Dam Area Report 5-11-18

[Bill Babler]

Thought I would be sneaky and launch at Cow at 5:30 yesterday morning and fish some top water before it got crowded or the sun came up.  Well it was already crowded, as I think a small derby was going off.  Parking lot filled as I was leaving the ramp.

Surface temp was 66.9 when I started 69.6 when I quit with water clarity at 10' with a film of green pollen floating to of course adhere to my white boat, which turned chartruse. 

Fished every top water I had in the boat and got blow up after blow up and did not hook a fish in over 2 hours.  They would jump over it swirl under it, slap it out of the water but would not eat it.

Never saw a chase or a rise on the dead calm slick water until 7:30.  We are talking 2 hrs. with no fish to the boat.  At 7:30 I saw a chase off a point and went after it like a vulture after a road kill armadillo.  Nice brown bass were chasing and I caught 3 keeps and 1 huge white, then it went dead.

Gave Rick Lisek a call and he said he was wacking them at Indian point on a Road Kill Tube right on the bank so I switched to a Ned in PBJ and it was on and I mean on.  Kind of funny as I threw the Ned in after several of the big swirl misses and never had one pick it up.  Fished mostly gravel pockets and caught them right along, nothing of size but loads of fish with the best squeeker keeps at maybe 16 inches.  Most of these were bucks, and all SM really thin and no weight at all.

Tried to swim the Keitech deep for females or some bigger K's but that is not happening from Kimberling City to Long Creek.  Lots of this moss now has broken free and is in the entire water column.  When you are trying to swim thru it the moss slides down your line to the bait and you know it immediately.  When fishing the ned you just hop it like you would pitching a jig in bushes and it stays pretty clean.  If you try and drag anything your in trouble.  I would say a tube, shakey head or a jig will fish the same.

This was my only day to fish till June 4th. as I'm booked full and I was going to stay on the lake.  One huge problem was the wind it came up strong at 10 and with it blew wave after wave of pollen.  You could see it rolling across the water with the gusts and it totally was enough to swell my eyes almost shut.  If I would have stayed out I would have been in trouble

Rick said the same with him, he cut his guys trip short as they just couldn't take it.  I had about 30 total fish with and Ricks group had 47 so it can be done around the dam.

Good Luck

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[JerryK]

Thanks Bill;   You are the best!

[IL Fisherman]

Thanks for the detailed report.  Much appreciated 

[Dutch]

We had about the same top water experience from Thompson Hollow to Big Wolf Pen.  Lots of blow ups and only 1 taker on a top water.  Caught some bucks on spinner baits, worms, and jigs.  I don't think we had a keeper.

[Champ188]

Good report. Thanks Bill. 

[Bill Babler]

I tried a fin a Strike King Frog a Ribbitt a spook and a Spro Poppin Frog and the best blows and finely the catches came on the Pooper  110 size.

Around and behind the bushes they would knock the frogs clear into the air, but nary a nip on them.  Rick had guided the same area he caught all the tube fish the day before and caught them really good on a Plopper, but they did the same thing to him that they did to me and Dutch.

Only top water fish I could manage were the chasers and was luck to find them.

On another note I have never seen the tree pollen like this if your on the water you can see it blowing thru the wind like a wind wave.  Stuff right now is simply terrible

[fowlthing]

Bill thanks for the report. I still laugh from your post when you offered to be blindfolded and have Alex take you to his honey hole. Enjoy reading and learning from you.

[Quillback]

Pollen is bad here in Bella Vista too.  Walked the dog yesterday and the stuff got in my eyes, I hate it.  Won't stop me from fishing this week however.  

So, see any shad spawning yet?  Shouldn't be too much longer.

[Bill Babler]

You know I did not.  Saw some carp jumping but they were not on the bank either.   Of course that's the dam area, and up the river they seem to go before down here.

[aarchdale@coresleep.com]

The topwater bite is on around Bridgeport, caught over 30 yesterday on a sexy dog. They wouldnt touch a plopper.   None in open water, they were all tight to the bank. Only one keeper but it was fun