Fishing Report 5/26

[packersooner]

Fished from noon to 7 PM. Was mainly targeting bass, but also spent a little time trying to pattern crappie. Launched at Ruark and fished north to the point across from old State Park. Water temp was in the upper 70s with temps touching 80 in a few coves. Water remains high but falling. My plan going in was fishing the old shore line on main lake and secondary points. All in all, fishing was tough. Caught a handful of shorts on an electric blue plastic worm in 5 to 8 feet of water. Tried flipping up into the shallow bushes and didn't get any action.

Also threw/trolled a sinking crankbait on main lake points/bluffs to see if I could pick up a crappie or walleye but nothing. Even threw a Road Runner and worked it from shore back to 10 foot and nothing. Finally, jigged some of the main lake brush piles that I've done well on in the summer and nothing. Tried piles from 15 to 30 feet. Did get a small walleye to the boat off of one of the deeper piles. I don't know where those crappie are. Wasn't marking much at all on the depth finders. It seems like water temperatures sat in the 60s for what seemed like forever, and now they are spiking. With water levels rising later than normal, I wonder how that has affected these fish? Hopefully, water levels will steady off and these fish will get into their summer pattern soon. Mom is coming down from Wisconsin in a couple weekends and I would like to get her on the brush pile bite.

Jason

[Professor Jim]

I didn't try the deeper bite, but tried the shoreline brush for crappie and bass. Almost got skunked between 9:30 & 2:00 yesterday.

[Skeeter ZX190]

Fished on Thursday from 7:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Started around the dam but went as far south as Mutton Creek. Only caught 1 up in the bushes. Everything else came out away from the brush line. Secondary points produced the most fish. Caught around 40 to 50 total. 6 or 7 of those were 14.5 inch walleye that were caught on a 3 inch green pumpkin yum dinger and a 1/4 oz. darter head. Most of the bass came on a carolina rigged lizard in watermelon red, green pumpkin chartreuse, or plum. Did catch 1 walleye on the plum lizard. That was a first for me. Biggest bass was about 3 1/2 lbs. caught in the Miller branch, about 12 feet of water in and around a pretty good rock pile.

[cwater]

Fished on Thursday from 7:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Started around the dam but went as far south as Mutton Creek. Only caught 1 up in the bushes. Everything else came out away from the brush line. Secondary points produced the most fish. Caught around 40 to 50 total. 6 or 7 of those were 14.5 inch walleye that were caught on a 3 inch green pumpkin yum dinger and a 1/4 oz. darter head. Most of the bass came on a carolina rigged lizard in watermelon red, green pumpkin chartreuse, or plum. Did catch 1 walleye on the plum lizard. That was a first for me. Biggest bass was about 3 1/2 lbs. caught in the Miller branch, about 12 feet of water in and around a pretty good rock pile.

Thanks for the reports guys. I fished Thursday from about 6:30 am until about 5:30. Was targeting walleye mainly. Fished near the 215 bridge, nothing but bass bouncing jigs and drifting harnesses. Went to Maize, not one fish. Went back near the 215 and targeted bass caught several on the outer edges of the flooded brush using a chigger craw texas rigged. Biggest being 3 lbs. Also caught some crappie in about 30 feet of water on jig and crawler.