Mid-Week Rocky Report

[Bill Babler]

Was on Taney today, but the guides phones were hot as the weather. Rock fishing from one end of this pond to the other, was more than a challange. It seems right now, if you don't get those White's to break for you early, you are going to be introuble once the fog lifts and the sun starts hitting the water.

Spoke to the following guides, Don House, Tim Paige, Buster Loving, Bill Beck, all reported you pretty much had to pull out all the tricks after about 7:30AM not to catch a fish, but just to get bit.

Dam area, if you can find some whites, you are lucky. Don is still on them, and Tim Paige found some to help a very slow morning. Top water bite was non-existant lake wide, with almost zero Black Bass Species on top. Whites were in very selected places, and up from 5 AM till the latest around 7:30. Don is still on the best bite.

A bite that has been pulling us up is the Zoom Super Fluke, they were not having that either today. Just pretty tough. The Fin bite has also started to deminish, in most locations. Seems the spook is now and will be for the remainder of the summer, a better topwater choice.

Swimming a grub in the dam area today was as Paige put it useless. Dropshot fish are still being very hard to find. Beck also fished the Kimberling to Dam area, and caught several very large Jaw's dragging a cenipede in 30 ft. Not many bites mind you, but big bites.

Buster fished Baxter to Campbell Point, and reported his poorest day on Table Rock in 20 yrs. No surface activity, and fish just unavailable by either dragging, grub or dropshot. Water was slick and it was terrible.

It has just been the doldrums, and we need some overcast and breeze. Hang in there, the dropshot fish should be close.

[Trav]

I am thinking about heading to Long Creek in the morning. Have a tourist relative wanting to give it go. Might choose to avoid the Rock all together....Sad to hear these high skys have shut it down.

Do you think the slow bite can be attributed to the heavy pressure given by tourneys these past three weeks?

[edwin]

I had marginal luck at best on Mon, Tues...today was a much better day. We skunked on bluff ends, 45 deg banks on points, etc. Went to shallow (fish in 4-8') gravel points up the James a bit, ended up catching 42 fish before 0730. First 4 casts on the Sammy produced 5 fish (first for me to have two keeps on one smallish topwater), the jointed redfin really started working around 0615. I took my Dad with me today...he gets out fishing about once every 10 years, and is way more into catching than fishing. Once I found the fish, he'd reel one up to the boat, I'd take the rod / fish from him, and give him another rod. As the fog started to break, we switched to the super fluke in pearl white and watermelon green...really worked great. Was great to see my Dad catch the biggest bass of his life, it really hit the 'fin pretty hard.

It was as good of a 90 min period as I could have asked for. After 15 mins of unproductive fishing, he was ready for another cup of coffee and Fox News...had my Dad back to the dock by 0815 and went back out solo. I followed the fog and kept the same shallow gravel points. The fish had moved a bit deeper but most were still in the 12-17' range. Again, redfin and fluke worked best. Even rigged up the Eric Prey 'greedy rig' and caught a double on my second cast.

Drove home to STL this afternoon, back to the lake this weekend with my wife and kids. Hope to get the kids on the same pattern!

[Bill Babler]

Appreciate the post and the pic's great day. "LOOK OUT JAMES RIVER, WE ARE ALL COMMIN TO JOIN YA." You can bet after reading this, there will be a little attention paid to the James the rest of the week, with most of the Lake reporting a very slow bite.

I presume Snakem was fishing the James yesterday when he reported a fantastic topwater bite. Just not happening on the rest of the lake today. Buster did report a very good topwater bite yesterday at Baxter, but absolutely nothing today.

It is a huge lake, and you would think they had to be biting somewhere.

Trouble is it is almost impossible for most of us to get our clients up and moving when the fish are going their best. The gents I am taking tomorrow, said if they have to get up before 7 AM "No Fish was Worth That." Needless to say, we are going trout fishing, but that is also a pretty early bite.

Get out early and follow the shade or fog. I will bet, when its gone, so is the bite.

Good Luck, and great report.

[edwin]

I'd concur 100% - once the fog lifted and the skies cleared, the bite completely went away. I only caught a handful of fish after 9am.

[Jason Essary]

Wow, I feel better now. I have been fishing hard for 4 days. Even the night bite has been freaky slow. Seem to pick one up here and there, with no set pattern to be made between them. Hope this weather settles them back into some set patterns.

[Nolan_Whaley]

I've gotten so much info from you guys.. i have to reply. I took 3 kids out yesterday, we caught quite a few small spots.. biggest prob in 1.5lb range plus one of the kids caught about a 3lb smallie in the cemetary area across from joe bald ramp. Spot remover jig w/wat-red trick worm. 2-5pm, from the bank out to 20 feet or so. Just followed the top water action back and forth. Did catch one fish on a fluke, but the trick worm was much more consistent.

[motoman]

I've gotten so much info from you guys.. i have to reply. I took 3 kids out yesterday, we caught quite a few small spots.. biggest prob in 1.5lb range plus one of the kids caught about a 3lb smallie in the cemetary area across from joe bald ramp. Spot remover jig w/wat-red trick worm. 2-5pm, from the bank out to 20 feet or so. Just followed the top water action back and forth. Did catch one fish on a fluke, but the trick worm was much more consistent.

-

Good info Nolan. I can only imagine the excitement of being a kid and catching a 3 pound smallie on The Rock!

[dtrs5kprs]

The gents I am taking tomorrow, said if they have to get up before 7 AM "No Fish was Worth That." Needless to say, we are going trout fishing, but that is also a pretty early bite.

Get out early and follow the shade or fog. I will bet, when its gone, so is the bite.

Good Luck, and great report.

Wow...you'd sort of think anyone willing to put the time and $ into hiring a guide would want to get after it. 7AM this time of year is time to slip it and head to Ma's for taters and eggs, then maybe back out for bluegill with the short people before the big boats cut loose at noon.