November 26, 2008 Stockton Lake Fishing Report

[Thompson Fishing Guide Service]

November 26, 2008 Stockton Lake Fishing Report

Lake level 868.93

Normal pool 867

Water temperature 48-49 Ruark Bluff area, 53 at the dam

Walleye fishing has picked up from what it has been. The majority of fish that we have caught have been around 30-35 feet deep, and most have been caught off of main lake points, but some also off of deep brush piles in your bigger coves. Jig and minnow, jig and night crawler, crawler harnesses have worked better than trolling (for us anyway); cover a lot of water and remember this: not all of the fish that you see on your scope will bite, so don’t waste too much time. I’ll fish a school of fish for about 30 minutes trying different techniques. If the vertical jigging doesn’t work, try vertical spoon fishing and use half a minnow as bait. Tap it on the bottom and jerk it up about 3 feet and let it fall back. Sometimes this technique will cause a reaction bite.

Crappie: we have been catching crappie in around 25+ feet of water. Deep brush piles produce more black crappie and rocky structures and ledges will produce more white crappie. Jig and minnows are what I use instead of the weight and hook system because a minnow on a jig gets hung up a lot less. If you don’t have much wind, (quietly) sitting on top of the fish with a vertical presentation is the best. As the water temperatures cool, the fish will slow down, therefore you’ll have to be Johnny on the Spot, or you’ll never detect a bite. I like to be able to bump the top of the brush pile with my jig head; it seems like when you do this, you get more bites than if you let it just hang over the brush. I use Stren Super Braid 20# test, with a 6 ½ foot St Croix spinning rod. With this combination, the sensitivity is extraordinary, and that is what you’ll need.

Largemouth bass fishing has still been good; suspended jerk baits are starting to come into play as we enter the winter pattern (whatever that really means). Slow roll spinner baits, soft plastics and jigs are working well. Fish are being taken shallow and deep and when I mean deep, I mean down to 35 feet. Main lake points are good; fish are also being caught in the backs of coves late in the afternoon around sundown. Like crappie, fish will bite lighter than when the water is hot, therefore you have to pay attention and watch your line.

Blue Marlin: If you are headed to Costa Rica, blue Marlin are ready to go this time of year. You need to book a trip now. When we go, we go out of Tamarindo. Good luck!

Marty Thompson

Thompson Fishing Guide Service

www.fishstockton.com

417-424-BASS

Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish The Finest!

[powerdive]

Good report, Marty, thanks. Just want to add, on the vertical jigging in cold water, crappies have a notorious tendency to "lift" the jig on the take--meaning that all of a sudden, your line will go slack. The fish is swimming upward. That calls for an IMMEDIATE over-the-head hookset, or he'll be gone. No matter how quick you are, you'll still miss quite a few.

Took me a long time to get the hang of this, and I still miss 'em about 1/3 of the time. Part of the fun, though.