It's Hot Up Here - Fishings Ok Too

[rps]

This morning I headed up river rather than down. I fished two locations early for bass on top. Only put five in the boat - 4 dinks and a 19.5 inch largemouth. It was a heavy 4 rather than a light 5. My manservant forgot to charge my camera battery, so I cannot post pictures. Shortly after the good fish, I had another explode on the bait and kept it on for two jumps before it freed itself. It was close to the same size. So not much in numbers but long on entertainment.

By 7:30 I was fishing for walleye. I wound up with four, two of which were keepers. Bear in mind the water temp up there is 80-81 not 86-87 like on the main lake today. The fish were on shelf flats that adjoined the river channel and were cruising in 12 to 15 feet of water. They took a pink and white harness crawler skimmed over bottom at 1.2 MPH.

I doubt I'll be on the lake again until next Wednesday. Everyone be careful out there!

[BleacherBum28]

Rps - you make me jealous. I've been a fan of yours for a while. I'm visiting until the fourth. We're up by the kings river Marina. I do the same techniques as well as I can with my parents boat. Its been slow going for me. All the flats and points I know are too deep with the lake so high. A few questions for you.

1) Do you ever fish the kings for walleye, or is the water too warm for them... seems you are always way up the white.

2) how are you fishing in 12 ft of water? On shore or is the white alot more shallow than the kings

3) I picked up 3 bass this morning with a bottom bouncer using same basic rig you showed earlier. Is that too deep? Is there a thermocline, and do walleye care about it?

4) do you normally troll fast or slow. Seems the slower I go the more gills I get.

If you ever see an old Boston whaler, stop by... its prolly me. I doubt the rock has 2 of these boats on it.

[rps]

Whalers are good boats. Always kinda wanted one. What model and year?

Many consider Kings River the best walleye fishing area on the lake. When I still trailered my old boat, I put in there often.

The way that river winds, there are inside bend flats with sand/gravel in abundance. By now, at 922.5, the brush/tree line should be 8 feet deep or so. Brush is common down to 915 or so. Trees start around 918, +/-. Today I was fishing a shelf maybe 25 yards wide that dropped into the river channel and my boat was 10 to 30 feet from the submerged trees and brush.

As you probably noticed I have been aggressively fishing walleye the last week. If I were out on the main lake, like day before yesterday, I would have aimed at 13 to 18 feet deep. With the lake dropping and the water getting hotter, the walleye are moving deeper daily. The theromocline is forming/has formed in the 20-22 foot range. We are days away from suspended fish at the thermocline.

I don't report it, but once I switch to walleye fishing, I don't really "count" the bass and bream. I actually figure, if I am catching bream and bass I am near the right depth for walleye. Today I only caught four walleye, but the bream and bass total was more than three times that.

Speed is a variable, but my baseline is this: Lindy rig-> .4 to .6 MPH; slow death rig -> .8 to 1.0 MPH; harness -> 1.0 to 1.4 MPH; trolling cranks -> 1.8 to 2.4 MPH.

I hope that answers your questions and I hope you have a great trip and come back soon.

[BleacherBum28]

Thanks for the quick response. This forum is amazing... the info and generosity amazes me. I should have read my post. My fish were all bottom bouncing a shelf in 30 ft. Based on your info, that's below the thermocline and are accidents... unless bass and/or walleye don't mind being below it so much. (I've read both opinions). I'm going to give the shallows a try tomorrow morning... I fished a gravel flat the other afternoon after the rains in the overcast... but was fishing too deep...20-30 ft.

[techo]

I have always liked the looks of those boats too. Thought about buying one years ago. Will be a zoo on the lake this weekend , be careful!

[ktm3ten]

just wanted to check in and say hi....I have a Montauk 170, so there's at least 2 of us whalers out on Table Rock this weekend. I've only seen one other whaler in the past w years the rock. Good luck this weekend!

[BleacherBum28]

Found a couple flats this morning. Was fishing 12-20 hooked a few small Kentucky's but found a bed of blues. Got out my ultra light rod and had some fun. I know whenever I've found big blues, the larger fish will be there... just gotta refine the presentation. Tux for the help rose.

[Martin]

I went out this morning with a friend, and we were trying to catch walleyes...We did get 3, but only one was a keeper. The nice part is we also had a big crappie, a nice white, and about 10 kazillion bass & BIG bluegills. We caught all of these fish from 24 to 27 feet of water, on bottom bouncers, spinners, crawlers... The skiers and heat got us about 10:30 or 10:45....We came on in. (started at 6:30 a.m.) We were on the main lake downstream from Emerald Beach a couple of miles.

[Spinnaker]

I am thinking of coming down the week of July 11 and accuweather shows some rain. I don't have a problem with rain at this temperature range but of course I shy away from thunderstorms. I was wondering in general how your luck is during the summer rains. Also, when it rains, it tends to reduce lake traffic. Thanks.

[rps]

If I can arrange to be on the lake fishing just before the front rolls through, I do it. The trick is to be someplace where you can get out of the lightning. I also have had good luck if I can get out just after (the first hour or two) a shower/front passes. If the front is a cold front rather than a summer afternoon build up, then the blue bird sky day after is one I don't particularly expect to do well.