Stockton Lake Guide Service

what does this have to do with fishing Stockton Lake? Don't want this forum to get to out of control, so we need to at least try to keep it on track. Like maybe if this guy pitched for Greenfield, Neola, Arcola, Stockton, or Dadeville. Also, for people trying to contact others, there are ways to send personal messages to each other so we keep the board on the topics of fishing, the lake, and stuff like that. Thanks and keep catching those crappie!!

Water temp 60 up the creeks mid 50's on main lake Color is normal to stained up the creeks Walleye- I ate one for dinner last night. It bit on a crappie jig in 3 foot of water. So there you have it, the walleye are on!! Crappie are good in shallow water if you want to catch lots of them. To catch the bigger fish, you need to fish a little deeper. Jigs and minnows are your best bet. The big fish will either be in the channel, or on a point waiting to come into spawn. In the evenings these fish will move a little shallower to feed. You can fish under a strike indicator with a jig and bring it back slowly. On the main lake, fish 15 foot deep with jigs and minnows along the spawning banks and in the standing timber. Lots of good fish are being caught and this will get a little better over the next week or so. Weather looks good for 10 days out, so it might be an awesome chance to catch some big fish. Bass are in the brush up the creeks. Lots of smaller fish are being caught, with an occasional keeper. On the main lake wiggle warts have been catching some fish along the brush and off of points. If you don't catch some bass quick, you probably are in the wrong spot. Move around and find some fish for the kids to catch. Pockets, points and small coves are the best bet to catch some quick fish. Remember that the fish are getting ready to spawn, so fish in areas that they spawn, peagravel and coves, cuts, etc. If you don't get them shallow, move back off the bank a little, they are not going to far and great chance to catch a big fish. Catfish are biting on something, but haven't been out for them for a while. Sorry. I'm pretty booked for the rest of April, but I do have another guy that is taking some trips, so if you want to have some fun catching (or at least trying) to catch some fish, give me a call and we can see if we still have some room. Remember, "Never be ashamed to wear a lifevest" See you on the lake!

I noticed that. I didn't notice it till after i uploaded the picture. Think he will hurt me later????

Its that time of year again!! The first thursday evening Bass tournament will be held at ruark bluff, 6:00 pm take-off, weigh in time tba at ramp (approx 9 depending on sunset each week0. This is a buddy bass tournament, 40.00 entry fee. 10 goes to big bass and approx. 23 is paid back each night to 1 in 7 boats. The other 7 goes to the fish off at the end of the year. Last year I think (if I remember right) paid out over 1500 at the final tournament. I would remember better if I would have won some of it, but I didn't. You can fish 2 tournaments (not including the championship tournament) by yourself. To make the fish off you must finish in the top 60% of the avg nightly attendance OR fish 15 of the 20 tournaments. Email me with any questions or be at the ramp and ready to take off at 6:00 pm. If you are having a problem etc and need to contact me, service really stinks at the ramp so your best bet is a text message and I will try my best to help you out ie: going to be a couple minutes late because you got tied up in bona rush hour traffic. Last year we avg around 15 boats per week so were looking for a good turnout and lots of friendly competition. AND BY THE WAY, THATS MY PARTNER IN THIS PIC, SO GOOD LUCK!!! Thanks and see you at the ramp!!

This time of year I like going up the creeks and fishing, as long as the weather has been fairly stable. Good camping at ruark bluff and cedar ridge, which puts you on different parts of the lake. If you are wanting to crappie fish, the water has warmed lots up the creeks and the crappie are feeding and staging for the spawn. Your best bets are to fish points and channel drops in 12-15 ft of water. i personally like to use a 1/16 oz pony head with a 2" grub in the spring or just throw a road runner. If the crappie get pushed back due to the weather, then concentrate on the deeper pockets in the same area. I have heard of lots of whites being caught up the creeks, and I have been catching some while crappie fishing. It's a great time to be catching them in some shallow water, but that won't last much longer with the warmer weather finally arriving. The blue cats will bite because that is what they do. They just lay there and get hungry and then go eat something. What they eat and where they eat is an awesome question that maybe someday I will venture out and try to figure out. But the walleye and crappie taste so good, and the bass are so much fun to catch, that I just never take the time to fish for catfish in the early spring. Sorry, but I just cant help you with the cats this time of year. Hope this helps you some and have fun if you come down. It can be a windy lake so be safe!!

The lake are still about 4 foot high but the water has really started to warm. The water up the creeks is about 60 degrees and the water around the dam is about 50. The walleye is biting awesome, if you can get one to bite. Everyone that I talked to that caught one said they really hammered it. I don't know what that feels like because they won't bite me. If anyone would like to add to this report to help us all out, that would be great. I don't think I have heard of anyone that has got over 2 in one day, and that was on accident I think. Crappie are really biting though. Fish channel drops in 12-15 foot of water with jigs and minnows. If you find them you will catch them (that sounds deep) There are also a few fish on main lake brush, but the better bite are on the staging fish. mouth of small cuts, points, and channel drops are the places you need to focus. Bass are in the brush up the creeks and are hitting spinnerbaits and jigs. Sorry it's a short report, going to the lake. Good luck and I will do a longer detailed report later. Remember to put your life jackets on.

The reason this isn't being reported heavily is simply there is no new news. Due to the cold water, the bodies will not surface. They could be in water over 60 foot deep and that makes it harder to get divers etc down to them even if they are found. The area that is being searched is huge and it is harder to image the bottom and get a clear picture when the boat is rocking back and forth. I don't want to make anyone mad, but we don't need to start any conspiracy theories. We have all made some really bad decisions that we were lucky enough to make it thru. It's a lot easier to look back and see those bad decisions but it's a little tougher to look into the future and believe what those decisions might bring. I'm sure that if this dad had the opportunity to make a different decision today and change the outcome, he would do it just like any of us would do it. We need to remember the family and the reason this happened and not be afraid of saying something if we see someone putting a boat onto this lake that isn't safe due to the weather. As boaters we probably have a better understanding of the dangers that might be present. Someone with less experience might not understand how dangerous a 20+ mph wind can be on stockton. The week after this happened another boat capsized on Stockton, however they were lucky enough to make it to shore and were rescued. Please try to keep in mind that a dad and an 8 year old kid lost their lives in this incident, and their wife and mother is still waiting for word at home so they can have some type of closure. There is also some talk of making a memorial playground over at cedar ridge to remember both of them and remind people of the dangers of going out w/o a pfd etc. I will try to post something when and if that happens.

and just for a quick update, as of 1230 am today, they had not been located. Keep praying that both the dad and the son are able to be recovered so their wife/mom can get some peace. I can't even imagine what this would be like.

I would like to say thanks to Mike Webb and the humminbird rep, troy, for taking the time to drive up here and help us all search for this kid and his dad. It was a very long day for all of us, but to take the time to drive 2 hours to help someone you don't know takes alot of character. Both of these guys came up here on their own and spent the better part of the day searching. Thanks for the help guys, it's great to know that we have friends like you just south of us.

you will like the 900 better than the 800. I just mounted the 1197 on mine and it is awesome. We need to get together with all of us and have a traingin class

Thanks!! I feel almost infamous. Don't that mean like more than famous?

Before we talk opinions over fishing, we all must love and honor each other whether you agree or disagree. You also have to give people some leeway cause you can't see their heart and they may be misstating their opinion or not being completely clear. Go the extra mile and make sure by asking a question if the statement isn't clear instead of jumping and regretting later. God is misused by so many, especially by the people who say they know Him. God is love. It's such a simple concept but so hard to grasp. Bob- drop the gold fish and put a real fish back in you avatar!

I think the reason we are getting hung up on leaving it as is is due to the fact that we all get to fish the most awesome lake in the midwest. Everytime you fish this lake there is a chance of boating a 7+ lb fish. The numbers of fish are awesome and the size is even better. I'm happy with the way the lake is and if I decide that I want to catch some of these fl or tx bass then I will pull my boat down there for a weekend. The spots are not a problem for me at all. I love catching a 3-4 lb spot on a chug bug, or pulling up to the pillars on a summer day and boating some spots off of every one of the bridge pillars. That doesn't happen in Florida. True you might find a 20 lb bass, but another 100 boats caught nothing. Chances are you won't catch the biggest fish and the fishing pressure is ridiculous.

well my trip changed due to the wind and chance of storms, so since I don't have any sense at all, I fished the heartland team today. There was a slight 25 mph breeze and a few waves (between the 5 foot swells). The fish were mostly caught out of the colored water up the creeks. It took a little over 18 lbs to win and rumor has it they were all caught on spinnerbaits up the creek (as for which one I don't know) I missed more bites than I hooked, and lost a keeper at the boat. My partner boated a nice 3.6 lb lm. All of our fish bite was on plastics in 8-15 foot of water, but the wind made it tuff to know the bite was there until it was almost over. I probably should have stayed home and got stuff ready for next weeks trips. I have a crappie/walleye trip tomorrow after Church so I will try to post some report on how we do. Supposed to be VERY windy again tomorrow, so remember "never be ashamed to wear a lifevest"

Thats what I said, but yours sounded better.

maybe I am reading something wrong here, but you say that the hybrid females are more successful at reproducing, they can't reproduce because, the two different species have two different numbers of chromosomes. Species can reproduce within their own species, because each individual within the species has the same number of chromosomes. The hybrids can't reproduce because the sex cells would never be fertilized, as their chromosomes would be wrong. The hybrids would never occur in nature, and they were created by man, I don't know how they accomplished this, but, anyway, thats why the hybrids can't reproduce. I hope this makes sense and I didn't misread your post, but if the fish is a hybrid, then from what I have learned and read, they won't reproduce.

Lake level 2.57 high muddy up the creeks, normal on main lake 43 at the dam, 48 up the creeks Walleye are slow and I wish I could tell you why. I fished till dark tonight and we had one bite. That will change anytime now, probably right after we left tonight. Would love to tell you something else, but keep throwing them jerkbaits and they are going to start biting anyday now. If someone has been on them let us know!! Bass are fair on jerkbaits on points and tubes and jigs on secondary points. It's a really slow bite, so take your time. Crappie were pretty slow today, the bite I was on up the creeks is done for now. the water is very muddy and rising fast. Luckily we have more rain tomorrow (sarcasm) Best bet is to find shad on the main lake and fish them or fish main lake brush piles. Sorry a short report but things went south over the last week. Fishing was excellent and now I would say it is still excellent only because I'm on the lake and fishing. Things could change anyday, this next week looks great for some warmer weather after monday. That should get some things back to normal. I will post an update as soon as things change a little and if anyone has had better luck, let us know so we can change something up.

It's all good, I'm going to post a new fishing report to hopefully end this one. Wow all cause I let some people keep some walleye

As for the bass in stockton, I think it has become one of the (if not the best) bass lake in the state. It often takes over a 20lb bag to win a tournament, and sometimes over 25 lbs. That is a 5lb avg. The state record in missouri has stood since 1967, and I personally like the idea that not everyone can go out and catch one bigger than that. If we start changing all the ways we do things, then it's nothing more than hunting big deer on a texas ranch, and I don't really want so much tourist that the lake becomes crowded. I would love to have that fish land in my boat one day, but not if we had to shoot it up with steroids to get it there. As far as putting in a slot limit for bass and walleye I'm for it. I don't keep bass, even on guide trips usually, but some people love to eat them and either putting in a slot limit or only having one over a certain length might help, but I would have to leave the answer to that one to one of those biologist people. I personally feel that mdc has done an excellent job with the fish in stockton. I love the 10" limit on crappie and the only changes (if it was proven to help the fish size/pop) would be a slot limit or limit on the size etc. I'm sure that there are things that can be improved, but I got to leave that one to the experts, and make sure I know what they decided before I hit the lake.

Since my picture started this mess, I have changed it to a cute little goldfish. This fish, as far as I know, is still alive and goes uninjured. Someday it will be catfish bait.

Come on, that's funny. You got to admit that if none of them had a sense of humor we would all be complaining about that also.

call me 4172089535

size of the jig head really depends on the wind etc. I like to use smaller jig heads 1/8 oz or 1/4 oz. something with chartruese/red/or someithing bright works best.