No news from Stockton

[Xraydude]

Thanks everyone for some news. I’ve been tied up with a new electronic medical record for months, just went live so I’m hoping to get that way soon. 

[Targa98]

I can piggy back on almost everyone else.  I have been busy at work this summer and did not crappie or walley fish the way I have the past couple years.  I have bass fished a couple times is all in the last 2 months.  The last being on Sunday. Been so slow in my normal spot I went to the other side of the lake to try my luck over there.  Same results.  Caught a few on Top Water spooks and lost a few as well.  All on points very close to the bank.  No size to speak of what so ever.  Switched to throw jigs, big worms, and a brush hog in all depths.  Same thing, Only a few fish and Nothing at all to brag about.  Ended with 3 keepers total. Caught prob 15 total Id say.  Our 3 keepers wouldnt even have went 5 lbs as 2 were Ks and 1 Black.  It was rough.  Hopefully this rain and cooler weather soon will bring better days.  I prob wont be back up there for a couple weeks.  Maybe even a month or so if nothing changes.  Its to far for me to go to get my butt handed to me.  I can stay home and mow if I want to be miseralbe.  LOL 

[boatgasandminnows]

We were at the lake this last Thursday thru Tuesday.  I only got to fish for about 5 hours on Monday. The only time that we, the wife and I, are there on the weekends is for my Birthday.  Funny story there, the family always wanted to take me out to eat here in the city, someplace fancy, so the wife and I started going to the lake a little before my Birthday so that we could politely decline the go out and eat deal. Next thing you know the whole family started showing up at the lake!!!  Love to spend time with the grown kids, it doesnt get much better than that in my book. We are dealing with motor issues on the boat and between figuring that out and having the whole family down for that time made it really tough to get much fishing in!!  I quickly remembered why I don't really care much for the weekend crowd.   Hopefully we get the motor issue figured out so that I can get back to fishing instead of messing around. There's my rookie post also!!

[MrGiggles]

I snuck away to Crabtree yesterday afternoon. Man, the lake was busy. Felt like a holiday weekend. I expected the lake to be higher with all the rain in the Springfield area, but it hasn't risen much, if at all.

The fishing was terrible. Ended the afternoon with one short walleye and a drum. 

[waterpossum]

I live 2 miles from Ruark. I really shut the fishing down when the temps get too hot. I do regularly fish the Stockton Friday nighter bass tournaments. I have not done that well, but some of the better more consistent contestants regularly bring in five fish limits. The weights are really low this year with 10.5 lbs usually cashing. The lake is nearly 4' low. The most consistent bite night or day has been in off shore brushpiles 12-20' deep using 10" worms. There is an Otter problem lake wide.  I was baffled why a couple of reliable fishing spots had gone dry until recently. In both spots I saw about a dozen otters roaming the bank. I wrote MDC about my concern, but they responded that they didn't think they posed a problem with bass. Walleye fishing from what I have read is really good dragging worms on gravel flats in 8-20' of water during the day. There are mixed reports about the crappie. The video fisherman have done pretty well checking corp brushpiles until they find one with fish. Most corp piles at normal lake level were set at 24'

[waterpossum]

I failed to mention yesterday that the white bass are surfacing throughout the lake. The best area is close to the dam. Their especially active the last hour of the day.

 

[Dutch]

5 hours ago, waterpossum said:

I failed to mention yesterday that the white bass are surfacing throughout the lake. The best area is close to the dam. Their especially active the last hour of the day.

 

I’ve never seen them down there.  When we  chased them west of the island at Masters and between Pt 7 and Pt 5 were the most reliable.

[Skeeter ZX190]

3 hours ago, Dutch said:

I’ve never seen them down there.  When we  chased them west of the island at Masters and between Pt 7 and Pt 5 were the most reliable.

Several years ago I was over around Crabtree and the whites were surfacing.  Acres of them.  And it wasn't a blitz here and there, they were up and feeding for a very long time.  It was a cloudy day.  The pop-r bite was insane.  

[Xraydude]

Thank you my friends,,,, think I feel a pulse coming back.  
 We’re coming up to the time of year that I love to fish with temps dropping, but really do the worst at catching. I need to get down there before the dog days are over and try the flats. 
I saw an interesting trolling spoon at Jan’s Netcraft I may order and add a slow death hook to try. I mainly try  spinners and beads set up. 

[dan hufferd]

On the hot days we would go out in the morning 6am to 11am or so throw some spoons around channel swings and points for walleye, then put the top up and pull cranks for the grandkids in the 15ft range, we called them the "watchers" about every point or hump or back of cove produced something for them. I have a trolling flap on my motor, best speed was in the 1.5 mph area, #7 flicker shad was a favorite, something with flash. You could catch every species that eats minnows.

But I haven't done that in a few years now, they are all teenagers and are too busy for the old man for now.

There is a lure few use in the south for toothy fish if you want to know message me I will tell you.

Good luck