Whites!

[WHARFRAT]

Whites are really starting to boil the surface.

Didn't see much on Saturday, but Sunday they were popping from dawn up until late morning. Most of the jumps were quick, (a couple of minutes). Great size too! Caught a bunch. I don't keep them. I probably wouldn't eat them anyway.

Crappie were still tough. I cleaned 5 - 11 inchers for dinner last night. But that was about all that size, and only caught a handful of smaller ones. They are starting to gourge themselves. The ones I cleaned had pretty full bellies.

Hooked a pretty nice walleye, fought him for quite a while, when he got next to the boat, it was like he just opened his mouth and let my jig go. I guess I need to set the hook a little harder next time.

.

Great weather, little boat traffic

[fishinwrench]

Awesome!

I found some way up on a shallow flat (2-3') before the cold snap but they became inactive over the weekend for me. I'm pretty sure they are still there but getting them to bite after the water temp took a 16° plunge was not happening.

I'm guessing that where you got into them was over deeper water ?

I found a nice walleye amongst them also.

I love chasing Fall whites with fly gear, look forward to it all year.

[Bushbeater]

I heard some rumors and my son saw a photo of a striper about 40 lbs. said to have come out of Niangua Branch last week. Anyone else know of this fish?

[fishinwrench]

Several nice stripers get caught from the HHT area every year so one over 30# wouldn't surprise me.

[WHARFRAT]

We were also seeing them on shallow flats last weekend, maybe not 2-3' but more like 4-6'. Yesterday they were popping in about 9-12'.

I didn't hear about a 40# striper, but one of the guys at our place said he caught some in 5-9# range.

BTW, nice eye there!

[nomolites]

Very nice walleye there sir. Glad to hear fall patterns are coming on!

[Justin Spencer]

Hey Wrench, I know nothing about chasing whites in the fall what should I do to find them?

[WHARFRAT]

Two of the easiest ways:

1. Look for a lot of fishing boats all hangin around in close proximity.

2. Troll around and look for the water to come alive. Normally, but not always the case, White bass will chase early in the morning, or right before sunset.

Back in the day, I used to catch my shad, then go out in the middle and look for humps, anchor, and drown some shad right off the bottom. Havent done that in quite a while.

[fishinwrench]

Hey Wrench, I know nothing about chasing whites in the fall what should I do to find them?

Never fished them on Norfork lake but up here on LO and Truman they gang up on shallow flats in the upper tributary arms, and that's when they become good flyfishing targets. The schools of whites further out on main lake points and such aren't nearly as dependable as the schools that have committed to the extreme upper ends of a lake.

By looking at the map....if I were you I'd start below Tecumseh, like maybe the shallow flats near the confluence of Lick cr.

Cover water quickly with fast strips and fly's that you can see (crease fly, big streamers, ect.) and try to get one to chase or flash on your fly, just like you do for those browns on the river, then once you have found ONE you know there will be more close by. Then start switching fly's and presentations until you figure out what they'll EAT.

They will pretty much chase, flash and swat at anything that moves quick and erratic in their vicinity and that's the best way to find them when they aren't actively busting on the surface or giving away their location in other ways. Just watch for those silver flashes behind your fly and when you see one anchor down and start actively trying to get them to bite.

[fishinwrench]

Are there any large shallow flats near the confluence of Bryant ?