Fizzin' Report

[Chris Tetrick]

June 17, 2008

Lake Level:926.5

Normal Pool:915.0

Water Temp:77-80degrees

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Bass fishing is excellent right now. The mid summer doldrums we usually see this time of Summer hasn't fooled the fish any.

In the lower end-dam area, Kimberling City, the Lower parts of the White, Smallmouth, Kentucky, and a few nicer Largemouth's are biting on 1/2-3/4 ounce football jigs exceptionally. Most bites in the early morning are shallow, 8'-15' deep. Same old favorites, brown/purple, P.B.&J. Look for the long points extending out in to deeper water close by, look at the long gravel points mixed with a bit of bigger rock to be holding some of the nicest fish. Hula grubs are also working wonderfully fished in the same areas. Green pumpkin or a watermelon/candy skirted grub with a football head is almost out-doing the straight skirted football jig. Hard to say though, been catching them about the same ratio. On the good cloudy/rainy days keep fishing these points with the big jig .The fish will remain up there and will be more enticed to snap at your jig. Also you may try swimming a 4'' or 5'' single tail grub smoke and silver on a 1/4 ounce darter head if the shad are active on some of the points. If you see some shad flicking on the top, swim the grub through them. Their assasins will be close by looking for an easy

Once the sun gets to burning high, probably would switch your arsenel over to a drop-shot and start looking deeper to catch fish. What's suprising to me anyways is the deep fish are not all that deep, at least for me seems like. Seeing the most hanging out in that 20'-25' area, either suspended around boat docks and tree tops, or hanging out off some of the longer points. I'm catching some off the deeper docks on a 1/2 white spoon, but the drop-shot is by far working the best. 4" worms in purple lam. or a green with purple flake. To me, been seeing the drop-shot worms has been out catching a real night crawler over the past weeks. Hope they keep it up!

The drop shot and carolina rig bite has been very good up the James River as well, look for fish to be holding in the same locations as the main lake in the lower parts of the James. Further up around the point 12 to Flat Creek areas there's been a great bite on the carolina rigged baby brush hogs in watermelon/candy or red. there has been a good crainkbait bite early mornings & late afternoons, and on overcast days using white with a chartreuse back. DD-22's and fat free shad's are working these fish over good, only on the flats loaded with baitfish.

Good fishin' everyone and see you on the water.

[Fishin' Freak]

Great report Chris. Thanks!

[Fishrman]

Chris

You say there is a dock bite on the drop shot. Here is a couple of easy questions. What do you consider to be a good dock, at least what depth would it sit in? And, how do you work the dock, only the ends or do you work a portion of the sides? Thanks in advance.

Fish

[Chris Tetrick]

Fishrman,

Im probably no expert on the dock's bite. Seems like a good dock though needs at least 70' of water at the ends of them to hold suspended fish hanging around them. I've found there may in some ares, marinas esp. 10 to 20 docks sitting there and there's one, maybe 2 that hold fish. Each one's have some hanging around them, but ther's just something about a ceratin dock that can hold fish. Some of the older docks in areas with bunches of them seems to be better, then see some better, newer ones. Lots of a better boat dock I think has to do with a lot to do with the kind of structure beneath them. Like rock or timber. Cables too. Fish love cables running in a criss-cross where you see a dock's winches sitting off the ends.

I spent a lot of years with an under water camera looking at which dock's hold fish inside them. Got to noticing seasoanl patterns of which ones is the good, the bad, and the plain just down right down ugly ones, the ugly ones never have any fish. You wouldn't believe the amount of fish that are buried deep indide a walkway, buried up where they are very protected.