Fishing Tomorrow

[groundedchevy]

A friend and I our planning on heading to Bull Shoals tomorrow. Plan was to pick up some minnows and go for crappie. Any suggestions? I was planning on launching at Shadow Rock or K Dock (I don't know the lake very well at all). We will leaving from Springfield and I don't want much over a hour drive. Also I might mention that my boat is very slow therefore most of the fishing will take place close to the launch ramp. Any ideas would be appreciated....he isn't a fisherman and I'd like to show him a good time for getting up so early.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Well if you don't get some good suggestions, I would launch at Shadow or River Run and proceed to the Powersite dam.

You might consider a stop at the bait shop in Forsyth, it will be the second building on your right after the 4 way stop, they are always helpful. You can generally park with a boat.

[Sam]

I agree with Wayne - get some local info and fish the dam area. You can save some driving by putting in at Shadow Rock or River Run. K Highway is almost un-launchable now as the ramp and parking lot are underwater and you can barely put in off the side of the road into a narrow gully. Crappie fishing may be tough right now but you ought to be able to find who-knows-what biting around that River Run area, especially on minnows. Check under the highway bridge - if small black bass are chasing shad on top then white bass are often hanging under them around those bridge pilings. In fact, you might find whites anywhere in that area and of course short black bass to catch and release. Downstream about a mile along that straight stretch just past the first 90 degree turn to the right (Barker Hole), you might try putting a split shot sinker about a foot up from a minnow and drifting that rig along the rough, rocky bottom for walleyes. If all else fails, work the chunk-rock banks for perch - I always figure catching something is more fun than catching nothing.

[groundedchevy]

Thanks for the help guys. I might get out there a little early for the bait shops to be open. I figured I'd set the slip bobber at about 12 foot. Does that depth sound about right?

[Wayne SW/MO]

Should be fine in the main channel. You've got an extra 8' to work with.

[groundedchevy]

What ounce bottom bouncers do you guys use when going for Walleye?

[Sam]

What ounce bottom bouncers do you guys use when going for Walleye?

I've never actually caught a walleye using a bottom bouncer, though the walleye specialists here do. I'm more likely to slow-troll a 1/8 oz. chartreuse Roadrunner tipped with a live minnow or half a nightcrawler. Or troll a deep-diving plug like a Bandit II with your main motor at about 2.2 mph along the edge of flats. Both techniques are for very early morning or for cloudy/stormy days, though. Sunny bluebird days tend to shut the 'eyes down.

[Ron Burgundy]

What ounce bottom bouncers do you guys use when going for Walleye?

The rule of thumb is 1oz for every 10ft of depth.

[groundedchevy]

Thanks for all the help everyone. Unfortunately the water was deep cold and dirty and we pretty much had zero luck except 1 perch my buddy caught. We were on the water at 5:00 am and lasted until about 11.

[Wayne SW/MO]

By dirty you mean a lot of floating material? That can happen when they shut off generation at TR. When they generate they literally tilt the surface of BS if that dam isn't generating and there is a back flow as the lake settles back to flat.