the rod every three or four turns of the handle.. A lot of reaction bites.. Corners of the deeper docks just before spawning flats.. Good Fishing Don

Went back out yesterday and really stomped them hard.. Had fish on Redfins, Shakey Jigs, Split Shot rigs and all of our bigger fish all came on the Blade in the wind yesterday afternoon.. It was like someone turned on the light switch... One over 7 plus and it really took off in the afternoon.. Had 7 - 8 fish on the blade in the 3 - 4 pound range.. All of the fish we seen in the morning making beds, then they backed off the banks and went into the pole timber.. Any point with hard wind and trees fish were just stacked on them.. Hope today is half as good.. Will post some pictures when I get a chance.. All fish came in the same areas as my report, just backed off alittle.. Good Fishing Everyone.. Capt. D

Ya we have been seeing those big boys as well.. But look really close in that pack... That is where our really big Large Mouth swam out of... They are ready next moon phase no matter what they will be on the beds.. Thank for the report, helps me from running all over the place.. Good Fishing!! Capt. D

Pretty much the Same as Mr. B report just a different part of the lake from Kimberling City to Jake's Branch by the Dam. My fish have finally started turned on for me in the last week, after the gale force winds, I'm starting to find alot of my fish in the Mill Creek to Big and Little Cow Creek really starting to move around and roam the banks now.. Even found some beds already, but they were empty. Seen one fish Yesterday afternoon that was well into 9 plus range just came swimming by the boat.. Had those bugged eyes, you could tell she was a big one for sure.. Found that my bite in these areas all the way up to the dam area is really turning on in the afternoon.. Even in the bright sun shine days these fish are really moving in... Most of my fish are all the way back in the main lake pockets (In the Middle 10 to 15 feet)and last few creek arms points leading into spawning flats in the back. Start on the first point before you going back into a spawning flat.. Smaller Bucks are right in the 8 - 10 foot range and the bigger girls are laying on the bottom in 25 feet.. Been really fishing hard a 1/4 ounce shakey Jig with a small Zoom Vibercraw in Watermelon Cotton Candy, for some reason they really wanted this one Yesterday in the Bright Sun... Split Shot rigs are working with a fish Doctor in Green Pumpkin as well.. SLOW is the KEY!!! Any docks on or around these areas are holding fish as well, been pitching a small 3/8 jig in green pumpkin and brown with a small chompers craw in matching colors. Watermelon cotton candy seems to be the color of choice.. Once again SLOW is the KEY!! Pick apart the dock fish will tell you where they are... Windy Days still throwing a wart or a blade and some stickbaits. Found some good fish on the Gail force day last week and all small mouths, all caught on a Chompers White and Chart 3/8 spinnerbait, but understand we had 40 Plus winds that day... It was all we could throw... Tried grubs but just no luck as of yet, it's coming!! Starting a long stretch of work this week into next weekend, will report if these guys around the DAM then West will turn on.. Good Fishing Everyone.. Don

You're right it could have got bad really fast.. Really Nice of you Bill, Good Job.. Still makes you shake your head.. Good Fishing Everyone.. Don

You need to go on up past flat creek now, fish are moving up river towards the flats.. Very scattered out now, snag along river channel and then snag the flat side was well.. Luck of the draw or right place right time thing now for about 30 days, then they get all the way up past Galena, you can walk the bank to them from there.. Good Snagging! Don

Nice Mr B.... Glad to hear of your success over the weekend... Had a few wart fish today around the DAM, nothing to really brag about got three to the boat and lost three at the boat.. Back at it in the morning.. Once again Congrads big guy!! Don

Ya those boys can fish!!! Nice sack!!! 5/8 football jigs is what I heard.. Maybe we can hear more Mr. B?

No swimming a grub just after spawn... Don

Here is my girl, caught her two years ago, 4 pounds 11 ounces.. I think If I would have caught her a few weeks earlier she would have went well over 6 plus pounds with eggs.. Release her and watched her swim back down in the tree! Good Fishing Good Fishing Don

Well opening day started off with a bang, was able to do something I have never done in 25 years of snagging, everyone in my boat was able to snag their own Limit of Spoonbill in one day.. Yup, Limited out!!! Think it ended out with Big fish at 76 pounds and the rest 74, 66, 65, 47. 43 just in my boat.. Then we had two other boats in out group as well total for the day was 13 fish, Tracy Frenzel boat had two with one in the low 70's as well.. All of our fish came from Flat Creek arm on the flats in 16 to 18 foot of water. If we got out in anything over that mark we were in dead water. 12 to 14 ounce weights worked the best for me as well.. Switching gears back over to trout for a few days then back at it on Friday... Good Fishing Capt. Don

Room for everyone is very true, and yes it is a hassle for some of us locals, but no big deal.. Just a note, fishing around the DAM area and Up the white river really suck, need to just make sure you spend alot of time in the Aunts Creek Area and up the James.. Don

All you guys have a great time fishing table rock be careful, lake is low, watch out for those points and alot of trees in places you have never seen before.. Will see everyone go by live just up top of the hill from Big Cedar.. Good Fishing Everyone!! Capt. Don

My votes goes to the Dam Area.. Alot of big fish play and live in that area, but the whole lake is getting unreal again for larger fish in the population.. Had one time I was on a bluff wall with the dam in sight, jigging spoons and just playing with my electronics.. Started to reel my spoon up to reset, looked over the side as the spoon was coming up and out of know where this MONSTER spotted bass comes up and just stops right in the front of the spoon, few small twitches and nothing.. I thought it was a Drum at first or something of that size, then it turned and and I saw the black line and it swam away.. Heart just stopped, all I knew I just seen a fish that was a strong state class spot.. Point being they are there!! Good Fishing Don

Love it.. Snagging with a flyrod.. Hey Doty we need to hook up that just sounds like fun!!

Check these out.... Here are some pictures that I took last year with my Humminbird SI units.. Fish everywhere, In these pictures look at all of the white lines everywhere, those are all spoonbills.... Will be out on Monday looking and setting GPS waypoints.. See me stop by will be in a All White G3 boat.. Look for the guy driving in circles.. Hope for even better shots on Monday.. See you out there.. Capt. Don

Hell let's just go snagging!!! See you out there next week..

Past the Marina pretty much chocolate milk and really low.. Marina towards the cut off it was stained and clearer up towards long creek marina..

Long Creek around Cricket Creek 53 to 54 best found..

All of the guys I seen today were fishing deeper docks on the main lake.. Not too much to talk about or they were keeping very quite.. Could see with my Side Imaging they were fishing tree tops in the docks stalls, and one I went by had fish in it and three old guys fishing it pretty hard.. Looks like they were fishing minnows if that helps any... Going up Long Creek in the morning and check all of my brush piles.. Good Fishing!! Don

Going up Long Creek in the Morning, will let you know.. Main Lake around Big Cedar was 47 today.. Don

Thanks Phil... They are very special to the Mrs and I.. Our First Grandbabies.. Don