Tough Fishing

[lonkm]

Is any one else having a hard time catching fish? The lake is up then it is going down, the weather is turning cold and nasty. Fish are probably chasing their tails like dogs, wondering what to do. Couple of my friends who usually catch several eyes are having a hard time too. Any one have an answer? hot cocoa and football? ugh!!

[Sam]

Yeah, it's tough. Last week I ran into a bass fisherman there from L.O.Z. who was pre-fishing for a tournament out of Bull Shoals. He was real unimpressed with the upper lake. I told him in the tournament he might want to run up as far as Theodosia, but for sure not to the upper lake. He'd be leaving better fishing down there where he was.

In lots of trips this late summer and early fall, I've just had a couple of things going. Sometimes some of the deep brushpiles are fairly productive for crappie, and they're running big if you can find them. Sometimes, but not often now, white bass are boiling on top - but they'll only bite if they're surfacing. You can catch Kentucky bass all day long, but they're mostly 12-inchers. I've struck out completely on walleyes.

I think those enormous schools of 1" shad minnows everywhere and the gar chasing them are hurting fishing. The fish can eat all they want anytime they want and they don't need to bite a lure.

[lonkm]

Yeah, it's tough. Last week I ran into a bass fisherman there from L.O.Z. who was pre-fishing for a tournament out of Bull Shoals. He was real unimpressed with the upper lake. I told him in the tournament he might want to run up as far as Theodosia, but for sure not to the upper lake. He'd be leaving better fishing down there where he was.

In lots of trips this late summer and early fall, I've just had a couple of things going. Sometimes some of the deep brushpiles are fairly productive for crappie, and they're running big if you can find them. Sometimes, but not often now, white bass are boiling on top - but they'll only bite if they're surfacing. You can catch Kentucky bass all day long, but they're mostly 12-inchers. I've struck out completely on walleyes.

I think those enormous schools of 1" shad minnows everywhere and the gar chasing them are hurting fishing. The fish can eat all they want anytime they want and they don't need to bite a lure.

The floods were great for nesting fish but it was also great for the shad too. I am going to wait for the wind go get out of the east then try again. I know of some brush piles. I am going to try your method. Some thing has to bite sooner or later.

[Forsythian]

I'll agree it's kind of tough to get bit right now, but I think the fishery itself is in great condition! Used to be fishing was slow 'cause there were too few fish... that's not the case nowadays.

Anyway, that's what I like to tell myself after a day of hauling water ;-)

[Sam]

Used to be fishing was slow 'cause there were too few fish... that's not the case nowadays.

That's for sure! Around 2005-2007 I could hardly find one white bass there. A few weeks ago I saw three acres of 'em busting the surface at once - there are plenty of them again. This spring I was seeing lots of little 3" crappies that were hatched in the floods of 2008, and that's got to mean good crappie fishing in a few years. Also, those big slab crappie we're catching some of now must have had a whole bunch of little ones in the high water this spring - so there oughta be another bunch a year behind the 3-inchers. There's a good class of 11"-12" bass coming up too.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I believe the flood pushed the Whites farther up the creeks to spawn, and that put them of of reach for most fisherman. It also caused them to spawn far enough away from the lake that their eggs didn't get washed in to still waters.

[Punisher]

I haven't been there in a week now, but last time I was there the fishing was tough and almost everywhere you looked there were huge schools of bait fish. I had my cast net with me. I had thought about catching some and using them for bait.