October 21, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report

[Thompson Fishing Guide Service]

October 21, 2009 Stockton Lake Fishing Report

Lake level: 872.68

Normal pool: 867

Water temperature: 60-62 degrees everywhere I have been

From my experience, walleye fishing has been good since we got over 7 inches of rain last week and the lake came up 8 feet. Walleye have moved into the shallower water (10-15 feet deep). Remember, when water comes up rapidly as a result of what we just had with the rain, fish like walleye, bass and crappie will find new cover or structure in their depth comfort zone. One thing has changed for me, and that is the walleye have been far more responsive to the minnow/jig than to night crawler/jig or crawler harnesses. This shows me that the cooling water temperatures (around 60 degrees) cause the fish to feed more because of the onset of winter. You remember in the summer there were a lot of bugs available, but now that the bug thing is about over, walleye focus more of their attention on shad and the shad’s open water habitat. Main lake points are the most consistent. Since a lot of the fish we catch are in more shallow water, I slow troll with my trolling motor, or catch a gust of wind and float, providing the wind blows in the right direction. An outboard motor will scare the fish, as well as your buddy Junior slamming boat compartment doors. We catch a lot of little fish…about 13 inches. However, on most trips, we are able to get a limit of 20-24 inchers. You have to work hard.

Crappie: as with walleye, crappie have moved to different locations because of the rising water. Good crappie beds two weeks ago at 20 feet are now at 27 feet, and the crappie may abandon the old crappie beds for the newer ones at their preferred depth zone. Minnows have been the best, but crappie jigs have also produced fish.

Largemouth bass: even though the water is high, weather has stabilized to a degree after the cold front. With the 5 opportunities I have had to go bass fishing within the last ten days we have caught nice bass (3-4 pounds) in around 6 feet of water by either flipping crawdad colored jigs in the brush or by using plastic worms. These fish have moved up into shallower water for 2 reasons: the lake has risen dramatically up to 8 feet, and you have the fall pattern. Now that the weather has stabilized, slow rolled spinner baits, or deep diving crank baits in the backs of coves will also produce fish. Secondary lake points and main lake points on the wind facing shore will cause fish to congregate providing the wind has been blowing in that direction for 3 or 4 days. It takes that long to blow the microorganisms like algae, and little teeny weeny bugs into those locations. If the wind just started blowing in a certain direction, this does not apply. The microorganisms are blown into an area; therefore the shad follow their food source; this combination equals bass. In high water conditions, you have flooded cover like trees and bushes and flooded structure like rock outcroppings and boulders. As a result, bass, like walleye and crappie, have more places to live, therefore they are more spread out. The bottom line is you need to move a lot. Most of your bass under these conditions will be in or near the brush whether that brush is in 3 feet of water or 20 feet of water. Here’s a fact of science that your crank bait manufacturers don’t want you to know: when the bass are in the brush, a jig or a plastic worm are the only things that will put it in their face and leave it there under these conditions. If you don’t know how to fish with the jig or the plastic worm, this is something you need to accomplish. At this time of the year, this is how to catch bigger bass.

Guide’s notes on boats: One of my clients asked me a question about operating a boat in bad weather. When I bought my boat, this was one of the first concerns of mine. I had to find out on my own. Here’s the email:

“MARTY

CHRIS AND I ARE LOOKING INTO BUYING A BASS BOAT AND ONE THAT HAS COME TO THE TABLE IS A 2002 Nitro 901 CDX with A 225. WHEN WE FISHED W/ YOU STOCKTON WAS CALM. YOU HAVE HAD NUMEROUS CHANCES TO USE IT DURING POOR WATER CONDITIONS AND I WAS JUST LOOKING FOR YOUR INPUT ON RIDE.

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION?

THANKS,

SAM

))))))))))))

Sam,

Interesting that you asked this question because I had a trip today with 35 mph winds and I was out there in it for 8 hours bass fishing. I have fished bad water on Stockton many many walleye trips, and in my experience, with this boat, over the last 7 years, 200 days a year, the boat has handled extremely well. My Nitro 929 is 21 feet long, and it's 8 feet wide... that makes a big difference when riding the waves.

The big factor is getting the feel of the boat in different conditions. This is where a big motor is well worth all of the extra gallons of gas she drinks, because with that power, you can motor out of any bad situation that you may have created. The bottom line is feel; when you drive the boat in these conditions, you'll know what I mean. Another key thing to remember: while you are learning to get the feel, give yourself a large margin. In other words you don't know what your boat will do in a short space. Example: there's a strong south wind, and it's blowing you into the dam, and before you know it, you are closer than you thought. Always remember that and give yourself space.

One last thing: Don't drive too fast. Fast hole shots and a big rooster tail look cool, but that's where you burn the large percentage of your gasoline. Plus, you have the added factor of waves and debris. It's not like driving on the road. There are no brakes.

If you give the boat enough gas when you are sitting still, and you have your motor trimmed down, she'll get on plane and stay there on her own. When you reach that point, slowly throttle up as you raise your motor, and with experience, you'll feel a smooth spot where the boat is riding high and you've got good speed (and that's relative).

When you buy a boat, they don't tell you anything...they just give you the keys. With these big boats and high powered motors, that's not a good idea.

Be sure you put Stabil in your gas tank every time you gas up and use the lowest octane gas and Mercury Quiksilver boat motor oil. If you don't put the gas treatment in, you'll ruin your motor in short order.

My opinion,

Marty Thompson

Thompson Fishing Guide Service

www.fishstockton.com

417-424-BASS

Often imitated, never duplicated. Fish The Finest!

[Whack'emGood]

Thanks for the report Marty!

[zarraspook]

Like-Wise...Thanks for the report !!!!!

Mike