Gonna do this one a little different…

[mixermarkb]

Hello fellow Ozark Anglers! 
 

I’m headed with a  good friend of mine to Bull Shoals this week. He likes to fish, but is a once or twice a year kind of fisherman, so I always feel a little pressure to put him on some good fish. 

Sooo, instead of my typical after action report, I thought I’d share my pre-trip game plan and prep, and then report back how things actually went once I got on the water-

So here goes-

Watching the forums, and the weather,  what I’m expecting to find when I launch on Monday is a lake that is high and rising, roughly 20’ higher than the last time I fished it. I’m also expecting a mix of bass in spawn, pre-spawn and post-spawn behaviors. I’m guessing there may be a bit of a shad spawn happening as well. All this leads me to make the guess that there will be a lot of ways fish can be caught, and it’s gonna take a decent amount of “junk fishing” to get on any sort of pattern. I’m fishing out of Protem, mid lake. I’ve got all sorts of smallmouth water right around me, plus a reasonable boat ride to Shoal, Big, Buck, Little Buck, and the Music Creeks.

I’ve been catching quality largemouth all spring on secondary points with big rock near spawning pockets with crankbaits and swim baits, so my game plan is to start in those same kinds of general locations on the first morning, staying in the clearer water cove type creeks. Given the flooding conditions, I’m going to start off with topwater (likely a Redfin and a walk the dog bait) and small 3” swimbaits over those locations, trying to keep out of the flooded jungle on the bottom. 

I’m looking here for a quality largemouth or three. I’m going to put the boat near the old lake line, and fish semi parallel to the bank. I’m looking to cover the shallow bushes out to about 30’. Im looking here for clues as to wether the bulk of the fish have moved up shallow in the bushes, or are suspending outside the brush over the old lake line, as I’ve caught them both ways in previous high water years.

If I’m finding I’m getting bit inside the near bushes and up in the pockets, I’m gonna play with baits like a Fluke, wacky senko, shakyhead, or flipping creature baits, as well as seeing if I can get them to chase a squarebill or spinnerbait.

If I’m getting bit off the bank, I’m gonna live in topwater land as long as they will hit it, as well as slow rolling swimbaits over that old lake line and maybe run a vibrating jig around deeper bushes, as well as a jerkbait and big swimbaits we have wind. 

Depending on the results of this, my next step is either go to the backs of the bigger river type creeks, or go looking for smallmouth. 

If I go to the rivers, I’m gonna be throwing a squarebill, a buzz bait, spinnerbaits and vibrating jigs, looking in water 8’ or less, for big rocks, lay downs, sawdust mats, etc etc. 

If I go smallmouth hunting, which probably fits Mat’s skills better than shallow power fishing, I’m going to start the search for flat pea gravel, that doesn’t have a ton of extra cover on it. Smallmouth love to spawn on these kind of locations, and with the lake flooded, I’ve found that they can at times really stack up anywhere they can get to bare gravel.  That’s where I’m gonna pick up the Ned rigs and go to work, with the good old fashioned smoke grub and of course the small swimbaits also on deck, and keeping the jerkbait handy if the wind comes up. 

 

[snagged in outlet 3]

Ned rig??   Especially for those smallies.  

[Quillback]

I bet you'll get a lot of fish.

[Dutch]

The wind is ripping now and not supposed to settle down before Wednesday.

[mixermarkb]

2 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

Ned rig??   Especially for those smallies.  

Got three rods rigged with Neds. Hard to beat this time of year for sure! 

[rps]

First comment: You have a plan. Check.

Second comment: I wish I were in the boat. Please report with pictures.