Sun 6/22 Kimberling City Area Report

[danop69]

And there are just buckets of craws all over. Not sure they are even concerned much about shad yet. We were still catching spots and blacks up on the banks full of craws last week.

Dock fish we caught were not on the "summer" deeper docks. To me those are the docks you would flip a spoon in, with as much as 50-80' on the ends. Better docks were shallow, maybe 15'-20' on the ends. Fish on those were either shallow, especially on jet ski floats and walkways, roaming around the sides about halfway up the docks, or roaming off the ends. Did not really catch any up in slips.

There are some better brownies down in wood or pole timber on points, out to 20' or so. Very tight to wood, very subtle bite (if even noticed), and very slow. Most of the fish caught like that measured, and some were nicer keepers. Was too slow for the kids though, at least in terms of bites. And really for my tastes as well. More or less putting the little rig vertically down the trees. With some wind those same fish will roam around the wood a bit, but still not what you would call aggressive.

Yeah, it was definitely a very slow bite. Just here and there. No multiples. Just swimming the grub very slow.

[Bill Babler]

Yesterday that bite got better as the day went along. We had a 8 hr. trip out of Baxter and the best bite was between 10 and 2. Caught them pretty good on a wobblehead. and a dropshot. Boat in 35' on the long tapered points with chunk rock and we would throw the wobbler while we looked at the HDS for dropshot fish.

Not a boat load of fish yesterday, 22 bass and some big BG. But had some very nice quality keeps LM and K's no Jaws.

Today kind of the same deal. Started out on the wobbler and the Varmit and then switched to the dropshot. Same number of fish on this 4 hr. trip with about a dozen really nice K's between 15 and 17 inches.

Water temps both days at 81 and fish both days between 22 and 35 ft.

There are just thousands of big gills in the 18' to 35' range if you have a mind to catch some for the dinner plate as they are that size. Crickets will get them.

[Champ188]

Water temps both days at 81 and fish both days between 22 and 35 ft.

Someone sounds happy, happy, happy that the deep bite is finally getting going.

[merc1997 Bo]

Yesterday that bite got better as the day went along. We had a 8 hr. trip out of Baxter and the best bite was between 10 and 2. Caught them pretty good on a wobblehead. and a dropshot. Boat in 35' on the long tapered points with chunk rock and we would throw the wobbler while we looked at the HDS for dropshot fish.

Not a boat load of fish yesterday, 22 bass and some big BG. But had some very nice quality keeps LM and K's no Jaws.

Today kind of the same deal. Started out on the wobbler and the Varmit and then switched to the dropshot. Same number of fish on this 4 hr. trip with about a dozen really nice K's between 15 and 17 inches.

Water temps both days at 81 and fish both days between 22 and 35 ft.

There are just thousands of big gills in the 18' to 35' range if you have a mind to catch some for the dinner plate as they are that size. Crickets will get them.

very interesting that you mentioned the bluegill. big bass love them. this is one of those things that come under the food chain, and how it relates to the bass. i am betting there are some very good bass hanging around the areas where there are so many gills. i know that on the lower end of the lake, and i hit an area that has lots of goggle eye, i do not let that chase me away. i have caught many big bass in these areas. big bass love big easy meals. i do not know if bill's nice kentuckies are coming from the same areas as the gills, but if so, it could be a very good reason that the bass are around.

bo

[dtrs5kprs]

very interesting that you mentioned the bluegill. big bass love them. this is one of those things that come under the food chain, and how it relates to the bass. i am betting there are some very good bass hanging around the areas where there are so many gills. i know that on the lower end of the lake, and i hit an area that has lots of goggle eye, i do not let that chase me away. i have caught many big bass in these areas. big bass love big easy meals. i do not know if bill's nice kentuckies are coming from the same areas as the gills, but if so, it could be a very good reason that the bass are around.

bo

Bo...I think you are right on about the perch, especially when the shad are few and far between. We get hung up on fishing "big lake forage" and forget how many perch get gobbled by bass in ponds.

So true. We just got in from this morning an we have not seen balls of bait anywhere yet but have seen them scattered about. Saw a few here and there swimming on top while fishing but that was it.

We went to completely diffenernt areas to look for more fish and found some on main lake bluff ends with pole timber. A little better than yesterday but not by much. Caught most of our fish swimming a smoke grub and one on a hula jig. Was overcast all day which I thought would help but not so much other than we went sweating and were very comfortable a morning. Did go out to fish a main lake hump and saw scattered fish. Caught 2 there with one spot and a brown fish on a fin believe it or not. It was a light rain at the time so just decided to head in for a bit then take the kids out for a while this afternoon.

All in all, only 8 fish total with a mixture of LM, spots and brownies with only two keeps being small jaws about 16" each.

Still have 4 more days to figure something out. Thanks for the input.

Good fishin!

Dan

Dan...bright sun was much better around Kimberling, unless you could get clouds with wind (which was a tough get). Kept them from roaming, kept them tighter to the bottom.

[AAD]

Here is the Sat evening LM with the dangling Ned

Gotta love the flipped pics from the iPhone.

Andy.

[AAD]

That bass was caught from the bank, on a SW facing, sun baked shallow point, in about 3 FOW from underneath a dock walkway float.

We have yet to catch one equal it so far this week. Maybe we need to save on gas and bank fish.

Andy.

[dtrs5kprs]

That bass was caught from the bank, on a SW facing, sun baked shallow point, in about 3 FOW from underneath a dock walkway float.

We have yet to catch one equal it so far this week. Maybe we need to save on gas and bank fish.

Andy.

Sent Dan a pm. That is where the dock fish we caught were located. Shallow and either on the walks or especially on the plastic jet ski floats. Don't remember catching one from inside a slip in the traditional sense. Quite a few on the fronts and sides, but they were roaming around shallow docks.

Don't think the fish there are in a hurry to get deep. Maybe if something changes with the craws. We were catching fish that had absolutely torn up their noses and heads from rooting craws.

[bjovan]

Speaking of bass eating gills. Last year I was chasing gills with my wife in the mill creek area, twice in one morning I had bigguns grab a small gill I was reeling in. Never got them in the boat, both fish were 5 or better, had both near the surface then they let go. Awesome sight to say the least.

[merc1997 Bo]

i think there will be craws up shallow until the water level drops quite a bit. then it will be time to find where bass are tearing up shad, and the craws will be gathered up underneath feasting on what went to the bottom.

i just talked to a guy that had been fishing daytime in the virgin bluff area, and they caught a slug of bass fairly shallow on black and blue jigs. so, some areas still have shallow bass. i know in the down stream area, lots of bass are showing up out deeper, but lots of them are suspended out in the lake around small shad pods.

bo