Thank You MDC!!! And short lower end report ....

[nomolites]

I have the grandkids in from Florida this week and we went on a mid-week family trip which consisted of lots of kid stuff but there was time to spend a few hours here and there fishing, mostly the last couple hours before and an hour or so after dark.  As has been my MO I chased walleye and hybrids but caught about every other species in the process.  I had a couple of surprises, and that is the reason for the subject line:

1) I caught not just one but a number of sub-legal walleye, all in the 14-15 inch range.  I had not caught a short fish in over 5 YEARS!  They all were in the same class it seemed, and I am very excited to see them!!!  I hope MDC has followed that group with more...

2) In addition, between myself and my family members in the boat we caught at least 15 STRIPERS, not hybrids, not whites, STRIPERS.  These fish were all in the same class at 10-12ish inches like the walleye(maybe a year behind?), and they were fat healthy footballs that were banging 3/4 spoons jigged vertically and horizontally around flats like they were somebody.  Again, I am excited - we have loads of gizzard shad in LOZ and the fish should thrive.  I caught a 22#er when I was 14 years ago up in the Gravi and that is the event that started me down this road to ruin....

 

Ameren was moving minimum water when I was down so we had to work for our fish but we had a decent week considering time spent.  Probably caught 80 whites(many of which were 2-3#) and three hybrids - the biggest a 7#er.  Had a handful of keeper walleye, the biggest a fat 22" fish that I would have bet when I saw it was longer given it's girth but the Golden Rule said 22 1/4.  As always, had a number blue cats with a few in the 5-10# range, all released. The lake was like bath water with temps 87 and up and what thermocline was present would fluttering between 15 and 23 feet.  Caught most fish on spoons(clown or red/white) in 15-25' although we did troll cranks on lead some with good results but the spoon bite was a hoot with all of the whites mixed in. Did not take a lot ofpics but here are a couple that made it to the freezer and my granddaughter with her first "fish on"...she loved it!

 

Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dennis]

Thanks for the report. What part of the lake were you fishing?

[nomolites]

I fished the Osage from the dam to the 8 and the Gravois arm up to the 5.  This time of year I look for a thermocline and then target bluff end shelfs and flats in that depth range looking for shad.  The same approach usually translates well in other parts of the lake.

Mike

[buckcreekmike]

Wow, unusual suspects and a lot of them. Sounds fun. 

[WHARFRAT]

Same on the BN.  No stripers or hybrids, but very nice white bass.  A couple of sub-legal walleye, and quite of few decent size blue and channel cats..  Caught trolling around 2mph.  using flicker shad, mepps spinners, or 1/4 rooster tails.  Water condition about the same as yours.  Sorry, no pics.  I'm getting too lazy to reach in my pocket and grab my phone.

 

[nomolites]

3 hours ago, WHARFRAT said:

Same on the BN.  No stripers or hybrids, but very nice white bass.  A couple of sub-legal walleye, and quite of few decent size blue and channel cats..  Caught trolling around 2mph.  using flicker shad, mepps spinners, or 1/4 rooster tails.  Water condition about the same as yours.  Sorry, no pics.  I'm getting too lazy to reach in my pocket and grab my phone.

 

I have seen some of the big girls you catch...hard to take pictures of lesser fish after landing those...?

Mike

[conorsixtakc]

Awesome!

[MOsmallies]

Great report Mike! Sounds like an awesome weekend full of catching!!