Where Would You Go?

[Nolan_Whaley]

Have a buddy coming in for 3 days of fishing (thu, fri, sat). The whole lake is an option. Thinking about starting with Baxter area. If you could fish any area of the lake, where would you go?

[Sam]

If you're looking for bass only (and you probably are) I'd pay close attention to Bill Babler's reports. You'll see in his "April 23" thread here that he's been slaying 'em from Kimberling City to Point 9, and he tells how. Lots of good information there.

I'm not a bass purist, and this time of year I really enjoy combined trips for all species. It's still muddy further up the James, so tomorrow I think I'll put in at Cape Fair and fish between there and Buttermilk. That stretch has everything for me - bluffs, flats, flooded timber, creek channels and bends, big and small coves, and lots of spawning banks. With all that to play with I'll be pestering the bass, white bass, and crappie, and the only problem's figuring out which to go for at which times and places. In past years doing this I've even come up with a good catfish or two while casting a swimmin' minnow jig to crappie beds by the bank, and that can be a real rodeo on an ultralight rig.

Good luck with your trip - whatever you decide, this is a good time.

[Nolan_Whaley]

Thanks for the reply. I love fishing around Cape Fair. Figured it would be muddy big time with the rain we've had. And ya, i'm in bass mode. Believe me, i've read every word Bill has written, at least twice. His (and a bunch of others') reports have given great info about kinds of areas and baits.

[dtrs5kprs]

Cows to point 9. Have been in that area every day but one since 4/15. Keepers every day. Nice clarity, decent temps.

[Bill Babler]

Cows to point 9. Have been in that area every day but one since 4/15. Keepers every day. Nice clarity, decent temps.

Gona hate to see ya go home buddy. You know they have pharmacies down here. Get that gal in the UHaul pointed South. Might even find a school or two for those young-ens.

Thanks for all you do for this forum. I look for your post everyday.

Good Luck

[Nolan_Whaley]

We wound up going to Baxter, and catching quite a few. However, not much size. Pockets in little indian with gravel points produced. Boat in 25-35, and fishing 15-30 depths. Bluff ends didn't work. Places we fished, you either caught one and then several more pretty quick or nothing. 3/16 stand up jig with trick worm caught nearly all our fish. I think we caught singles on a carolina rig, swimming a grub, and tx rigged baby brush hog. I tried the fluke rig when the water got slick, and had no takers. We had no luck in the back of creeks. Everything was on main channel pockets and across the mouth of those.

Late afternoon, we moved out to the main channel to find a cell phone signal as we were also chasing some lost luggage, and fished in the wolfpen area. This produced some bigger fish and a couple of smallies.

Gravel, 20' +, trees or timber, and it seems like the fish are just stacked. My temp gauge stopped working, so i have no temps to report. Saw a few fish on beds, but they truly were few and far between.

Going to the kimberling city area today if we don't have a flood.

[dtrs5kprs]

No flood but free electric in Kimberling. Good report, good luck.