July 23, 2008 Stockton Lake Fishing Report

[Thompson Fishing Guide Service]

July 23, 2008 Stockton Lake Fishing Report

Lake level: 876.92

Normal pool: 867

Water temperature: 84-85

Guide’s note: I have received information in the last week of several altercations or near altercations between fishermen and ski boats, and particularly jet skis. I have witnessed several incidents by jet skiers and ski boats that were not only rude and inconsiderate, but illegal and dangerous. Fishermen need to be aware of the boating laws in Missouri (I have copied a few relevant ones below from the water patrol handbook), and you need to have the number of the water patrol programmed in your phone: 573-751-3333 is their central dispatch number. Not to state the obvious, but you need to know where you are on the lake when you call.

A proper speed or distance must be maintained while operating a motorboat or PWC or while towing a person on water skis or any similar device. Specifically, it is illegal to:

• Operate a motorboat or PWC at speeds that may cause danger, injury, damage, or unnecessary inconvenience. Be aware of and obey all regulatory markers, including those marked as "idle speed" or "no wake."

• Operate a motorboat or PWC at speeds greater than "idle speed" or "slow, no wake speed" within 100 feet of:

o A dock or pier

o An occupied, anchored vessel

o A buoyed restricted area

• PWCs must be operated in a careful and responsible manner. Specifically, it is illegal for PWC operators to:

o Weave the PWC through congested waterway traffic.

o Jump the wake of another motorboat when visibility is obstructed.

o Become airborne while crossing the wake of another motorboat and within 100 feet of that motorboat.

o Operate at greater than "slow, no wake" speed within 50 feet of any other vessel, PWC, or person in the water.

o Operate in a manner that requires swerving at the last possible moment to avoid collision.

There was an individual fishing from the shore in the cove north of Orleans Trail last Sunday. A jet skier raced all the way across the cove at a high rate of speed, came within 5 feet of the shore, did a sharp u turn and sprayed the fisherman from head to toe with water. At the time, there were also 3 swimmers in the water. Water patrol was contacted, witnesses gathered, and a citation was issued. Another incident happened to me last week. I was fishing with 3 clients, one of whom was paralyzed from a car accident, we were anchored about 100 feet off shore and two jet skis repeatedly went between my boat and the shore at a high rate of speed. You need to get the registration numbers of the jet skiers or boat offenders, and call the water patrol immediately. If more calls come in, the state will be more prone to patrol Stockton. Don’t tolerate someone jeopardizing your life.

Walleye are being caught off main lake points in approximately 25 feet of water either by trolling deep diving crank baits or bouncing the bottom with a bottom bouncing rig and night crawler or vertical fishing a jig and night crawler. I have been finding success by anchoring off of main lake points in areas where I find a good concentration of fish and vertical fishing a jig and piece of night crawler. If one spot on the point is not productive, move a few yards, re-anchor, and repeat. You can experiment with jig colors, but color doesn’t really seem to be a factor. When you have thoroughly fished this area, whether you catch fish or not, troll back through the same area with a deep diving crank bait, like a Bandit or Wiggle Wart. Again, experiment with color. I am beginning to book a lot of night trips, which seems to be your best bet when you have 90+ degree heat.

Crappie: your best bet for crappie is to slow drift main lake points or secondary points that have cover that is about 25 feet deep. Because of the vast amount of cover in the lake (due to the high water) the fish will be scattered out, because they all have their own little bush now. You’ll catch two or three fish in one place, and then you need to move on after about 20 minutes. Jigs and minnows seem to work best, and a minnow on a jig is less likely to get hung in the brush than a minnow on a regular crappie hook. Early evening into dark is a good time to go and fish under a crappie light.

Largemouth bass fishing has been really good throughout the lake and in different environments. Several days ago I caught a 5 pound bass flipping a plastic worm in the back of a cove. He was in a brush pile on a road bed next to a stop sign, if you can believe that. Fish are being caught off main lake points, and off bluffs on the main part of the lake. The fish will position themselves in or near the brush, depending on water clarity and the position of the sun. I’ll repeat myself…I think plastic worms are the way to go, for a number of reasons, but the main one is you get a lot less hang-ups probing inside the bushes than you do with crank baits, spinner baits or jigs. However, those lures will catch fish also. Find your niche and pursue that, because you’ll be better at doing what you like. Top water bite is still hit or miss and my theory for that is that with a tremendous amount of bait, the fish are never what you really call hungry, therefore they will not expend a whole lot of energy chasing something.

Marty Thompson

Thompson Fishing Guide Service

www.fishstockton.com

417-424-BASS