straw hat

Been seeing a lot of whites hit the schools of shad around CC the last two weeks. There has been a big increase in the number of people hitting that area for them also.

I worked with lead toxicity for many years so just for your info; All metals exist in three states; pure metal (such as a lead split shot), reduced (such as lead sulphate) and oxidixed (such as lead oxide). The oxidixed and reduced forms are based on the number of electrons attached to the lead atom. The metallic form of most metals dissolve slowly in the stomach and usually require long-term exposure to be a significant threat. This normally is very unusualy. The reduced form is the most serious threat. It is much more readily absorbed in the digestive tract and can reach toxic levels in relatively short time. It can even be absorbed through the skin in significant amounts. Luckily this form of lead is typically insoluble in water and is not often used in commerce. The oxidized form is slightly toxic through digestion. Its use is typically in the electronics industry. There is one exception to this toxicity info. Children are very susceptible to lead poisining in nearly all forms. The primary threat to wildlife is the consumption of lead shot by ducks which can consume large quantities in a short time. I have never seen any reports of signicant risk to fish. It has been a few years since I have worked this issue so when I get a chance I will review the recent research to see if there are any new studies out there. If I find something I will post it. The ban on lead in the fishing industry is not a new one. I remember at least twice before when this legilation was attempted. Both times it was defeated by republicans who were in control then. Now with a democratic administration it may be different. In order to successfully defeat this legilation we not only need to elect officals who are sympathetic to our position but we also must write our congressmen. They will listen but any communication MUST contain the HB # (House Bill #) of the legislation. Tin is the standard alternative to lead however tin is not near as dense as lead so in order to get the same amount of weight it is necessary to use a much larger piece of tin. The only compound that is even close to lead in density is gold. I don't think I need to explain why it is not used.

The National Weather Service has started up a new website for storm history. This new map allows a person to now focus in tighter to a specific area of a state. I was able to close in tight enough to only have Stockton Lake on the map. I know that for most of us who fish the lake it is very beneficial to know how much rain has fallen just before a trip so we can make the best decision on how and where to fish. I hope this information helps. http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ridge2/RFC_Precip/

I understand about not getting bites! If we weren't on a windy bank you could forget it. We caught about 8 small bass in with our crappie. Most were about 10' deep and just bloated with shad. I saw a low ot bass (whites or blacks, I don't know which) blowing up on the schools of shad. Some of the small coves had been "blown" just full with those young shad and the bass were going crazy in there. It sure is nice to see the weather break and the fish activity to begin to get better.

Once again Thunerin' Gobbler has it right. I have seen a lot of rigs like that at both areas. Great fishing to you and look forward to reading how you do on your fishing trips.

Fantastic!!! When can you return to fishing?

I was a couple miles down river. There is only one place that I know of to buy minnows on your way there. That is the new place in Willard. It is on the west side of town, just off to the right. However, he seems to have trouble counting the number of minnows he gives you. To me it is worth it to go on into Greenfield and pick them up at the Trading Post and then go back to CC to fish. It is only a few miles out of the way and the minnows are better quality and quantity. Good luck on your trip.

Put in at CC at 9 AM and finished at 6 PM. Very windy most of the day including a few white caps. We picked up about 50 crappie and came home with 9 keepers, 2 whites and 1 flathead. The flathead weighted 12 lbs. He sure was fun. My crappie rod didn't like him much, it wound up popping in half just as my wife netted him. Like usual she is always bailing me out. LOL Most of the crappie were caught 7 to 15 ft deep on windy pea gravel points. We also talked to two boats that said they had caught several whites. It sure seems like you could walk across the backs of the shad anywhere you went in the area.

Thanks for the info. I go that way often in the fall. Do you know if they are going to shut it down?

Sorry to hear about your mother-in-laws cancer. My brother has been fighting melanoma for over two years but unluckily he is losing the battle. I pray that things go better for you all. My prayers will be with your family. If anyone feels that suntan lotion is a waste of time they should talk to my brother. Most people don't think of fishing as a dangerous sport but as we have all talked about before; we need to watch out for high winds, other boats, sunburns, heat exhaustion, dehydration.... That one of the reasons this website is so important. Bob, you in particular have always help keep people reminded that safety is first. Thanks for helping us stay on our toes.

Probably not til Saturday but thanks for asking. I hope ypou do well.

I picked up a new water thermometer a couple of weeks ago. My readings have been running around 89F in the CC area and yesterday it read 88F at Hawker point. However the official Corp website says that the surface water temp is 80F. I was wondering if any of you had recently taken water temps in either of these areas lately. I sure would like to know if my meter is reading correctly. I would appreciate any help.

TG, I have been fishing the CC area a lot this summer. The dissolved oxygen there has been pretty low so try sticking to the windy shores. Find any cover (brush or chunk rocks) along steep banks. The crappie should be anywhere from 10 to 15 ft deep. If you don't get a bite in 15 minutes move. Only one out of 5 or six spots will have fish but they will usually be stacked up once you find them.

It is scheduled to be completed on Sept. 1st. Incase you need to know about other closures in the future the website is; http://maps.modot.mo.gov/TIM/ Just put your cursor on the red flag representig the place you are interested in and the information will appear on the right side of the screen. Lots of luck on the lake guys.

I know that a lot more people are going to start heading to the lake now that the weather has gotten better. So, I thought I would let everyone know that route U out of Walnut Grove has closed until approximately Oct. 14th for bridge work. Route U is the one going west out of Walnut Grove and leads eventually to Greenfield or the Maze Creek area with the right turns along the way.

I just couldn't resist going fishing today. The first really nice day after this long hot summer. I fished a chunk rock bank about a mile from Hawker Point. I managed to pick up only 2 keeper crappie at 18 to 20' deep in 4 hours of fishing. I really didn't care that the fishing was slow, it was just one of those beutiful days on the lake that makes you happy to be alive.

This conversation reminds be of a few trips I made to some of three of the lakes around Sacramento during the early 80's. At that time - $15 to launch a boat, $5 to park and $3.85/doz for minnows. Boat traffic? WOW!!! The state required those lakes to be stripped clean of ALL cover before being filled. Fished are grown to a specific size (6" for crappie, 10" for bass) by private hatcheries and then stocked. Length limits were established the same as the stocking size. The stocking schedule is posted in advance in the newspaper. On the day of stocking the rush is on!! A few of $1 was charged for each fish kept. My brother-in-law (he lived there at the time) tried to talk me into finding a job in that area and moving there. FORGET THAT. I said if he ever fished any of the ozark lakes he would never return to Califonia! P.S. I noticed that the temps are going to be down in the low eighties for a few days at the end of the week with lows in the 50's. That is sure going to feel a lot better.

I am sorry that you feel that way Gilly. I would like to add one comment the discussion. Sail boats, kayaks and canoes have the right of way at all times on navigatable water ways. All powered boats have to adjust to there presence, they do not have to respect of course or speed. Don't misunderstand. I am not saying that is right but it is the law.

I have been fishing Stockton for around 20 years. There has always been pleasure boaters (pwc, water skiers...) in the upper half of the lake. The population of these pleasure boaters has been a slow but steady increase over the years. Probably to be expected with the increases in population with time. On the otherhand I don't rememeber ever seeing a party cove on the lake until about 4 years ago. Now I have seen at least one "party" group every weekend. I was especially suprised to see a group near CC. This time of the year the water is very warm and usually very green with an algae bloom in process. The water even gets a little foul smelling during excessively hot weather like this. Not what I would want to be swimming in! Plus, the heavy trees in the area where they were could certainly make the use of a pwc and water sking a challenge. Just my gut feeling, and I could easily be wrong, but I would say that the pleasure boaters have at least doubled in the last 5 years. I have heard that a lot of these people have changed from Lake of the Ozarks to Stockton looking for a fresh place to hang out. I also have to admit that I have been suprised at how considerate most have been (the exception is the pwcs). I don't think there is anything more relaxing then a nice day on a quiet lake. Those types of days are getting fewer and fewer though.

Good to see your posting Amish Bill. Look forward to seeing more of them. Sounds like you had a good day. Leaving around 10 AM was probably a wise idea. I stayed out til 6 PM today and it just got warmer and warmer and more and more people.

Put in at CC at 8:30 AM. Saw my first pair of Blue Wing Teal for the fall. Seams a little early but I guess they didn't know that. The fishing was real slow. We fished around 12 brush piles and only caught fish on two. Both were on windy points in 10 to 15 feet. Out of around 30 crappie we came home with 7 keepers and one 3.5 lb channel. The bite was very very light. Water temp ran as high as 89 F. The water also semed to be a little greener and more stagnant looking than last weekend. There was a little party boat group around Springfield landing. I would say 5 or 6 boats tied together and about the same number of PWC. Don't usually see that kind of gathering near CC. As Bob said before, the lake is just going to get busier and busier with time.

Don't feel bad Fireflies. I have fished that same area many times with very little success for crappie. I have caught a few keeper bass and walleye though.

Found a place in the shade to bank fish for 4 hours. We caught about 15 crappie (1 keeper), one channel, and 1 flathead. The fish came from 3 to 8' deep on a windy steep chunk rock bank. By 2 pm it had just gotten too hot. It is suppose to drop down to the uuper 80's and low 90's next week. Right now that sounds like a cold wave.

You can launch a 14' jon boat there with no problem but I wouldn't recommend it. If they are running water the level rises to 8' above normal flow and the water becomes very dangerous. Most of the banks are steep and the water flow is very turbulent. I have seem a few boats come up from down stream and they have trouble handling the strong current. I suggest you look it over carefully before you make a decision.

Bob you sure hit a nerve with me. I will try and refrain from a long oration. I have had to deal with those idiots just a few times. Enough said. As far as the Inuits, being a native indian tribe they are exempt from the federally required limits on the fish they can consume. This causes the build-up in their blood which has been successfully treated with chelation therapy. It also ignores the fact that most of the contaminated Inuits are from the older generation and that due to the EPA most of the fish are now low on contaminates and the younger Inuits are fine. What JERKS!!! Not too many things anger me but these idiots do. Sorry about the ranting Bob.