Tough Time Of The Year

[WHARFRAT]

This is always my least favorite time of the year to fish. Not that one can't catch them, but for fishermen, you have to get out extra early and get off the lake mid to late morning. Also, I don't handle the heat and the sun very well. I'd much rather be fishing in 40 degree temps than upper 80's low 90's. Cloudy days make is more tolerable for me.

Anyway, fishing was fairly tough this weekend. Trolled with the wife for a few hrs on Saturday morning, caught a few, not a whole lot. Decent size channel cat, and a couple of 10" crappie. Started getting a bit busy, with the big rigs and jet skis. Fished a little bit off our dock, wasn't too bad, could have been better.

Went out with my son-in-law on Sunday for a couple of hrs in the morning. Probably caught a dozen crappie. They seemed like they were inches from the bottom next to brush. No real size, all were near or a little over 9". Another nice eater size channel cat. Seemed like the bass were biting pretty good. Picked up a few of them while crappie fishing. If you got a bite a couple foot down, it was usually going to be a bass. Crappie were much deeper.

Been hearing reports of white bass surfacing at dusk and dawn near where the little niagua comes in. Went up there Saturday night and early Sunday, but didn't observe anything. I am seeing a lot of shad though.

Messed around at night with a Pop-R around the shore by our place. The little bass kept me interested. Nothing over 12".

Good Luck Everyone, Stay Cool!

[Old plug]

YES it sure can be frustrating. I ran into a condition a little while back I have never seen before. I have been fishing in one area and wrench has been fishing in another as usual. We were both fishing much the the same way. These two ares are only a couple miles apart. The fish in his area shut down the bite between 5 and 5:30 pm. In my area they never even started even got stated till 6pm or later. I really cannot find a reason for that but it is very interesting Information.

[crittermo]

I know what you mean what with the extra big boats, the heat and such.

I had a blast fishing for the large carp that I can see in between my dock

and the shoreline. I don't have to go out on the lake and I can fish in the shade.

They fight like crazy and you can get into some big ones. It's more for

something to do, I don't eat them, just C & R.

[Old plug]

Crittermo------ I like to do that at times but being between two popular bars its tough on the weekends. I also have tooooo much to hook up with a with a small freight train. Another good hot weather past time I like is taking out my rope lures and going after big gar in the evenings when I can find a school of them rolling.I do not think they a tougher than carp but they real hard and take off like like a bullet. You need good HEAVY glose when landing them. they have 4 rows of teeth in those choppers. two rows stick out diagonally.

[nomolites]

This is always my least favorite time of the year to fish. Not that one can't catch them, but for fishermen, you have to get out extra early and get off the lake mid to late morning. Also, I don't handle the heat and the sun very well. I'd much rather be fishing in 40 degree temps than upper 80's low 90's. Cloudy days make is more tolerable for me.

Anyway, fishing was fairly tough this weekend. Trolled with the wife for a few hrs on Saturday morning, caught a few, not a whole lot. Decent size channel cat, and a couple of 10" crappie. Started getting a bit busy, with the big rigs and jet skis. Fished a little bit off our dock, wasn't too bad, could have been better.

Went out with my son-in-law on Sunday for a couple of hrs in the morning. Probably caught a dozen crappie. They seemed like they were inches from the bottom next to brush. No real size, all were near or a little over 9". Another nice eater size channel cat. Seemed like the bass were biting pretty good. Picked up a few of them while crappie fishing. If you got a bite a couple foot down, it was usually going to be a bass. Crappie were much deeper.

Been hearing reports of white bass surfacing at dusk and dawn near where the little niagua comes in. Went up there Saturday night and early Sunday, but didn't observe anything. I am seeing a lot of shad though.

Messed around at night with a Pop-R around the shore by our place. The little bass kept me interested. Nothing over 12".

Good Luck Everyone, Stay Cool!

Agreed. Big boats and big wakes make fishing less enjoyable. I will say, however, that after recently spending time on Bull Shoals and Mark Twain that LOZ is imminently more fertile, and depending upon your target, a better fishery as far as numbers of fish and their relative "catchability". They are there, and lots of them, just deeper than most people are comfortable fishing in this heat. They were moving lots of water on both ends when I fished last(12th-14th)and the fish were piled up at 25-30 feet with the shad just waiting for your lure to come swimming by. Looking forward to being back on the water to see what's up this week.