Why I never dive at Truman Lake

[Smalliebigs]

Kayser------  That be meant as a joke but it is not far from a fact. 

BS!!!!!! has anyone ever seen an 80 to 100 Blue in person??? I have and they are big but, not as big as the lies and wise tales told about cats at Dams. I fish out of Columbia Bottoms where all of the largest catfish in this sate beside maybe 1 or 2 over 100lbs come from. They pull hard in current but have no capability of eating a human or even think about it.

 when was the last 120 plus cat caught from a Dam??? if there was fish like all the lies say people would be fishing there......and trust me the tackle we are using up on the Mississippi could bring in a fish big enough to eat a human but, they just aren't out there......and they aren't at any dam on any lake in Missouri either. 

[fishinwrench]

True.  Snapping turtles are another story.  

[Old plug]

I have seen a couple in the over 80 in LOZ. One caught on a trot line and the other on a jug. Catching big catfishes in LOZ is way different from the river. I wonder sometimes what might be down in those places I like to deep jig. 

[Troutnut69]

I've seen some awfully big cats around TR dam while diving the cliffs, nothing the size of VW's obviously, but I've seen a couple that would be pushing the #80- #100 mark. Almost always lying hidden under a rock shelf overhang and hiding back out of site.  They aren't near as excited to see you as you are them, no hint of aggression ever, they just want to get out of there and be left alone. Very cool to see some of their daytime haunts...

[fishinwrench]

I have seen a couple in the over 80 in LOZ. One caught on a trot line and the other on a jug. Catching big catfishes in LOZ is way different from the river. I wonder sometimes what might be down in those places I like to deep jig. 

I think I know what's down there......    A 1-3' deep blanket of silt covering everything except the steepest of ledges where it hasn't built up yet, similar to the landscape after a blizzard.    This is why I prefer fishing shallow areas where wave action and periodic drawdowns keep things swept relatively clean.     Fish (especially bass) really don't care much for fluffy mucky bottoms.  Cats might burrow down in that yucky crap but I'm surprised they can even breathe in it.  

[Johnsfolly]

Here the catfish that I would worry about (if I lived in India or Asia). The Goonch.

[Seth]

BS!!!!!! has anyone ever seen an 80 to 100 Blue in person??? I have and they are big but, not as big as the lies and wise tales told about cats at Dams. I fish out of Columbia Bottoms where all of the largest catfish in this sate beside maybe 1 or 2 over 100lbs come from. They pull hard in current but have no capability of eating a human or even think about it.

 when was the last 120 plus cat caught from a Dam??? if there was fish like all the lies say people would be fishing there......and trust me the tackle we are using up on the Mississippi could bring in a fish big enough to eat a human but, they just aren't out there......and they aren't at any dam on any lake in Missouri either. 

I've had old timers tell me stories of 100 pound catfish in the Bourbeuse River too. You know, a river that is doing good to have enough water in it to not have to drag a canoe between the holes lol. Truth and facts aren't as fun as a good fish story no matter how far fetched they are. 

[Al Agnew]

Fish gotta go where the food is.  Not much food in deep water in Ozark reservoirs.  Below dams?  Sure, at certain times of the year like when dying shad come through the dam, but probably not always.  Big catfish, like big fish of many species, will hang out in fairly deep water (or in heavy cover) when inactive, but when they get active they go to where the food is, and that's shallower water.

The only way there would be huge catfish right below dams would be if there were always a LOT of food (takes a lot of food to grow and feed a big one) all the time, plus just the perfect place for them to be just out of the current but right where all the food comes by all the time...and within the boundaries of where you can't get close enough to fish for them.

Deep water is always mysterious and always fires our imaginations as to what could be there...but in reality it's usually a pretty boring place.

[fishinwrench]

 

Deep water is always mysterious and always fires our imaginations as to what could be there...but in reality it's usually a pretty boring place.

Yep!     

When my pond (LO) is drawn down 5-6'  in the Winter, you can see that everything below 4-6' is covered in muck.   Wave action keeps the bottom substrate clean down to about 6 feet.... but the vision everyone has of well defined rocks, stumps, and logs in deeper water is a mental illusion. Anything on the floor of the lake that is on less than a 45° angle slope is all covered in a thick blanket of rotting leaves and silty puke.    Fish don't wanna be there !

[mjk86]

Yep!     

When my pond (LO) is drawn down 5-6'  in the Winter, you can see that everything below 4-6' is covered in muck.   Wave action keeps the bottom substrate clean down to about 6 feet.... but the vision everyone has of well defined rocks, stumps, and logs in deeper water is a mental illusion. Anything on the floor of the lake that is on less than a 45° angle slope is all covered in a thick blanket of rotting leaves and silty puke.    Fish don't wanna be there !

this depends on the lake.  You can drop a spoon to the bottom of Stockton in 50 fow and hits a hard bottom and comes up clean.  The lakes by me...your correct.  Also don't forget that a large amount of decomposition takes place at the bottom from bacteria which slows the accumulation of the silt by turning it to co2.