May 13, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report

[Thompson Fishing Guide Service]

May 13, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report

Lake level: 872.76

Normal pool: 867

Sorry for the delay in posting any recent reports; we were gone to Colorado watching my daughter graduate from nursing school. I remember when she was young, and she came to me and said, “Father, should I go to nursing school or fishing guide school?” I said, “Definitely go to fishing guide school.” Well, she did not heed my advice; however I was very proud that she accomplished her righteous objective.

On to fishing…as a result of the weather, which includes 70+ mph winds, tornadoes, torrential rains, and a cold front every other hour, fishing for the most part has been slow. My clients and I struggled to catch a few crappie, a few bass, and a walleye here and there. With the rain on Friday, the east side of the lake changed color from clear to real muddy. In some parts of the lake, particularly above the 215 bridge, you have a very distinct dividing line in water clarity. This obviously affects the fishing. Water temperature has dropped at least 5 degrees according to my own measurements since Friday. The repeated cold fronts affect the fishing more than any other factor. When these conditions occur, fish will go into a negative mode which means basically without dynamite, you are eating Vienna sausages for dinner tonight. However, I am continuing to be vigilant in my quest to put my clients in a position to catch fish. I downsize my offering, slow down my presentation, and fish shallower because in rising water conditions, fish move towards the shore, especially in the spring. This applies to every fish, from crappie, to bass, to catfish, to white bass. One thing to remember: any day the fishing will take off, and really be productive, so it’s worth your while to be out here.

Walleye: fish main lake points with a crawler harness accompanied by sufficient weight to put the bait at the depth of the fish that you mark (approx 15-20 feet, this time of the year). In the winter, a jig and minnow work well. In the summer, you get more bites on a jig and night crawler. As the water warms in the spring, bug populations begin to emerge and walleye go after these bugs.

Crappie: Slow troll small, deep diving crank baits along the edges of the brush in about 10 feet of water and you’ll have your best chance to catch crappie.

Because of the weather, some crappie have spawned and some have not. If you get in around the 10 foot zone (10 feet above the bottom) you should catch them coming or going. Don’t overlook deeper water (20-25 feet) on the south end of the lake because in these areas, many of these fish have spawned and returned to their summer haunts. Small crappie jigs with or without minnows fished above these brush piles will catch fish.

Largemouth bass: Like, crappie, largemouth bass are getting ready to spawn or are spawning or have already spawned on certain parts of the lake. If you fish an area where the water is in the high 60s, you will have big bass in shallow water. Slow presentation works best with jigs and plastic worms. If you fish an area of the lake where the water is around 62-63 degrees, you’ll find fish in around 10-15 feet of eater in a very pre-spawn mode (this is actually the best time to catch big fish). Deep diving crank baits, slow rolled spinner baits or plastic worms will do well.

Shoebox photo memories: I was looking at a fishing picture recently of a trip during which my dad and I were in the middle of a central California bass lake and out of nowhere came a bee and stung my dad on his naked side. He said something to the effect, and I paraphrase, “Wow. Why did that bee fly all the way across the lake just to sting me?” This event comes to my mind when I am trying to concentrate on catching the mother lode and these reddish, brownish, orangish wasps with faces that only their mothers could love come swooping down, ready to attack with stingers ablaze just because they feel their civil rights have been violated. As a highly skilled fishing guide, dedicated to the safety of my clients, I felt it incumbent upon me to devise a system by which I can protect them and myself from the bombardment and assault of these deadly flying creatures called wasps. My first attempt to alleviate the problem was to use my hat. However, that didn’t work because they saw it coming, dodged it, and then really got mad.

Out of desperation, I have found out that violently swinging a 7 ½ foot flipping rod will do the job, providing it hits home, which is only about 1 in 4000 violent swings. I was in despair and one day it came to me how I could overcome this dilemma and entertain and keep my clients safe all at the same time. The solution: a badminton racket. I strap it down with my net. Everywhere I go, it is near me, just like my trusted 45 when I was a cop. Every time a wasp attacks, I see kamikaze written all over him. This technique is guaranteed 99% of the time. Try it.

Marty Thompson

Thompson Fishing Guide Service

www.fishstockton.com

417-424-BASS

Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish the Finest!

[smallmouthjoe]

Great report and great tip on how to take care of those wasps. Careful where your swinging that badminton racket though they can be dangerous. I had my sternum cracked by one of those things in gym class in the seventh grade.