Fish Report

[Chris Tetrick]

June 7, 2009

Lake Level:916.0

Normal Pool:915.0

Water Temp:72-75 degrees

Main Lake areas the Dam, Kimberling City to Campbell Point fish are moving steady out to deep water structure. Top water's are still working well but has been tailing off slower than the bite has been in the past few weeks. The bites been early, early in the mornings and lasting longer on a cloudy day. Brown bass are coming off gravel points shallow. A mix of Largemouths and K.Y.'s are on the rockier banks and bluff ends. Feeding surfacing fish are abundant, but scattered all over and roaming making them difficult to predict where the blow-ups will be day to day. Lots of white bass are among the surfacers in large schools.

The bottom bite has been working the best. Dragging carolina rigs or split shots centipede and fish doctors out on the main lake gravel points 10'-15' earlier in the day light, then backing out to 20'-30' when the sunlight shines on the water. Try Watermelon/candy watermelon/red centipede on the rigs, also fish are starting to get on a 1/2 to 5/8 ounce football jig as well. Peanut butter/jelly or brown/purple with a twin tailed grub as the trailer. Drop shot fish have been getting out there on these points and some of the humps. On some of the hotter sunny days we've had last week look for fish on the bottom 30'-35' on bottom or suspended over 40'-50 of water in the same depth. The deeper fish have been scattered and not totally schooled up yet. This bite will get better as water heats up and the Dam's continue to slow the water flow creating a thermocline.

The James River has started heating up. Lots of schooling bass, with the whites are coming up from Aunts Creek to Cape. Early morning is always the best but there's been feeders coming up later in the day and evenings. The top water bite has been great too without seeing surfacing fish. Spooks, red-fins-sammy's and flukes are catching fish on the gravel pockets and mouths of a creek or cove. A lot of these are smaller fish but bigger fish are moving up quickly then moving back out. If the top water's not working drag carlolina rigged centipede, double ringers or baby brush hogs. The water clarity is almost a normal green tint in most of the James making a good dragging bite during the daytime fishing 10'-18' deep.

[CaptainJoe]

Great report Chris......thanks!

See ya on the water,

Joe

[focused fishing]

Nice Report Mr. Tetris......

Your the third person to tell me they are drop shotting, I was hoping the fish would wait a little while ...... like six or seven months, before heading out.

Get you crawler bucket ready it's almost time dang it..........

[CaptainJoe]

Eric,

Chris is correct. It is dropshot time. I went out yesterday and found them in 25' of water suspended over 45' on secondary gravel points. It is that time to go video fishing.

Take care,

Joe

[Chris Tetrick]

Hey Prey, watcha been doing? I hate the shot drop too. Lots more fun to catch them shallow. But at least it's easier for the people to drop down, sometimes.I'm like you wish they'd wait a while longer to run out deep. I brought out the crawlers Thu. afternoon and yesterday, seems like they bite the purple monster better or the W.M.C. zoom finesse just as good or better. Caught a 4lb brown one in 45' of water sunday. I told him to go back shallow.

[focused fishing]

Tetris!

Had a full day yesterday, lost count on the number of whites we caught around Rice Camp early, caught several brown fish draggin splt shot and shakey heads to 15' till around noon, then they moved out to 20' - 25' deep on a rig and shakey. Stared at the screen for about 30 minutes with a drop shot and caught a couple but went back to dragging and caught more. I know it's dropshot time but holding out as long as I can. A couple of trips this week that I'm sure will involve the dreaded crawler bucket.

EP