Lower Black

[Jared Stark]

Headed out tomorrow to float and fish in the Markham Springs area. Mainly to try out my new kayak but want to wet a line as well. From what I gather this time of year walleye would be the best bet. Any suggestions on tactics and bait?

[MOsmallies]

I don't know that area but if I was targeting walleye, I'd be casting suspending jerkbaits or vertical jigging a jig with a plastic trailer tipped with a minnow. If I were fishing for bass I'd be throwing suspending jerkbaits and hair jigs with chunk or craw trailer.

Have fun and make sure to wear a life jacket. These water temps can be dangerous in a hurry. Post a report and some pics after you go. Ron Kruger or Jerry Rapp probably know the area and can offer better advice.

[Jerry Rapp]

I have never fished the lower Black except for the Clearwater tail water. 40 to 50 years ago my Grand Pa would go down to the lower Black and fish for "Jack Salmon" with 6 to 8 chub minnows he trapped in Flat River Creek. Al has fished it some, I am sure he will chime in soon.

[Al Agnew]

Now is the time to go for walleye. They are still in their winter holes, but sometime in the next two or three weeks, depending upon the weather and water, they'll start moving to the vicinity of spawning riffles, scattering out and becoming hard to find. Those native Ozark river walleye always make a spawning run earlier than the walleye that have been stocked in the lakes.

Concentrate on the deeper pools. The walleye spend the winter mostly in the larger, deeper pools. But they don't have to be extremely deep. If you come to really deep water, deeper than 15 feet or so, you can vertical jig as suggested, but most of the places you'll find walleye on the Black aren't going to be quite that deep. I have caught them on minnow shaped deep diving crankbaits and slow-swimming curly tail grubs on jigheads, but you have to be getting down to the bottom. Most of my walleye fishing in the past was done as Jerry said his Grandpa did it, big live minnows in the gravel dredged holes at Keener Spring and right below the Hwy. 67 bridge. The Keener Hole at the spring gets pounded in the winter because the spring attracts both bass and walleye and all the locals know it. Plus, there isn't hardly anything left of the hole. It used to be a gravel dredged hole that extended for a mile upstream from the spring; now it's a little deep pocket right at the spring. But there's another gravel dredged pool right below it that also holds walleye (and gets pounded). And since the Forest Service put in the fancy boat ramp and huge parking lot at the pool below Hwy. 67, that hole gets pounded, too.

[Jared Stark]

Thank you all! Don't care about the keepers just want to have a good time catching fish no matter the size. I'll let Ya know how it goes:)

[Al Agnew]

Unless you're a lot better walleye angler than I am, don't expect to catch many. You should be able to catch some bass, though. Lots of spotted bass in lower Black, with a few smallmouth and largemouth. This time of year you'll catch them in the same wintering pools as the walleye, but the bass will be in woody cover a lot more so than the walleye.