1/09 Fishing Report

[focused fishing]

Dam area to Lead Hill: The deep bite has turned on over the past week on the lower end of Bull Shoals. Bink’s Spoons, Chompers Drop Shot Worms, 4” Single Tail Grubs and Ultra Tubes have all been effective. Look for schools of bait in the mouths of creeks and creek arms from 40 – 70 feet deep and schools of Kentuckies will be close by. The shallow bite is still strong as well, on windy days fish wind blown gravel and mixed gravel and rock points with either a Wiggle Wart or jerkbait from the bank to 10’ deep. These banks will produce a mixed bag of smallmouth, largemouth and the occasional walleye. On calm days look for the closest channel swing to a point that recently had wind blowing on it. Work Jewel Football and Pro Spider Jig and Hyperflex Grub combos or Chompers Ultra Tubes with short hops from the bank to 25’ deep. Natural colors like PB&J, green pumpkin and green pumpkin / candy flash have been the most effective.

Lead Hill to Power site: the deep bite is not as productive on the upper end as it has been on the lower end. The best concentrations of fish are in the back third of major creek arms on channel swing banks. Boat positioning is critical to your success when targeting these fish; keep your boat on the opposite side of the channel from the bank. Make long pitches or cast to the channel bank and work Eakins Jig and Craw combos and Chompers Ultra Tubes from the bank through the channel. Once in the channel make short hops and pauses with the bait to entice fish holding in the channel to strike. On windy days the same patterns that are working on the lower end are working in the upper end; Wiggle Warts and jerkbaits fished on windblown points will produce a mixed bag of bass and walleye.

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