February 28, 2007 Stockton Lake Fishing Report

[Thompson Fishing Guide Service]

February 28, 2007 Stockton Lake Fishing Report

Walleye: My experience with walleye this last week is that they are still deep and slow, however that could change during the next couple of weeks due to the fact that with warmer days will come warmer water and the fish will stage to spawn. At present, the fish that my clients have taken are legal and up to 3.5 pounds. Most of the fish were taken in about 50 feet of water, as they suspended over creek channels in main lake coves. Minnows and jig heads (weight depending on wind) have been the best bet. These walleye are still biting slowly and if you miss the first tic, party's over. Watch your rod tip, position your bait at he depth of the arches indicated on the scope, and try to keep your line vertical directly below the boat as much as possible. The reason for this is that the fish are so deep and biting so lightly that if you have any bow in your line, you won't detect the bite, therefore you won't catch any fish. And then the next thing that happens, you begin to think that your Lowrance fish finder is programmed to show you fish arches no matter if fish are there or not. As the fish approach the pre-spawn mode, I'll keep you posted. I predict with the rising water, and the number of big fish that I have caught and released this winter, this will be a great year.

Crappie: I have heard rumors that crappie are being caught in around 5 feet of water in the State Park cove. This may or may not be true, however last week, my clients were catching crappie deep, many times down to 50 feet on jigs or minnows and jigs. As with the walleye technique, you need to position your boat above the fish and have a heavy enough weight that holds the bait directly below the boat. These fish bite lightly, but you should catch fish exceeding 15 inches when you find them. In 2 days of fishing, my clients boated 50 crappie and only 2 were sublegal. The next two weeks should enhance the bite.

White bass: the big white bass are deep, and are being caught by my clients on jigs fished in the same locations where you catch the crappie, with the same techniques. You should catch fish up to 3 pounds and the white bass seem to turn on after 3:00 p.m. Their bite will also be very light, so don't expect them to act like they do in the summer.

Largemouth bass: Due to the fact that I have not fished for largemouth, smallmouth or spotted bass in the last week, I don't have any current information. My schedule has been quite busy for the last month with walleye, crappie and white bass fishermen, therefore I have not had an opportunity to take any days off to bass fish. What does a fishing guide do on his day off? Bass fish.....

Marty Thompson

Thompson Fishing Guide Service

www.fishstockton.com

417-424-BASS