August 19Th. 2013 Upper End Report

[Bill Babler]

Had the privilege of taking two different sets of regular clients the last two days on the Rock out of Eagle Rock.

Fishing from Campbell point to Long Creek on the Main lake has been just dreadful since the rise and fall.

Good Ole White River fish have kept me in the game. Most of our fish are coming on the flat roll-offs into the main White River Channel. Inside bends of channel swings are really holding quality fish as are the long flat points in that upper White River region.

Best 5 with Rod and Will Sanders on Sunday would have topped the scales at 18 pounds with a super 7 pounder that Will anchored our string with on a PigSticker 3/8th. oz jig. Caught and released 26 bass mostly LM on the jig. Bout half were keeps with some very nice quality.

Today I had Glenn Coffman and Step Son Jeff. Lots and lots of nice keepers in the 15 to 17 inch size with one very nice SM that was a 3 plus pounder. Probably close to 40 fish today on jigs and dropshots.

Jeff had the best 5 and they would have tipped the scales at 13.5. Really respectable.

Water temps both days at the start were at 78.9 and at the end at 80.9 Water is a bit stained with no more than 4 ft. of visibility. Every location both days we stopped we were the deepest fishermen. "Surprise, surprise." Lots of folks in close listening to my guys yelling and cheering. Not hearing to much from the bank fishing boats.

Our fish started the day in the 18' to 20' with heavy fog cover. When we quit at about 11 AM both days we were still catching fish but most were in the 32' range, on either the jig or the shot. Yamamoto 4 inch cuttail was the best dropshot worm along with crawlers trying to catch walleye and kittys. Neither of those today. Yesterday we just fished the jig.

I believe with this colored water and if we get the least breeze and or cloud cover the bass will bite all day up the White River if your on them.

On a really bright note, we never saw a ski boat all day, and I believe we only saw 4 other fishermen.

Good Luck

[Champ188]

Any thermocline to speak of?

[aarchdale@coresleep.com]

Good report as always. We just left Bridgeport. Caught a few crappie. A 4lb flathead with my crappie rod. Then we just sat under te bridge and caught top water fish for a couple hours. It was very entertaining. Top water but state at around noon Pretty much over at 2. Not really what I expected. No size to the top bites. Just fun

[Bill Babler]

Any thermocline to speak of?

Nope

[Bill Babler]

Several reports coming from Budds from the dam to Baxter, being just flat BRUTAL. Stone did tell me yesterday that a small Herd came up and saved his bacon on what was about to be a very stressful guide day. I believe he was in the point 9-10 area. Just really hard as these deep fish scattered and there were not a lot out there to begin with. Deep fish in the Summer is how we make out money, and this Summer, they have made us work for them.

Even with my good few days up the White River, there are not lots and lots of fish on a single location, there are a few and they are scattered along the entire location rather than being schooled up.

There is a shad hatch going on and the shad are about 1/2 the size of a dime. This is also a factor as they are keying on those very small bait fish and making it even more difficult. Thank goodness they are eating Crawdaddy's up the White.

Did not hear what it took for Joe Bass on this weekend, but reports are there were some fish coming to the scales. My guess would be some fish in the bushes, but I never saw a derby boat up the White River this weekend, above the Kings River. It was however so foggy, you just probably could not get up there.

[ozarksfishin]

Makin us work for them is the understatement of the summer! Usually in a four hour trip we can find one decent school and stay on them. This rain and rise and fall of the lake has thrown a monkey wrench into our normal late summer pattern.

[jmes]

There was a derby out of Cape Fair on saturday. I believe there was around 94 boats and it took around 14 lbs win it and around 7 lbs to get the to get a check. So fishing is alittle tough would be a under statement

[Champ188]

Worlds of shad + cool weather + high water = tough summer fishing. We all depend on the heat driving the shad down on the ledges and deep points, and the bass following them. What we don't count on is an overabundance of shad being scattered all over the lake with no thermocline, including a bunch of bushes that aren't normally in the water. Scattered shad mean scattered bass.

[aarchdale@coresleep.com]

I've never seen so many gar surfacing as I did today they were absolutely everywhere.

[bfishn]

Nice report!

A bloom of 1/4" shad turns most opportunistic fish into filter feeders; swim & swallow. Kinda like the mayfly hatch on steroids. One of the hardest things to compete with, but it makes for some big, healthy fall fish. A 10lb fish could easily gain three this year.

What's that...? You say there's a good ledge bite where...? Down by the dam, huh. Just let me get my boots on...