Baxter to SK Fri 11-17

[SKMO]

Put in at C-Point and fished from Pt 19 to almost Shell Knob. My experience was really tough. 8 Fish in 5 hours with only me in the boat. No keepers.

Deep fish were gone from my late Summer/Fall spots. They had not moved to Winter spots I guess, as I could not spot them (or any shad) in typical winter spots.

Water temps were 56-58. There was a definite brown tinge to the water, I would assume some type of algae bloom. Very noticible.

Can't wait for them to get back in ther coves as I'll put the Howdy-Doodie on them at that point. Whatever, thats my plan for this Winter!

[SKMO]

You know it's slow when you reply to your own post.

Anyway SKMO, I fished very upper Kings to down around the Basin this PM.

Wasted a couple hours looking upon some deep spots to spoon or dropshot. Following a hot lead found a wide area of nice looking shad and associated larger fish in 45' of water in upper Kings but they would not cooperate. This looked so good on the screen I am sure we missed the feeding binge and all basses had eaten their fill and were sitting around digesting. Just like you will be after Thanksgiving dinner, not wanting to be bothered even at halftime bu offers of easy leftovers. I will catch them here later but I would guess they are feasting on the Sunrise Special rather than the After-Church Buffet.

In any case a place like this will be Red Hot for an hour or so if you are at the right time of day when they got the feed bag on, so I'll be watching it closely.

After that went to some somewhat windy gravel stuff toward C-point and caught a legal husky Ky and a couple short SM real quick and then shagged water for an hour.

Switched gears to bluffs that the wind was raging on and the last 90 minutes made up for the first part of the day. Caught em real consistant with 2 more porker KY's and 7 shorts (but nice shorts) to finish out the day with a flourish and we were off the water at 1630. Bluff bite was ongoing but we both had to get home to household honeydos elsewise we could forgo any hope of... the bite tomorrow!

All in all a pretty good day.

[Fishin' Freak]

Thanks for the report SKMO. I hope to get out real soon.

[snagged in outlet 3]

Hey there SKMO.

Don't stop I enjoy the reports. Being in St. Louis there isn't a whole lot to fish for and I can't get away to fish anyway. The reports keep me going.

But tomorrow, Taney, 8AM, me, large trout!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SIO3

[skeeter]

Thanks for that SKMO. Unexpected chance to take my visiting Son-in-Law out so putting away the leaf blower, the sander and scraper and the paint can ( still repairing hail damage ) and fire the boat up.

You mentioned bluff bite ? If you don't mind, what were you throwin' at 'em ? I see where the wind is finally going around to the South today and the bluffs are always my last resort.

Thanks much..

[SKMO]

Hey Skeeter - Wind was howling so I was throwing a spinnerbait. War Eagle "Screaming Eagle" in a Mouse(grey) with green. Also full size War Eagle double willow in my favorite TR color: Blue Herring. Both did well.

Guy with me was tossing a grub with no luck.

They were hard on the bank/bluff/rocks and after we got off HE deceided he should have been throwing a squarebill which should probably got some action. He doesn't like to fish a spinnerbait behind me, calls me "Electrolux". As hard as I try seems like I can't leave much uncovered when I'm in the spinnerbait thing. So ashamed.

Anyway a shad colored crank would probably work as well. If the wind was medium or low I'd also toss a grey or white tube, and a white hair jig with a trailer and drop it deeper along the bluff faces. In my opinion those Ky's just get set up on the bluffs during a lot of conditions and this is one of them. Also possible to catch a big LM doing this as the water gets a bit cooler. Best bites were bluff ends and little pockets in bluff but when it's blowing good and the water cooling you can stick a good one about anywhere so I have a lot of fun just covering the water with the eternal hope that the next cast is "the one" cause is can be.

[Ham]

I've been on both ends of the boat when it wasn't good to be the guy behind the first spinnerbait the fish saw. I didn't enjoy either experience, but it was easier to deal with the guilt of catching all the fish than it was to deal with the frustratuion of watching all the fish get caught.

Good report. Thanks.

[Cajunangler]

Go ahead Ham and name the person you were referring to when your frustrated by watching fish being caught with a spinner bait. Lucky for you when we meet for future trips you will have a 50/50 shot at the front of the boat since the direction we go will dictate what boat we use.

Anyway, glad to hear someone out there is having some luck at Table Rock. My plans might allow for a trip tomorrow and the information offered will certainly keep my hopes up to land some on those fat kentuckies. If I do get to make the trip I will let everyone know how my day went and what it yielded. I typically fish the section above Cape Fair on the James River arm. I know there are several bluffs there to try but is it more advisable to fish water closer to the main lake during this time of year? Thanks for any suggestions.

[skeeter]

Appreciate that SKMO. Wind finally went around to the South and the kid had to get some baits so we went up to Tri-Lakes and Mark told us Bill had been in and was doing well on smoke with black and smoke with red flake grubs in the cove mouths. We got out Tues. and found the shad and the bass on secondary points in main lake coves. Had one good LM swimming the smoke with red flake at about 35' over 50' on the main cove side of the point, the kid threw a watermelon candy finesse worm on a darter head ( ?!) and put it on me with four shorts, all spots. Lot's of bumps while swimming the grub but no real takers. Not terrible for two hours and a half. Saw about five minutes of surface chasing right at sundown, very surprised but they were little guys.

[Ham]

Go ahead Ham and name the person you were referring to when your frustrated by watching fish being caught with a spinner bait. Lucky for you when we meet for future trips you will have a 50/50 shot at the front of the boat since the direction we go will dictate what boat we use.

My bad, I didn't mean to be obtuse. Our friend,Cajunangler, has abused me with a spinnerbait multiple times. I more than returned the favor this past April at Lake Ouachita. It was brutal. I ended up giving him my rod and "the bait" and the front of the boat ; unfortunately he still couldn't buy a spinnerbait fish.

JTM is a seine when he has spinnerbait fish and the front of the boat. It's horrible.