Bull Shoals "fishing" Report 8-21-12

[Ham]

I had an 0800 dentist appoint which kind of put the screws to a creek trip. I tend to focus on river fishing in the summer and have all but zero experience on the lakes in the summer time. Soooo the Bass Cat followed me to the dentist.

I launched out of Jimmy Creek which wasn't necessarily a mistake, but lots of clean up is still underway from the docks that were destroyed / heavily damaged from the rough weather event they had. The ramp is open to public use, but I would most likely launch elsewhere next time.

Surface temps were around 79' when I launched around 10 AM. I trailed out a spinning rod that I had re-spooled and then ran up lake. Boat ran like a champ. I love my Cougar.

I did a lot of looking for fish in 25-40 with my depthfinders. I have heard some good jigging spoon reports. I never really found anything.

I did some jigging on standing temp in the Point 11 area. Water from 25-50 foot. Not much at all happening there for me.

I ran a little ways up the Theodosia arm into a crreek there and put my eyes on all of iit. I found a few brush piles for later. I tried hard for a carp I saw actively feeding, but I spooked him before he found my little jig. I saw evidence that there were other carp actively feeding in VERY shallow water. That's likely an oppurtunity for folks that are looking for shallow carp on the fly.

BE CAREFUL There is a shallow spot in the Saddle area. It is about a 30 yard wide egg shaped area of hard bottom that would ruin your day. That high spot rises to just about 5 foot below the surface when the lake is at normal pool. That area is not safe to run at this water level under any circumstance but now someone has taken it upon themselves to stack rocks on this high spot. Now that spot will have multiple points that could hurt boaters at full pool.

A few panfish bailed me out so I did not zero, but incredibly slow for me yesterday.

[kwall]

Ham, wonder what reason the Corps gives for not marking those types of spots on the lake for the safety of all boaters --

[Ham]

I've never asked them. I will ask next time I renew my access pass.

There are a half dozen places that could really should be bouyed. The maps I have clearly shows most of them, but not everybody has a map. LCD dephtfinders do not adjust quickly enough to prevent a grouding ie You can not just run with an eye on your depthfinder.

[Bullshoalscat]

Corps will not mark any danger spot on the lake, as the signs say at the ramp Use At Your Own Risk, they believe once they start marking these areas they will under take the liability of it if you hit them

this was told to me by a corp ranger. If I get a chance my son-in-law and I are goig to try and knock the rock pile down at the saddle, could be very dangerous at normal pool

[kwall]

Makes sense I guess :/ but they do mark other danger areas on the lake like swimming areas ,the dams and no wake zones as examples, just think it would help save a life someday , a pile of rocks sure isn't a good idea though -- thank you to you or whom ever knocks it down