Whites, Whites, Everywhere Whites

[Bill Babler]

Really is just hard to describe, unless you live on Grand Lake. We have white or as my lodge guests from Oklahoma and Texas say "Sand Bass" coming out our gills.

Put in at the new ramp at Little Cow Creek last evening at 5 PM and the water was just on fire with them from Cow to Point 5. Beck had reported he cleaned 30 for clients yesterday morning and had caught and released well over 100, from point 8 to point 9 and then also in the point 16 area.

Boats ran thru schools and it really didn't matter, as other schools would be breaking just outside their boat wakes. Could not resist and caught about 20, keeping 8 that weighed just exactly 1.5. Their meat is white as snow at that size and they are really good.

This morning on my guide tour, we litterly saw thousands of them from the back of Brushy thru Big Cedar. Mouth of Clevenger to Jakes, Chateau cove thru Point 1, Branson Belle island thru the visitor center at the dam, Beardsly Branch to Point 2. State Park Cove in front of the wave breaker.

Instead of casting and chasing them like a maniac, try just motoring over to the activity and dropping a 1/2 oz spoon down about 25 ft. and jerking it. Sometimes you get hit 3 or for times as the spoon falls back. Lots of smaller and larger ones, but just a slug of those in that pound and a half range out there by the bucket loads.

Bill reported he cleaned one that weighed about a pound and it had 13 threadfin shad in its gut. Hope they are leaving some shad for the Green Basses.

Ya'll get out there and catch ya some of these shad eaters.

[Guest csfishinfool]

Really is just hard to describe, unless you live on Grand Lake. We have white or as my lodge guests from Oklahoma and Texas say "Sand Bass" coming out our gills.

Put in at the new ramp at Little Cow Creek last evening at 5 PM and the water was just on fire with them from Cow to Point 5. Beck had reported he cleaned 30 for clients yesterday morning and had caught and released well over 100, from point 8 to point 9 and then also in the point 16 area.

Boats ran thru schools and it really didn't matter, as other schools would be breaking just outside their boat wakes. Could not resist and caught about 20, keeping 8 that weighed just exactly 1.5. Their meat is white as snow at that size and they are really good.

This morning on my guide tour, we litterly saw thousands of them from the back of Brushy thru Big Cedar. Mouth of Clevenger to Jakes, Chateau cove thru Point 1, Branson Belle island thru the visitor center at the dam, Beardsly Branch to Point 2. State Park Cove in front of the wave breaker.

Instead of casting and chasing them like a maniac, try just motoring over to the activity and dropping a 1/2 oz spoon down about 25 ft. and jerking it. Sometimes you get hit 3 or for times as the spoon falls back. Lots of smaller and larger ones, but just a slug of those in that pound and a half range out there by the bucket loads.

Bill reported he cleaned one that weighed about a pound and it had 13 threadfin shad in its gut. Hope they are leaving some shad for the Green Basses.

Ya'll get out there and catch ya some of these shad eaters.

Same story up the James just south of Cape Fair. I couldn't belive how many there were. I caught ten in ten casts with a spook jr. They were eating it when I

was realing in as fast as i could to cast again. I But there were also some bruiser spots mixed in, it was weird the spots came up for like 20 minutes then

the whites showed up by the thousands!! But on a lesser note it was hard as hell to catch keeper largemouth for me , i figured they were going to be shallow

with all those huge shad rolling around in the bushes. The only keeper Largy i caught was out of 20 ft on a fb jig about a three pounder.

[motoman]

Great report Bill. I have to fish through you guys on the boards here for a while. What a fantastic read!

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For those of you who have never fished for, or caught white bass; it's a hoot!

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I really never thought of fishing for them until a few years ago, when a co-worker turned me onto the idea. I now absolutely love it. It really is great fun. And like Bill mentioned, when their meat is snow white, they are Deeeelicious.

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Now those of you who can get out there and thin them out............GET TO IT!

[Sam]

There's a new ramp at Little Cow Creek? Wow - I didn't know, and that's one of my favorite crappie holes. I usually get there by putting in at Mill Creek, and going around Point 7. A ramp there would save a whole lot of running in my little boat.

How do I get there by road, please? I'll be crossing the bridge at Kimberling, southbound, but I don't know where to turn left to find the ramp.

I've got an 11 y.o. granddaughter who just started school and loves to fish. I've been promising her a trip one day after school, fishing until dark. I'd like it to be a good one for her, and I'd sure like to get her into those white bass - she'd have a ball. We'll probably go tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon, especially if I can figure out how to find that new ramp. Thanks.

[abkeenan]

Fished on Monday morning and evening and Tues morning in the Dam area. Monday morning got out around 630 with heavy fog near the dam. Fished points using a chompers pbj and either a table rock red paca chunk, watermelon paca chunk or zoom twin tail pbj trailer. All worked well, but the paca chunk seemed to me to be the best cause i think it had a slightly slower fall through the water. A lot of the fish caught were on the drop so watching your line or maintaining feel is pretty important. Majority of fish were caught from 8-18 feet, mostly smallies with a few K's thrown in and one small largemouth that i caught on a purple smallie beaver by the dam spillway. Fished for the blacks until around 8ish and after we had hit the point there by the chateau we looked over and the gulls were going nuts and the whites as well so we motored over and caught them for about an hour until they went back down. Most were the good eating smaller size. My uncle used a tie clasp/u bend type of spoon and i wanted to catch them on top water so i used a spit'n image. A little disappointed a black didnt come up and nail it but still had a ball with the whites. Fog took a while to burn off and drifted south towards the 86 bridge and the action seemed to stop and the weather because sunny and the wahoos came out in full force so were called it quits. Went out again Mon evening and tried the same stuff with similar results. Hit point 2 just before dark or right at dark and caught my first walleye ever in about 20 ft on a eakins/paca chunk. Just had gotten to dark to really see and pulling it in i thought to myself this fish feels somewhat heavy but is putting up about 0 fight. Slung him up and i was shocked to see it was a walleye about 15 inches. After that hit up the docks on the right side of beardsley and caught a few more blacks and had a nice one break me off on the jump. Tues morning more of the same with one real nice 3lb smallie on a green grub dragging in about 15 ft in some trees right infront of our house. Just before calling it quits i threw out a wiggle wart and was just gonna troll our way across the cove to our dock and no more than 3 seconds after putting the big motor in gear wam. Had him on for about 10 seconds and came up and spit the wart out. It was a fun little bonus while it lasted. Had to leave TR shortly after that unfortunately. Throwing a wiggle wart in the timbered points in 20 ft or less of water might be a good way to pick up some fish. Would also try hitting the docks in the evening again. Just my thoughts but couldnt test it as i had to come back to STL. All in all a good trip with good weather. Cant wait to get back soon. Hope this helps.

-Brett

oh ya forgot to mention that we caught the crap out of nice big sized goggleyes on smaller softplastics like the smallie beaver, green grub and a zoom brown worm. thought we had a bass and low and behold it was a dumb goggleye. Caught 6 of them in the day and a half i got to fish by accident.

[Jeremy Rasnick]

Fished around indian point yesterday with the 3/4 oz Watermelon Jig. Had 6 Keepers, 2 of each species. Our best patten in the last week or so has been the secondary points that you would throw a fish doctor on in the spring. It doesn't even need to be near deep water. Work the jig back at a pretty fast pace, but slow enough to keep it close to the bottom. Speaking of White Bass!!!!!!! Just south of the Coombs Ferry Ramp, within sight of the ramp, an area about the size of a football field was boiling with whites yesterday at 3:00 PM. Dad and I caught our limits and released atleast the same amount within 30 minutes. After a bad case of hamburger thumbs we left them alone and called our buddies to come help control the white bass population. According to another boat fishing the same school, he said it was the same way around the Branson Belle!!!! Its out of control. I've never seen anything like it on the Rock, only below the dam at Grand Lake have i seen such whites.

[Martin]

Sam, there is a fairly new ramp near Cow Creek but I guess I haven't heard of a new one in Little Cow Creek. The new Cow Creek ramp is right around the point to the east of the old Cow Creek camping area / ramp. Maybe Bill B. will answer you on directions to the ramp in Little Cow. It sounds like I need to get off work for a few hours and go fishing. White bass on spoons is great fun !!

[CaptainJoe]

Sam,

Cross the Kimberling Bridge and continue onto the Blue Eye Junction (Hwy 13 and Hwy 86). Turn left onto Hwy 86 and about 1/4 mile on your left hand side you will see the turn off to the Cow Creek ramp. Follow the road almost to the end and you will see the parking lot entrance on your right. It has guard rails on both sides. It is next to the old Boy Scout Camp.

Have fun!!!!!!!!

[Bill Babler]

The new ramp is in the small cove just north of little cow. it is just to the north and in the back of the cove from where the old ramp was, which is now a boy scout camp.

If coming from Kimberling City the turn off is approx 2 miles from the 13/86 jct. at Blue Eye. On your left, look for the Boy Scout Camp sign and follow it down to the dead end at the ramp.

If coming from Branson, take 65 south to 86. Go west on 86 approx. 9 miles to the Boy Scout Camp sign. It is about 2 miles past the JJ jct convience store on your right hand side.

WARNING:

No restroom faculities are at this ramp, and it is a very steep ramp, with a severe climb back to the parking lot. There is really also no handicapped access. Usage requires you to be a good backer of your trailer and be in good physical condition, to use the area. Though brand new, it is located in a very challanging location, and this should be kept in mind if you are somewhat timid about backing a trailer, or don't like to walk, to the parking lot, about a city blk, straight up hill.

Also due to the steep ramp, please always set your E.Brake when launching and loading your boat. Docking faculities however are excellent, for 2 boats at a time to either launch or take out.

Good Luck

[Bill Babler]

Sam,

Cross the Kimberling Bridge and continue onto the Blue Eye Junction (Hwy 13 and Hwy 86). Turn left onto Hwy 86 and about 1/4 mile on your left hand side you will see the turn off to the Cow Creek ramp. Follow the road almost to the end and you will see the parking lot entrance on your right. It has guard rails on both sides. It is next to the old Boy Scout Camp.

Have fun!!!!!!!!

Joe, better check that mileage from Blue Eye.