Where to Fish

[Bushbeater]

Finally get a day off for a full day of fishing. The question is where? Look for Hybrids and Walleye here at Hahatonka, Smallmouth float fishing on Big or Little Niangua? LM down lake in deeper water?  Curious on whose catching , when and where.

Quote

Goin Where the Wind Don't Blow So Strange Robert Hunter

 

[fishinwrench]

You can pretty much do whatever you want right now.   There are fish shallow, there are fish deep on the bottom, and there are fish suspended out in the middle of nowhere.  

Roll the dice and just go for it, you'll probably do pretty well if you just stick with it awhile.

[shrapnel]

I've actually been catching them on points finally.  Just roll across it a couple times with your graph if it doesn't look good move on.  If ya like what ya see toss a shaky head and worm or jig at em and then a few passes with a crankbait before ya leave.  If your lucky you'll get several before they shut down.  Fish over 3.5 are scarce.

[fishinwrench]

There is what we call a "crossbar pattern" going on right now, and what that amounts to are fish that are hanging on the cross braces that span the openings of some dock slips.  If you look at the front of a dock you can see whether or not it has cross braces, they are down about 4-5ft.   

Pitch a swim jig or a swimbait into the slip, let it sink down just deep enough that when you swim it out you'll bump the crossbar.   The bites are sneaky sometimes, you really have to pay attention.  It's a quick easy way to get bit by 12-16 inchers but you aren't likely to catch a toad doing it.

[WeekendWarrior]

Just got back from vacation so I have not been on lake for awhile but went out for a couple hours tonight and fished a couple points and a couple wave breaks and nothing. Went to back of a cove and shad where everywhere, went over a good school with some fish below them so I threw a swimbait behind the boat and  hooked up with one over 5 lb. and then lost a small keeper at the boat. Fishing was pretty slow.

 

[MOsmallies]

47 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

There is what we call a "crossbar pattern" going on right now, and what that amounts to are fish that are hanging on the cross braces that span the openings of some dock slips.  If you look at the front of a dock you can see whether or not it has cross braces, they are down about 4-5ft.   

Pitch a swim jig or a swimbait into the slip, let it sink down just deep enough that when you swim it out you'll bump the crossbar.   The bites are sneaky sometimes, you really have to pay attention.  It's a quick easy way to get bit by 12-16 inchers but you aren't likely to catch a toad doing it.

That's a good crappie technique too

[shrapnel]

It's crazy with all the brush, cover and structure in this lake that the fish use the crossbars and cables but they do.  We think the algae grows on them attracting bait fish.

[fishinwrench]

I think it's just something they can get next to and jump out and grab shad when schools of them pass by.  No different than a limb on a tree, with the added bonus of even more shade.

[Walleye13]

That's good advice on the cross bar pattern. When they move to those, it it is reliable on the shaded side.

I've had trouble locating the shad balls on main lake structure lately, but found the mother lode late Monday afternoon after Ameren cranked up the water a bit. I was on a bluff end point and the bait was so thick I was getting a false bottom reading on my Lowrance.. Got this big Flathead on 1st cast and the Walleye on my 3rd cast. Got several bass, a White, and a big Crappie all in a 1hr flurry. Then it stopped abruptly. All fish on a deep crank

[OzarkFishman]

Those are some nice fish! Congrats.