Kim City - July 18 - Super shallow bite at lake level 918.5

[Dock-in-it]

The shallow bite with a spinnerbait has been very consistent for several days. The lake has been dropping approx 5" per day for weeks and the lake is getting close to summer pool. With that in mind, the LM are right on the bank (in 1 to 3 ft) and they seem to have very little interest in hanging around the outer edge of the bushes. The best banks are fairly flat with gravel/small rock & some buck brush and the key is having big isolated rocks. These bigger rocks hold the fish.

The water has a nice stain color and this stain might hold some LM up super shallow even when the lake gets to 917.

Conventional wisdom suggests the fish should be on the outside edges of remaining flooded bushes, but if you focus on that strategy you will miss a lot of opportunities. 

A 3 hour trip will normally produce 4 to 6 keeper LM with all being in the 2# range. Lately I have not been able to catch any shallow fish over 2#. I have tried topwater up shallow and it is not working for me.

One of the pictures shows a bare bank at the end of a long stretch of buck brush and it has a big rock of the edge of the bank. A few days prior to the rock being exposed I caught a nice LM from it when it was in a foot of water. 

WT 86

[Quillback]

Sweet - may have to tie on a spinner bait next time out.

[Bill Babler]

Dock the same scenario is playing out up the White and Kings River. I’m throwing a small jig and there are lots of bites. Not catching lots of quality, but did have a nice 4 pounder last week. 

If there is wood of any kind in the 5’ and under depth range there is most probably multiple fish on it. 

My only problem has been wanting to bass fish, when all my buddies want to catch walleye.   Nice problem to have. 

Dock, look at the banks I’m fishing. Looks just like your stuff. 

 

[Dock-in-it]

Bill, thanks for sharing. I was hoping you would let us know the scoop on the shallow bite in your zip code.

I think the real shallow bite in Kimberling is probably wrapping up. I had 7 LM keepers on Saturday morning but this morning the keeper count was 2.

The shallow bite was a nice change of pace for this time of year.