Stockton Lake Guide Service

Crappie have been biting good on jigs in 2-5 foot of water in sons creek and turnback. The slower the presentation the better the bite. I haven't tried drowning minnows, but I am sure they would hit them. Had several people say they have been catching some really good fish! If you don't find fish feeding in the shallower water, try throwing jigs off of points near spawning areas. the fish are staging to come into spawn so when you catch one work the area pretty hard to see if their is more there. Walleye have slowed down as of Saturday night. I stayed out with some people until about 10 pm and we didn't do so good. One of them caught a fish. Didn't see near the fish on the graph either. I'm sure there is still fish on the points and along the dam, but the bite has slowed down. Sorry, haven't been back since saturday night so can't tell you if it's gotten better or worse. Bass have been biting good on spinnerbaits and crankbaits in the backs of creeks and coves. These cold fronts have pushed them back and forth but if you hit a good day on the lake and want to catch some good bass give it a try. Water temp at the dam was 50 and 59 up the creeks. Good luck and be careful fishing in all this wind!

I had a couple of guys fishing this evening for walleye down by the dam. they had 8 in the boat in about 2 hours. These fish can be caught, be paitient and throw jerkbaits till your arm falls off. Here is a pick of htem. If anyone else wants to go I am booked for the weekend. Im off thur night and nex monday. Give me a call 417-637-2277

mainly just a steady retrieve, but i do put a few jerks on there from time to tmke. we had 8 tonight in 2 hours. wWhat a nite. It if holds off I will be in the morning. you can throw smithwick rougs and catch all yhou need. give me a call 417-637-2277

If you can handle it you can walk the dam, lots of big rocks. There are some easier places around the dam area that you can walk. I saw people just on the east side of the powerplant last night fishing from shore. If you don't mind walking along the dam you should be able to catch fish tonight, there is a front coming thru but not sure what time it is supposed to be here. I wasn't thinking and had to sub teach today then going to eat some fish tonight. Should have been on the lake!

Water temp: 48-49 around the dam I have a new Mobile website just for the stockton lake fishing report. Go to www.fishstocktonlake.com and take a look. Let me know what you think and even more important let me know if it works. I will try my best to keep it updated and if you want some info posted on it send me an email and I can get it on there. The walleye have been biting pretty good on main lake points around the dam on suspending jerkbaits in 6-12 foot of water. Been catching lots of 4+ lb fish over the past few days. Pick windy points and work them all the way around to the inside. The bite has been slowing for a day as these fronts come thru but the bite is picking back up pretty fast. Had 2 4+ fish last nite and lost two nice fish. They both came on clown colored jerkbaits, as well as one of the missed fish. Crappie: As the water warms up I have had several reports of some really good fish being caught up the creeks. We had 27 big crappie last tues, but after the fronts came thru the became a little harder to find. They will return, so keep throwing jigs and drown some minnows. Bass fishing has been awesome. Lots of fish are being caught on crankbaits in pockets up the rivers. Most of the bass are 6 foot or less in depth and have been very aggressive. Your best bet is to start about mid way back in the coves/pockets and fish to the back. If you don't have any luck move to to the next one. Watch for shad on your graph and work these areas a little harder. Use the wind and keep casting. This is the time of year to catch a lunker! Sorry, no report on catfish right now and haven't been back up the creeks to check out the whites. they are probably about done, but if you know tell the rest of us! April is getting pretty booked up after the 15th, but I still have some openings. If you want to go on a trip or just want to talk fishing, give me a call and I'll do what I can to help you out or even better, I might learn something better for me.

Brian, I was at the dam last nite and we had a couple of fish over 4 lbs. lost 2 other good fish. been catching them fairly reqular, if I were going to fish the dam, I would make it tonight. I think they are getting close to being done. Some others think they haven't really got going. Been catching them up there for the past couple of weeks, lots of big females. as far as depth, most of the fish have been 12 foot or less. seems like they are more shallow if the wind is blowing in. at least more aggressive. feel free to give me a call if you have any questions if you decide to go try them.

Just want to remind everyone that we will be having tournaments every thursday evening from 6 pm till dark (or a little after) They will start April 16, 2009 and run thru August. Points will be awarded (see www.fishstocktonlake.com) for rules. The final tournament will be Oct 9th and it will be an 8 hour tournament on a sat for the big money. Tournaments will be leaving from Ruark Bluff. Had a great turnout last year and looking for the tournaments to grow even bigger this year. The last tournament had 16 boats in it, so get ready for some competition. Boat numbers are assigned 1st come 1st serve so if you want the same number for the year get in touch with me asap. Start getting your partners fired up and if you are looking for someone to fish with let me know and I will try to pair some people up. Remember it's all for fun, but we are fishing for some pretty good money come oct. 9th!! the website is www.fishstocktonlake.com or give me a call at 417-234-8988. You can also post questions here and I will answer them.

Been catching whites up turnback by 160 bridge. Been some pretty good fish. Try throwing a small jig like a triple ripple or a road runner. should keep getting better this week. If your out on saturdays just watch where everyone else is fishing and try to duplicate.

the ramp is open and the crappie are biting pretty good. Try roadrunners and jigs in 20 foot of water over brush piles. Have fun and keep warm.

ok ITS ONLY 5 MONTHS BEFORE STOCKTON LAKES VERY OWN THURSDAY EVENING BASS TOURNAMENTS BEGIN AGAIN. LAST YEAR WE ENDED UP WITH 16 BOATS FISHING AND I HAVE HAD LOTS OF PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT IT FOR THIS YEAR. IF YOU WANT TO SECURE A BOAT POSITION YOU MUST PAY 1/2 OF THE ENTRY FEES UP FRONT, WHICH WILL BE $400.00 FOR THE TEAM (200 EACH) THIS WILL SECURE YOU A BOAT POSITION ALL YEAR AND YOU WILL NEED TO PAY THE FINAL 10 TOURNAMENTS EITHER BEFORE WEEK 10 OR YOU CAN PAY THEM WEEKLY, WHICHEVER YOU WANT. THE MONEY TO SECURE YOUR BOAT POSITION IS DUE BY JAN. 31ST, 2009 AND I WILL HAVE A RANDOM DRAWING FROM EVERYONE THAT HAS PAID ON FEB, 3RD, 2009. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SECURE YOUR BOAT NUMBER THEN YOU ARE ALLOWED TO PAY WEEKLY WITH NO LATE FEES. YOU CAN PAY AT THE RAMP OR WHATEVER WORKS OUT. RULES AND FLYERS CAN BE FOUND ON MY WEBSITE AT WWW.FISHSTOCKTONLAKE.COM HANG THEM UP EVERYWHERE AND LETS MAKE THIS A PROFITABLE YEAR FOR SOMEONE (PROBABLY NOT ME BUT SOMEONE CAN MAKE SOME CASH) REMEMBER WE ARE FISHING FOR A SPOT IN THE END OF THE YEAR CHAMPIONSHIP. THE TOP HALF IN POINTS AND ANYONE THAT FISHED 18 OF 20 TOURNAMENTS WILL QUALIFY TO FISH AN 8 HR TOURNAMENT IN SEPT OR OCT 2009. PRIZES WILL BE DETERMINED BY HOW MANY BOATS WE HAVE IN THE EVENING TOURNAMENTS. FEEL FREE TO CALL ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. 4172348988

I took a guy out for a couple of hours this afternoon to see if the crappie were still biting the way they were yesterday morning. We fished for about an hour and caught 10 big crappie. The bite was about the same. Throw a 1.16oz road runner and bring it back out to the channel drop. You have to let the lure go all the way to the bottom and keep it there as you reel it back in. I tried just slow rolling it back without hitting the bottom and caught nothing. I had 9 crappie and lost 3 (give me a break it was cold) and everyone of them were on the bottom. Water temp is 44-45 All the fish we are catching are in 20 foot or less. This will probably change a little as the water gets colder, but they should remain in about the same area. Good luck to everyone that braves the weather. If your going out by yourself make sure you have a life jacket and someone knows where you will be fishing! If you are interested in a crappie trip it's only $175.00 between now and the end of the year for up to 2 persons. Thats only $87.50 each and we will fish for up to 8 hours or until everyone has their limit. Information is always free so if your out there having trouble give me a call and I will try to help you out.

Water temp 45 Crappie fishing has been excellent over the past week. Most fish are coming off of flats or on main lake brush piles either on jigs or road runners. I have been fishing around mutton creek to ruark area. Most of the fish are between 15-20 foot deep. I have seen some reports of deeper fish but I have not found them. Most of the fish we have caught have been right on the bottom or along the edge of the brush. I was out saturday in the rain and fished from 3-4:30. We had 16 big crappie. This morning I took a guy out and we had 30 crappie and a 3 lb walleye between 8:30 and 11:00. If you are not getting bit for 10 minutes or so try another spot. The fish are schooled up so use your electronics to find the fish. Your best bet is to find a flat or point where the channel swings into this area. Fish the drop off either verticle or you can drop back into the channel and cast up onto the point/flat. If neither of these work try casting from the shallow to the deeper water. If you don't get bit then move onto another spot. If you have a choice, try waiting a day after the fronts come thru (like friday this week) If you can't wait then you should still be able to pick up some crappie but you might want to down size your jigs. I have been using 1/8 oz jigs and 1/16 oz roadrunners. Hope this helps if your having trouble finding fish. Feel free to give me a call if you have any questions!

Sorry I'm slacking. I havn't been fishing around cedar ridge but the mutton creek area is excellent. Had 30 crappie this morning on a trip in about 2 hours. The water temp is 45 and the fish are around 15-20 foot deep. Mostly catching them on road runners. let them go to the bottom and reel them back in slow, keeping them just off the bottom.

It has slowed down a bit, but if you are going to come up to walleye fish hit spots that you see the fish on your graph. work it pretty hard and if you catch a fish then drop a marker. the fish seem to be holding together in certain spots, so we are not catching them "all over" as we have in the last 2 weeks. I went out last night and had 3 in a couple of hours. Tonight during the bass tournament I caught 2 on a crankbait. I will agree, it's not as easy as it was last month, but the fish can be caught. Work humps, points, and flats by dragging an 1/8 oz jig head or roadrunner head tipped with a half a nightcrawler. I have had the best luck on main lake humps and have had some good fish on ruark bluff point in about 18 foot of water. It's an excellent place to start and should hold some good fish, watch out for the blugill. Hope this helps you find more fish. Don't get to bummed out, just keep moving if you don't get bit. All the fish that I have been catching have been between 15-22 foot. I don't think I would waste much time in other water unless you happen to stumble onto something. Good Luck, and keep your hook sharp!. Feel free to give me a call if you want to talk about how the fish are biting.

Great turn out tonight with 16 boats fishing and 8 of those catching fish. Total for the tournament we weighed in 27 fish that went 72.68 lbs. I don't know about the other boats, but we caught over 40 fish with several that were "close" to the 15" limit. Next year we might see some really big bags being weighed in. This was the last thursday evening tournament of the year. 1st place Erin Bussard and Randy Conlon 5 fish 13.95 lbs 2nd place Ken Freeze and Brian Freeze 5 fish 13.59 lbs 3rd place Joe Wagner and Jeremy Lawyer 5 fish 12.81 lbs 4th place Rigin Belisle and Blane Baker 3 fish 8.03 lbs 1st Big Bass Bussard and Conlon 4.83 lbs 2nd Big Bass Mike Dill and Red Harold 4.15lbs Excellent job to everyone that took home our money! Total for the tournament we paid out over $600.00. Not bad for a 3 hour tour. Thanks to everyone that fished this year. We will start it up again next April Keep an eye on this website and my website www.fishstocktonlake.com for the dates, times, and rules. Remember that next year will consist of 20 tournaments. Fish 18 of them and make the fishoff, or finish in the top half of the points and make the fishoff.

If you are fishing next week make sure to bring me your email address, phone number etc so I can get in touch with you.

Just like the U.S. Post Office. Rain, Shine, Sleet, Snow. If it gets dangerous, like lightening etc, then we will have to delay the start, but if at all possible we will fish.

1st Place: Randy Conlon, Morrisville/Erin Bussard, Springfield 5 fish 11.92 lbs 2nd Place: Matt Tucker, Pleasent Hope/Wynston Johnson, Sprfld 4 fish 10.75 lbs 3rd Place: Ken Freeze and Brian Freeze, Dadeville 2 fish 7.29lbs Big Bass Ken Freeze and Brian Freeze------------------------------------- 3.95 lbs Tournament Conditions Water Level 870.71 Water Temperature 79-81 Water Color stained Other Conditions isolated showers Air Temperature 75 Skies cloudy Wind Light from the southeast The fishing was not as good as last week, but 8 out of 9 boats had fish. We had a total of 20 bass caught. The bite was changing with some saying they were catching fish in the willows on flats and others saying they were flipping bluff ends. Next week is the last 2008 tournament so come out and fish. Make sure to check for next years schedule and deadline dates to get an early boat number. Thanks to everyone that has fished so far, it's been lots of fun. See you next week!

Take off is 6 pm from Ruark Bluff Boat Ramp. We will fish until 9 pm. Buddy format. Open, so anyone can fish. Bass were biting really good Tues on stockton, so come out and show us what you got. $40.00 per boat, includes big bass. Give me a call if you have any questions

yes the night bite under a lite has been pretty good. I heard some guys talking about the 215 bridge area for lots of good fish. I have been catching mine up sons creek and around brush where the channel drops off. You should be able to catch some fish so keep on the move if you don't find them

Just got an update on the catfish bite. It is still very good to excellent. Use hotdogs or shad and float/drift in 8-15 foot of water on mud flats. You should load up on the cats. remember the limit is 10 on channel I believe.

Yep, second place. One 10.5 lber would have got me into first.

Yep, fishing with Tony. I even let him catch some of the fish last night. He had one that we both thought jumped off, then the line got wrapped around his rod tip 4x, and the fish was still on but he couldn't reel it in. I had to net it with him screaming like a lil girl about how his reel wouldn't work etc. He is a hoot.

Had another great tournament this evening, not as many boats as last week but lots of good fish. 1st place went to Ken and Brian Freeze of Dadeville, MO. They managed to catch 5 bass that weighed 20.87 lbs. They also took home big bass with a 6.01 lb bass. Awesome job catching some really nice fish. Sorry I forgot the camera. 2nd place went to Bob Bennett, Greenfield, and Tony Peterson, Golden City, with 4 fish that weighed 10.34 lbs. (Just one HUGE bite away from winning it all) We will be fishing next Thursday evening, leaving ruark bluff at 6 pm and fishing until 9 pm. It's an open tournament and you can pay at the ramp. $40.00 per boat, buddy format. Come on out and have some fun. Only 2 tournaments left this year. Again, congrats to the winners on one of the best bags of fish that's been seen in a while. 5 fish 20.87 lbs. Sorry, just wanted to say it again.

Well it's been a long week and lots of fishing getting done. Seems like everyone that are going out on trips are having fun and catching what they want. Took a couple from up north of stockton and they had 5 walleye and went back out again with me the next day then reneted a boat the third day. They have called back and want to go again. So needless to say, the walleye bite is on and it is continuing. As far as depths, I have caught them between 8 and 22 foot deep using a jig and nightcrawler. Don't need to do anything fancy, just get the hook set in them. If you have trouble finding fish please give me a call and I will try to help you as much as I can. I am usually on the lake. There are some places that should hold fish and that is our goal is to get you to learn how and where to catch walleye. Bass are biting good lakewide. 15.58 to win last thurs with a 6.66 big fish. Lots of bits lots of fish. try plastics along steep banks/bluffs and on points crappie- a little slower than other fish but fish are big. I am finding fish in 12-22 foot deep under shad. they seem to be biting minnows and jigs so you can try either. catching cats as you go. Fish wood on channel drops in the sons creek catfish-excellent bite. drift your boat in 8-15 foot on a flat with a crappie hook and split shot and drag a fresh shad or hotdog along the bottom. you should get a limit of cats with no problems I have a coulple of trips over the next week but should be available to give someone some help if you need it. If you are out on the lake and having a bad day give me a call and see if I am around. I will come by and see if I can give you a few tips. Can't hurt anything!! No Charge! just trying to help yuou find fish.