White River

[SKMO]

Have been on the Rock quite a few times the last couple weeks and thought I’d put up a report. Been fishing on the White from mouth of James to Big M. Water temp Tuesday was 61-62.

Overall kind of tough but if I hang in there and keep trying different locations and presentations I am usually ending up with a few nice fish. Long periods of nothing mixed in with some biting fish and stumble across something that works enough to keep me interested almost every trip. Not catching as many as a month ago but size has improved. Seems like the fish are scattered in a lot of different type locations.

One thing working is fishing trees in the mouth of coves and pockets on the gravel flats. In other words, coves with trees on the gravel flat side of the lake and fishing the very edge of the trees toward the lake side. Deep water close by seems to be important and I try to target smaller patches of trees. Use electronics to find where the trees start, often quite a distance from where they actually are visible. Catching some nice SM and smallish LM doing this in 15-20’ of water using ½ ounce Eakin’s type jigs with twin trailers in green pumpkin and PB&J colors. Pretty common to catch a couple SM together, they seem kind of bunched up when you find them. Actually caught 3 keeper SM and one short in one small area doing this a couple days ago. Same areas but on the deeper cove side of the trees I go vertical with a ¼ weedless jighead with a finesse worm. Fishing that in the trees on the bottom in 30-40’ or in the tree tops if the water gets deeper. Similar presentation as a drop-shot rig but fewer hang-ups. Am finding fish on timbered bluff ends with channel swings also, especially if the bluff trees stop and it transitions to a gravel point.

Another thing still working is drop-shotting the usual deep water roll-offs and brush piles. Mostly KY’s doing this. Mid 30’s seems to be a good depth to start looking, on out to 45-50’. The big open gradual gravel flats and humps have not been working for me at all unless I can find a steep roll-off where the depth changes quickly. My best spots are gravel flats where a cove cut or creek/river channel takes the bottom from 30 to 45 feet in a couple boat lengths. These are good KY spots, it seems to me they relate to this “vertical edge” like they do bluffs or bridge pilings. Brush piles or logs in 30-40’ of water are always worth dropping a shot rig into and I have caught a few nice ones that way but usually only one fish per spot.

I have also caught some on the Eakin’s type jigs on deeper gravel and chunk points hopping it along the bottom almost beneath the boat in 30-40’ of water.

If you can find some loose concentrations of shad in deeper water and see larger fish down there drop a spoon and hold on. I had this work really well twice recently but it is hard to find this condition to begin with, and even harder to stay with them as they will be moving fast and deep, bigger fish were down at least 20 and more like 30’ under the shad.

I have drug a c-rig for great distances with not much luck. Seems like I can only catch dinks. Right now to me it’s just a way to pretend I’m fishing while I scout for new brushpiles or breaks that might be holding some fish.

I cannot get bit on a spinnerbait except at daybreak for a few minutes, maybe. I have been out in perfect conditions with clouds and big wind and spent some time with it hoping for one good fish, but I cannot get it to happen. Not sure why I keep throwing it except I remember when it used to work really well this time of yea. I have not seen any significant surface activity on this part of the lake for at least 3 weeks.

I think it will get better in a couple weeks as some shad start to move into some of the wintering coves. That’s my theory anyway and I’m sticking with it. The hope of a better bite “tomorrow” is what keeps me going on this lake most of the time anyway.

Also heard from a reliable source that some nice crappie are being caught in the Kings. One guy had nine legals and two were pushing 16” fishing minnows in trees.