Fishing Report

[focused fishing]

Kimberling City Area: The bite continues to be excellent on Table Rock. On windy days the shallow bite is hard to beat; Chompers 4” single tail grub in green pumpkin or watermelon and Wiggle Warts in brown craw fished from the bank to 10’ deep on wind blown pea gravel has been the top pattern. The deep bite has improved over the past week or two; Chompers’ drop shot worms, Bink’s spoons and Chompers 4” grubs have all been effective when you find the right conditions. Look for schools of bait to be holding close to the bottom in the mouths of creeks and secondary creeks, where you find the bait you will find the fish close by. Smallmouth are still being caught on Jewel 5/8 and ¾ oz. football jigs in green pumpkin candy flash and PB&J with green pumpkin Hyperflex grubs from 10’ – 20’ deep on pea gravel and mixed rock points

James River: The James continues to produce both numbers of fish as well as quality; on windy days Chompers McCutchen Spinnerbaits and Wiggle Warts crankbaits have been very effective on pea gravel flats and points. Jewel Pro Spider or Football Jigs in brown / purple flash or Missouri craw with a green pumpkin Hyperflex Grub are working well in these same areas on calm days, back out and fish the 10’ – 18’ range to be effective. The dock bite turned on this past week as well, Eakins Jig and Craw combos have been working on large community docks in the Aunts Creek area, key on docks on pea gravel secondary points and make pitches to the center walkway to be effective.

White River: The White River has been awesome this past week, there is a great shallow bite on windy days, the deep bite is coming on strong and there are still several fish being caught flippin up the Kings River. Chompers Drop Shot Worms, Bink’s Spoons and Chompers 4” Single Tail Grubs are all in the mouths of creeks and off of secondary points, most of the bait and fish seem to be in the 40’ – 60’ range. On windy days move to shallow pea gravel flats and points and use a combination of brown craw Wiggle Warts green pumpkin Chompers Single Tail Grubs from the bank to around 10’ deep. Up the Kings river fish are being caught shallow on a couple of baits; on windy days a Chompers McCutchen Spinnerbait or Wiggle Wart is tough to beat where the wind is “crushing” pea gravel and mixed gravel and rock banks and on clam days a Texas Craw or Missouri Craw Eakins Jig and Craw combo fished in laydowns and heavy cover is your best bet.

Dam / Branson Area: Wind and bait are critical to success in the lower end of the lake. The deep bite has been very good, finding bait is the key to success. Look for schools of shad to be 40’ – 60’ deep in the mouths of creeks, the fish are usually just below or right in the schools of bait this time of year. Bink’s Spoons, Chompers Drop Shot Worms, Chompers Salt & Pepper Ultra Tubes and 4” Grubs are all very effective baits for these fish. The dock bite in the dam area has been very good over the past week or two as well; look for large community and condo dock on pea gravel points to be holding most of the fish. Make long pitches to the center walkway of the dock with an Eakins Jig on PB&J or Green Pumpkin Candy Flash and a green pumpkin Eakins Craw, feed the jig line until it hits the bottom and work it slowly back to the boat with short hops. Pay attention to the rate of fall as you are feeding line, many times the fish are right under the walkway and will hit the bait as it falls.

Don’t Miss Tournament Fishing Radio on ESPN 1400 AM Springfield

Mondays 5:30pm and Saturdays 5:00 am or on-line at http://www.espn1400.com

http://www.focusedfishing.com

[techo]

Thanks for the report. I appreciate the details and sharing of information. Happy New Year

[Quillback]

That is a great report - thanks!

[wvu]

Thanks for the detailed report.

[focused fishing]

Glad ya like it, I do a report almost every week and will post one whenever I complete a report.

Thanks to Phil for suggesting I post it.

EP

[HUNTER]

Great job!! Just a super report and some great info for everyone to work with. Thanks for the time and info.

Lovin that smallmouth bite!!

[carolina-rig-01]

beautiful fish hunter!