Bagnell Dam Tailwaters

[Fisherfriend]

Hello All,

My last post described the tailwaters as low as I haver ever seen it. That was on May 2. On May 10th it was as about as high as I have ever seen it with 12 of 13 floodgates open and water cascading over the spillways. I got there about 7:00 and the morning was cool enough that there was quite a bit of fog rolling off of the spillway. It made everything look eerie and beautiful. There were very few boats out all day, not sure if they thought the water was too high or if they were all treating their mother to a Mother's Day brunch.

I wasn't quite sure how to approach the high water from a fishing standpoint. All my usual favorite places were barely recognizable. There were some wicked currents around the cove making it a little problematic. Using a leadhead jig with a small white twistertail, I caught a few small-ish crappie hiding right up on the bank in submerged brush. I caught a nice smallmouth on a chartreuse crappie thunder (the very same thing I caught a very nice smallmouth on two weeks ago...hmmm, makes you wonder). The best luck I had was fishing near the 75 yard line just about lined up with the end of the first spillway on the south side. I anchored in what seemed like the calmest spot between the heavy downstream current and the clockwise swirl around the cove. It took a while but I eventually caught 5 or 6 hybrid bass in the 3 lb range. They were pretty much all in the seam between the currents. I caught one with a buck tail slab spoon but all the rest were on a 3/8 oz white roadrunner with a 4" white curly tail grub. The current was hard to figure out. If I let the lure drop a little, it would start moving in a totally different direction than the surface current and then change directions again when it dropped a little deeper.

I'm still looking to hook up one of those big hybrids. Any suggestions? Also, anybody been to the old lock and dam near Mari-Osa? Wondering what the fishing is like there with the water up.

[Seth]

I haven't fished the Osage in almost a month since turkey season was open. Now that it's over with I'll get back to fishing. Nobody that I've talked to has fished the MariOsa lately so I have no info on that. One of my buddies did go up to Bagnell last week and said you could catch all the tiny crappie you wanted near the stick ups on the south side about 500 yards down from the dam. They also caught a few channel and blue cats, but overall catfishing was slow. They picked up a couple whites and about a 4# largemouth also.

He's making a trip back up Thursday of this week. I'll be heading up that way the following weekend myself. Hopefully I'll have some good news to report back on here.

[rangerman]

Fisherfriend,

What you are doing should get you a big hyrbid, but, another way is to fish the current seams directly below the dam (turbines) . It takes two guys when you have that much water running. One to run the boat and one to cast. You may have to jump up to a 3/4 or 1 ounce road runner when they are running that much water. I have in the past. You can catch hyrbrids anywhere, but they really love the current seams below that dam as it gives them some relieve from the current and they then dart out and grab a shad when they want.

Should work really well for you.

It is also possible there is to much current. There is alot of water down there now.

[Fisherfriend]

Fisherfriend,

What you are doing should get you a big hyrbid, but, another way is to fish the current seams directly below the dam (turbines) . It takes two guys when you have that much water running. One to run the boat and one to cast. You may have to jump up to a 3/4 or 1 ounce road runner when they are running that much water. I have in the past. You can catch hyrbrids anywhere, but they really love the current seams below that dam as it gives them some relieve from the current and they then dart out and grab a shad when they want.

Should work really well for you.

It is also possible there is to much current. There is alot of water down there now.

Thanks Seth and rangerman for the replies. Next time I'll try over by the turbines. I've fished there before but never with much success. I am usually there by myself, it's little tricky to run the boat and cast. It's sort of like driving while talking on the cell phone while pouring a cup of coffee while fiddling with the radio. I saw several guys fill their bait buckets with shad. One had a cast net, the other used a long-handled net to just scoop them out right up on the bank just below the turbines. Does anyone fish for hybrids with live bait or were they probably using them for catfish? Also, next time I go I'll pack some heavier road runners just in case.

Thanks again, it's great to be able to share what I know in return for what all you folks know.

[rangerman]

I have really never used shad down there, never felt the need to. Once you learn those fish down there, it will be a pattern you can repeat year after year. I should start making trips up there pretty soon. I am waiting for a magic water temp. Once I start going up there, I'll be in a ranger fisherman 620VS sliver with dark cherry/maroon accents. Keep an eye open and we'll see if we can't get a wall hanger.