January 2, 2008 Stockton Lake Fishing Report

[Thompson Fishing Guide Service]

January 2, 2008 Stockton Lake Fishing Report

Walleye: take a Stockton lake map, find long tapering main lake points that descend into a river channel or a creek channel, spend some time with your electronics, and you should find fish. Depths may vary, but this time of the year you are looking at around 30-35 feet of water, on average. Fish may move up a little shallower if you have a warming trend, but walleye winter pattern usually means deep fishing. If you read my last fishing report (Dec 19), in the mouths of many of these larger coves, you’ll find springs. Bait fish will gather in these areas and so will the walleye. Jig and minnow or jig and half a night crawler are your best tools. Bounce the bottom and stay on top of the fish. Concentration is your best asset during this time of the year due to the fact that the majority of your bites will be very light. Watch your rod tip; some bites are so light you can’t even feels them. Small jigging spoons like the pepper spoon, Cast Master, etc. will also work well when vertically fished.

Crappie: Like walleye, the crappie will be found in deeper water (30, 40 or even 50 feet deep) off of main lake points and secondary points that lead to creek channels. These areas may or may not have brush, but hold crappie in the winter. Read my last report on underwater springs. Usually this time of year you will find crappie, walleye and white bass in the same locations. They are there for the same reasons (warmer water, and bait fish). Like walleye, the bite will be very very light, so it is necessary that you are able to find fish in an area that doesn’t have a lot of wind so you can sit right on top of them. If you are fishing in 40 feet of water and the boat is being blown by the wind, you will have a big bow in your line and therefore you will miss most of your bites, except for of course, an occasional frost bite. Jig and minnow (I use a ¼ oz jig to get down that deep) seem to be the most consistent. You can also tip your jig with crappie niblets, or fish small spoons vertically.

Largemouth bass: When the water temperature is as cold as it is (around 40-43 degrees), it takes a bass 10 times longer to digest a meal than it does in 80 degree water. Bass tend to feed less frequently in cold water, and they are more apt to eat smaller, slower moving bait. The key to bass fishing right now is 1) slow presentation, 2) proper location. In the winter bass tend to bunch up together, off of deep main lake points, the ends of bluffs, and channel drop offs. Slow crawl small jig and pig, finesse 4 inch plastic worms, Texas rigged, or drop shot. If you find water around 45-46 degrees in coves, try to slow twitch a suspending jerk bait like a Smithwick Rogue. The way I like to fish this time of the year with a suspending jerk bait is crank the lure down to its running depth (3 or 4 feet of water) and twitch your rod tip, allowing the bait to sit suspended for 15 or even 20 seconds. Repeat this type of retrieve back to the boat. If you have 4 or 5 days of warm weather, which we should have in the next week, bass will move up in shallower water on south facing slopes to catch the sun. The key to winter bass fishing is slow presentation. When the water gets below 50 degrees particularly, the bass will really slow down and may only eat once or twice a week.

Guide’s tip of the week: I carry a large bag of cat litter in my tow vehicle to sprinkle on the ramp in front of my tires in case the ramp freezes. The way the weather has been lately, when the guy takes his boat out 10 minutes before yours, the water he gets on the ramp will freeze. Cat littler is not only good for cats, but it could help you also.

Here’s another guide tip: Carry an extra change of warm clothes in your boat. If you fall in the lake and you can’t change out of your wet clothes, you probably won’t make it back to the boat ramp before hypothermia sets in. You may be a great swimmer, but if you fall in the drink at 40 degrees, it will be extremely difficult to stay afloat without your life vest. Wear it all day whether you are moving or not.

Marty Thompson

Thompson Fishing Guide Service

www.fishstockton.com

417-424-BASS