Fishing Report 7/14

[packersooner]

Fished Saturday afternoon in the mid lake region. Would have fished the morning too, but lightning and aluminum boats don't mix.

All in all, fishing was slow. Tried trolling reef runners in the 25-30 foot range on the flats around Horseshoe Bend and then back towards Bear Creek. Caught a few bass and about a 10 pound cat. Then switched to bottom bouncers in 25 to 40 fow. Managed three sub-legal walleye. Couldn't keep the bluegill off the hooks. Talk about frustrating...lol! Also caught a handful of yellow perch. Perfect eating size for walleye

Not sure what we were doing wrong...but good to be back on the lake.

Jason

[Jeff Olson]

hey Jason, sounds like my last trip out last week.I did catch quite a few bass trolling cranks in 26 to 30 ft. and only bluegill on the crawler rigs! and I only managed 3 short eyes on cranks. I have alot of learning to do on this lake though! good luck next time!

[packersooner]

Jeff,

Although we haven't figured out the walleye around Horseshoe Bend, we usually catch a few around Bear Creek. The flats around Horseshoe Bend look great on a map, but all we seem to catch is bass. We marked a lot of fish around 25 feet. Not sure what they were. They were bigger than panfish. Maybe white bass? The walleyes that we did catch on the bottom bouncers were not aggressive at all.

We may head back down there late this week or early next week. My father-in-law is coming into town from Louisiana. Would love to get him a walleye.

Jason

[powerdive]

I tried jigging and also trolling cranks at K Dock on Saturday and failed to catch a walleye. A small gar, a 21" bass and a 14-7/8" crappie were the only things that got in my way. Caught them at 24-25 feet. Lots of show on sonar, hard to get any bites. Fished at Diamond City yesterday, trolling cranks around the flats, and only managed 5 walleyes with 2 keepers and a decent perch, plus assorted undesirables (bass, gar, etc.). Same deal--the 23-33 foot range is just loaded with shad and fish, but it was tough to make them eat. Even the bottom bouncin' brigade struggled to find any legal eyes. Seems to me the thermocline is starting to form, finally, and the concentrated natural buffet is tough to compete with. It'll get better.

Packersooner, Horseshoe Bend is a great area for early fall. Just troll the contours, hitting the points and ditches. Question: At Bear, are you fishing the hump or hitting shoreline-related spots? Thanks!

[packersooner]

PD,

You've got way more experience than me fishing for the eyes. Been reading your posts for a couple of years. Makes me feel a bit better that we're not the only ones that struggled on Saturday. That's a nice crappie though! Crappie have been a complete mystery to me on Bull Shoals. A much different world than Stockton or Pomme.

Last year, we had some fair success trolling the 30 or 35 foot contour on the flats between Bear and Bee Creek. It seems like our best success came off the points/ditches from those two little coves between Bear and Bee. We had one last year that went just under 27".

When we first starting fishing Bull Shoals 3 years ago, we had some success fishing bottom bouncers on humps (flats side) between Hogan and Mincy Creek. Generally fished the 25 to 40 foot range. We can usually catch walleye doing this, but the majority are shorts. The bluegills and perch are a nightmare too! I have considered trying plastic worms versus night crawlers.

Thanks for the advice on Horseshoe Bend. I live in Republic, so we usually end up launching at K-Dock or Tucker. Part of me really wants to explore other portions of the lake, but a 40 horse kind of limits you. I need to at least wander up to the Sugarloaf area one of these days.

Jason

[Col Ron]

Jason:

I love yellow perch. Can you give me more information on how and where? Appreciate it.

Col Ron

By the way, fished Pomme this last weekend with very good friends of ours. The boats were unbelievable and had little courtesy. FIshing was not good.

[Keith Gimlin]

There is a ramp at horseshoe bend you can use. You have to go through the AB Fine addition to use it. It is rough and steep and parking is limited but you can put in there. Cross the Kisse Mills bridge and turn off 160 to the right like you are going to Cedar Creek and just look for the subdivision sign on the right. Its at least 5-7 miles down M highway I believe

[rangerman]

Jason,

Try this.

Get your cranks running close to or bumping the bottom. There is a definitely a large network of ditches on the point, along with the steep drop offs at the end of the points. When I work "Horseshoe Bend", I am generally always pulling on the bottom. The fish I have caught there seem to relate to laying just off the edge of or in the ditches. By having a crank pulling the bottom, when it gets to the edge of the drop it pretty much pulls off of and right into their faces.

Caught many good uns' there. The best day I had walleye fishing was this time of year on that point.

[powerdive]

I hate ditches. They're so darn steep and narrow. When I'm trolling cranks on a contour, I tend to get sucked into following the ditchline up until it disappears into the shallows, and then it's hard to turn and and catch the other side with multiple lines out. But they are fish collectors for sure, especially the points at the mouth of each ditch. More and more these days, instead of following the ditch in and getting off my line, I'll cut across the mouth to the next point.

When bottom bouncing, though, ALWAYS follow the ditch in and back out the other side. The fish are there, if you can get a lure into their faces.

[packersooner]

Col Ron, I wish I could help you out with the yellow perch. I haven't caught one big enough to throw in the live well. All of the them I have caught have been by accident on the upper end of the lake...mainly on humps. I have to think that the walleye would key in on these things for a meal. They don't have the large and spiny dorsal fin and are relatively soft. I have heard others talk on this board about the walleye gorging themselves on trout fingerlings in the past. Could be a similar scenario for the perch. Either the walleye eat them, or they get big enough for us to fry up. A win/win situation

PD and RM, your advice is much appreciated. I guess I have to get over the fear of losing cranks when bouncing them off the bottom. I have had them break off in the past, but have (up to this point) always found them floating in the general vicinity a few minutes later. RM, is there a specific "point" you are talking about near HS Bend?

My approach with bottom bouncing ditches has definitely been wrong. Haven't really followed the contour in/out. Have you all tried jigging spoons when marking a bunch on a ditch, or do you primarily jig over brush piles?

Keith, I did see that launch you eluded to. May have to give it a shot some day.

Jason