June 24, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report

[Thompson Fishing Guide Service]

June 24, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report

Lake level: 870.01

Normal pool: 867

Water temperature: 85 degrees

We’ll start out this fishing report with a question to those of you who begin loading their boats on the ramp with fishing equipment, coolers, snacks, etc. when countless other people are waiting to launch their boats: When you go on a trip, do you begin packing your bags when you are waiting in line at the ticket counter in the airport?

Walleye: now that the summer pattern has stepped in, main lake points and lake mud flats are the places you need to be. Slow trolled crank baits late in the evening will produce fish when the light levels are low in shallower water. For the rest of the time, these walleye will be in around 25 feet of water, following the shad as they take advantage of the thermocline. The thermocline, you know, is where the cold water meets the warm water. The molecular structure in this 12 foot band of water holds microorganisms that the shad (the #1 bait on Stockton) feed on, and that is why the walleye are there. The walleye move continuously and you need to cover a lot of water, so whether you use trolled deep diving crank baits, or slow drifted crawler harnesses across these points, or jigs and minnows, you must be conscious of this strike zone.

Crappie: take your sonar, and find brush piles or rock piles that are at the same depth of the thermocline. The walleye don’t move like crappie, but they station themselves in cover that is at the depth of the thermocline. To them, this is like pizza delivery. In real estate, the key word is location, location, location. And when it comes to the summer pattern, for all fish, be it walleye, bass, crappie or catfish, thermocline, thermocline, thermocline. Minnows and jigs or small crappie jigs work well for crappie when you find these locations.

Largemouth bass: the last two years crop of bass (for the most part) will be above the thermocline in shallower water chasing random bait fish. You can catch 13 inch bass all day long on spinner baits and crank baits in the first 10-15 feet of water. Like crappie, you need to find cover and structure at the thermocline level which is around 25 feet. My best weapon is plastic worms. If you are a jig fisherman, this will work also. With the abundance of bait in the water, bass will respond to the easiest and slowest meal available. What about deep diving crank baits? Well, in spite of what they say on television, I don’t know of a deep diving crank bait that you can cast that will stay at the 25 foot level for more than a foot or so unless you can cast about 100 yards. When bass have all the food they want at their beck and call, they will not move far and fast to catch a crank bait. Main lake points, secondary points, creek channels, ditches with brush, at the proper depth is where you should fish and this is when you should build an intimate relationship with your sonar. Top water bite has been hit and miss, because bass aren’t willing to leave home for bait when they don’t have to. For more specialized, in depth instruction on how to catch hawgs in Stockton you will need my professional guidance. We are blessed in the State of Missouri to have some of the best bass fishing lakes in America and Stockton Lake is one of them. The state record for smallmouth was set and broken on Stockton. Because of the excellent walleye fishery here that is known nationwide, a lot of fishermen overlook the bass prospects on Stockton.

Channel cat fishing is excellent on Stockton, and is hot right now; we have caught numerous 5-8 pound channel cats while crappie or walleye fishing. If you focus on just channel cats, you should be able to have a fish fry the same night with little effort from boat or shore. Night crawlers, cut shad, chicken livers, you name it, they’ll eat it. The areas north and south of Cedar Ridge boat ramp are good places to go. The various points around the boat ramp across from Mutton Creek marina are also good places to fish from the shore. Shore fishing is accessible now due to the fact that the lake is below most brush lines and I think it would be well worth your effort.

Marty Thompson

Thompson Fishing Guide Service

www.fishstockton.com

417-424-BASS

Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish The Finest!

[Frost1920]

Thanks for the detailed report. I really need to seek some relationship counseling with my sonar. The only thing I can tell on mine is water depth and temp. Sometimes I can see fish arches but I cant even find the brush piles the core puts in. Ill troll back and forth from 20yds on both sides of the signs and from the shore out 40 yds or so. I cant find em. Sometimes ill happen across something that i can tell is a brush pile or a tree but not enough to make a day of it. I cant see foundations or brush or structure or anything. And that is my GOOD sonar. The one by the console finally took its last breath, so Im going to move the one up front to the back and shop for a new one up front. I cant afford a pro set up, but I was wondering if you or anyone that reads this has any advice on sonars. Something low to mid price range that would be a really decent one. What would some of the bare minimums be that you need in an lcr for finding structure and fish and have some sucess during these summer months? Anything anyone could add to Buying and analyzing whats on your screen would be a great help.

[adjust555]

Thanks for the detailed report. I really need to seek some relationship counseling with my sonar. The only thing I can tell on mine is water depth and temp. Sometimes I can see fish arches but I cant even find the brush piles the core puts in. Ill troll back and forth from 20yds on both sides of the signs and from the shore out 40 yds or so. I cant find em. Sometimes ill happen across something that i can tell is a brush pile or a tree but not enough to make a day of it. I cant see foundations or brush or structure or anything. And that is my GOOD sonar. The one by the console finally took its last breath, so Im going to move the one up front to the back and shop for a new one up front. I cant afford a pro set up, but I was wondering if you or anyone that reads this has any advice on sonars. Something low to mid price range that would be a really decent one. What would some of the bare minimums be that you need in an lcr for finding structure and fish and have some sucess during these summer months? Anything anyone could add to Buying and analyzing whats on your screen would be a great help.

I have a eagle 480, and it does a good job and is very resonablein price.

[binman]

I have a Eagle 320 and it does just fine and don't break the bank

[shockley32]

I've used both of those Eagle units. They are more than sufficient to locate the stuff your wanting. However the last graph I purchased for the front of my boat was a Humminbird 717. This thing is great, I can see anything I want and have been very pleased with it. I only have about $200 in the unit. I have the 997 CSI unit on the console and the 717 works just as well and was a fraction of the price.

Brad

[Dutch]

A unit that has at least 480X480 pixels and is color will help you with your target seperation once you find the cover. A gps is even better since you can hover over the cover and mark it with a wpt so it will be easier to find next time.

[Frost1920]

Well the unit I have up front is an Eagle and I think its 160 x 130. Went shopping today and am almost sold on a Humminbird 565. I dont think it has any GPS on it but the screen resolution is 640x320 which the guy told me was excellent. He said you could even see your lure in the water. Its not color but its only $199 so its right in my price range. Its probably not the greatest but it will beat what ive got by a mile. He said even if I know exactly whats in the water, you would be hard pressed to decypher it on my old Eagle and that made me feel better because I was so frustrated with it. Anyway, im still shopping but thats my top prospect so far.

[binman]

I used to have a hummingbird 565 and I could never see my lure and struggled to pick up brush piles at all my crappie tournaments even the marked piles it would hardly pick up but I got my Eagle for less than 199 and it works way better in my opinion than the 565.Just thought I would voice my opinion before you are in the exact same situation two hundred dollars later.Mine is the 320 vince has a 480 good finders very accurate.

[Thompson Fishing Guide Service]

Crappie: take your sonar, and find brush piles or rock piles that are at the same depth of the thermocline. The walleye don’t move like crappie, but they station themselves in cover that is at the depth of the thermocline. To them, this is like pizza delivery. In real estate, the key word is location, location, location. And when it comes to the summer pattern, for all fish, be it walleye, bass, crappie or catfish, thermocline, thermocline, thermocline. Minnows and jigs or small crappie jigs work well for crappie when you find these locations.

SHOULD READ:

Crappie: take your sonar, and find brush piles or rock piles that are at the same depth of the thermocline. The CRAPPIE don’t move like WALLEYE, but they station themselves in cover that is at the depth of the thermocline. To them, this is like pizza delivery. In real estate, the key word is location, location, location. And when it comes to the summer pattern, for all fish, be it walleye, bass, crappie or catfish, thermocline, thermocline, thermocline. Minnows and jigs or small crappie jigs work well for crappie when you find these locations.

[Frost1920]

Thanks for the info guys and the sonar tutorial was pretty good too. I am not an impulse buyer so Im having a hard time deciding what to get but most likely im going to go with the Eagle 480. Its between that and a bird 565 and a lowrance x96 and in a color model maybe the x67c. I just have to pick one and go for it I guess but the 480 is probably going to win.