Fishing Report, James River

[Phil Lilley]

Put in at Blunk about 12:30. Water clarity about 10 inches. Headed up to McCords and beached the boat. Put on waders and comensed to cast. I caught one small male on a white 1/80th oz jig. Some guys on the bank had a dozen small males.

Headed around the corner (faster water) and saw a guy in the eddie below the riffle on the far bank catch a bunch of small whites and kept every one. We thought wow- those are small males to keep- some not more than 6 inches. He kept 2 walleye too. I didn't see them but James said he didn't think they were every big.

We goofed around and didn't catch much else. Boated back downstream looking and fishing. We weren't too familiar with that area. Went back up and the guy in the eddie was gone so we slipped in. We decided to keep the spot till dark and wait till the big whites moved up at dusk. Never happened. We caught small males, 2 big crappie and quite a few goggleye. Drifted out.

As we drifted back down, we saw several whites circle on the surface, starting to spawn. We ended up catching the largest whites on purple swimming minnows as we drifted back to the ramp. I think we kept about 25 whites.

Not many people out really. I river boat (Shawnee) with 3 fly fishers and about 6 other boats with a half dz bank fishers is all.

Didn't take water temp... my live well pump isn't even working. Broke one trailer lite pulling out and the tip of my favorite Falcon rod. But it was a great day.

I think with the forecast and warm temps, these whites will be spawning for the next week or two- but it has started for sure.

Question- can you keep goggleye in the river? Are they considered part of the bass family that's closed to taking in most Missouri rivers, including the James (I assume). We didn't keep any. I have enough fish to clean!! Tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[Dutch]

"Put in at Blunk about 12:30. Water clarity about 10 inches. Headed up to McCords and beached the boat. "

Did you put in at Blunk's or McCord Bend. I don't see how you could put in at Blunk's and go up to McCord since it is down stream from Rolly Blunk's.

Phil the goggle-eye have no stream restrictions and a limit of 15.

http://ozarkanglers.com/forums/index.php?a...ost&id=1135

[Tightline]

Good report,I hope the bigger fish are on their way.Was the 25 you kept the smaller yearlings or bigger males, sows?

[Phil Lilley]

I drove in on Blunk Rd so I assumed I was at Blunks. I know of another private ramp on down a couple of miles that I took out of last summer when we canoed it.

The whites- I'm sure we caught all males, although we saw them circling so there were sows in the area. We caught 2-3 2-plus males as we drifted out late, 2-3 pounders at the eddie and the rest were small- much smaller than I'd ever usually keep but that's all anyone was catching PLUS I'd rather keep a mess of small jacks that a few big sows.

We did the best throwing a white 1/32nd oz jig with a 3/0 split pinched 12 inches above the jig, 4 lb line. Chartreuse did ok too but white was best. Caught a ton of small blue gill too.

[Sam]

Phil - There's no ramp at Blunk Hole, you have to walk in there. Blunk Road dead-ends into the river at Galena Park where there's a ramp that's just awful. If you used that ramp, that accounts for your broken taillight.

The next ramp downstream at McCord Bend is a lot better, that's probably the one you used before. To get there from Galena, don't turn on Blunk Road - just keep going on the highway. A couple of miles further there's a big left curve and a left-turn sign for McCord Bend - turn there. That dead-ends into the little community of McCord Bend by the river, and "Charlie" operates a private park and ramp there. Just put $2 for each vehicle in the mailbox when you enter. From there, that whole stretch of river up and down can be good fishing for white bass, crappie, and bass. I'm going out of there tomorrow.

I'm no expert on fishing laws, but a couple of years ago I unexpectedly got into BIG goggleyes around Kimberling City the first week of May. Not being used to that situation, I used my cell phone to call MDC in Springfield (from my boat) and asked about the season and limit on goggleyes.

They said the season on the rivers opens May 15, but it was OK to keep a limit since I was on the lake. The limit is 15, and there's no minimum length. Since all the James River in the Galena area is considered Tablerock Lake up to the highway bridge above the town - the goggleye and bass season doesn't apply there. It's OK to keep them.

Goggleyes are some of my favorite fish, and I look on them as kind of a rarity now. I remember how we used to catch 12-inchers all the time out of James, Finley, and Beaver when I was a kid, and that doesn't happen anymore. So, I have a 10-inch "personal" minimum on keeping them. About the first week of May I'll sometimes get a limit or two of 10"+ goggleyes out of Tablerock Lake, but I never catch any that big around Galena.

[Phil Lilley]

All the whites were males. 22 in all with 3 crappie- one sow. It was full of nymphs.

I bet we had 2 gogs that were 10 inches. We do catch gogs that size around the Branson Belle- those banks are full of them in May and June.

[bobby b.]

Put in at Bridgeport and fished for whites up near Blunk on Monday. As I am new to TR, this was my first time running the James this far up. Met and talked to some nice local guys. Fishing was slow but I learned allot. I will put in further up from now on - Charlies probably as I understand Lilley broke a trailer light at Blunks. The ramp looked OK from the water but maybe its not. Did catch some whites and a nice LM. Whites were small - not like what I experienced on the Kings the days before.

Had to come back to KC for some work Tuesday and Wed. (today) but am ready to come back down as soon as I hear something favorable regarding the Whites or the Crappie, particularly up the James as I liked it up there.

So what the word up the James or Long Creek or the Kings?