Springfield Lake

[brianbarker]

Went to Springfield Lake the last 2 evenings and have caught a limit of catfish both times, all pan size but some up to 2 pounds. All on nightcrawlers and chicken liver. Most have been right at the outlets but got into the smallers ones and caught about 20 too small to keep on the very end of the point casting towerds the dam. Caught a handfull of carp, some around the 10 pound range. My girlfriend hooked and faught one for well over 5 minutes that cleared the whole outlet area and got under the barrier and broke off, must have been a really nice one. All of the carp were on wheaties and strawberry soda mixed together into a paste. Caught one walleye about 10 inches on nightcrawlers and one really big redhorse. 9 bass this evening on 7 1/2 worms, motor oil, but all were under 15 inches. Stopped below the dam for about 5 minutes to watch the snaggers and watched them hook and land one about 20 pounds, and had one on the stringer around 30 pounds. Anyways, thats about it.... btw, hows Fellows? Anyone been lately?

[MOBass]

I stopped by to check out the snaggin' action and saw a big fish caught be someone wading about 30 yards from the center of the dam. One smaller fish came from someone casting to the side with the stairs. I made another pass in the evening and saw a couple more fish landed. Looks like fun.

[Whodat]

What our they snagging down there?Spoonbills?

[duckydoty]

They are snagging spoonbills. Mostly males in the 25-35 pound range.

duckydoty

[Seth]

Will the females eventually make it up that far as long as the water stays high? I've never snagged past McCords Bend before but my buddy went below the dam and seen them catching spoonbill so he tried it. He caught a 30 pounder while wading and it about drug him under because he didn't loosen his drag LOL.

I'm going to come down there and give that a try.

[Whodat]

I am going to go watch them this afternoon to check it out since I live here in Springfield.I have even caught whites in the past below the dam.

[brianbarker]

Whites below the dam? Was it later in the year? I always wondered if a few males would make it up this far if the water was high but I would think it would take them a while to make it up. Did you reaslly get into them or just a few here few there? I wouldnt mess with getting wet to catch 3 or 4. I have went down there and caught as many as 5 walleye in one night, we were crappie fishing and I caught 3 on minnows and 2 on white/yellow jigs. I think a guy is likely to catch about anything below there.

[MOBass]

I stopped by on Tuesday and the water was up a lot from last week. With the rain it will probalby keep going and be close to the parking lot below the darn again. I'll make another pass Sunday afternoon and probably give the snagging thing a try.

[brianbarker]

Good luck! Never been but it looks like a blast.

[vonreed]

Hey Brian, I've caught about half a dozen or so white bass about 6 inches long up around the 160 bridge on the James. So some do make it up there to spawn sometimes. It sure seems strange though. Now walleye is more of a surprise to me than the whites. I never would of figured 5 in a year being caught at the dam, let alone all in 1 night. I'd a been ecstatic about that.