Babler's Report

Got out on the upper lake at 0900 yesterday morning and boated to the dam. Air temps at 26 water was 44.9 I boated up from Branson and did not see a single boat all the way to the cable. Wanted to just use a fly rod and drifted from the cable to clay banks 2 times. Started using a white/grey jig under a float about 12' and nothing the first 2 drifts. Switched to a size 8 weighted shad fly and stripped and drifted it on a straight line again 2 times from the cable to clay banks and had zero. Gave up the long stick for a drift and jerked a 110 plus one in french pearl thru the same water. Again nothing to report. That was 5 drifts on White and not even a bite.

I was not fishing a jig like the boys in the video. I saw no shad and the fish I caught were spitting either grey or copper scuds. Seems to be a right place right time deal.

Had noticed quite a bit of midging below the Brown Trout raceway so I tied a big dry on with a size 18 black midge about 2 ft. under it. Made 2 passes over that flat and caught one 12" brown on the dry. I had just about had a dose at this point, so I dragged out the spinning rod and bottom bounded a egg and scud from the cable to the conservation ramp.twice. Caught 4 really nice bow's on the size 14 copper/orange scud and lost one that was big, wide and silver. Fish jumped right at the boat and put a nice show on.

Moved out of the restricted zone and caught about 1/2 dozen on a pink power worm from Fall Creek thru Trout Hollow on the flat side. Lots and lots of midging going on between the docks on the slacker water.

Visited with Phil a bit and did whine some as I really expected the upper end to be a bit better.

Moved down town and the fish really bit on just about anything you wanted to throw, from the power worm to a midge to a spoon to a small crank bait. Caught about 30 in a couple of hours. Funnest deal was stripping a size 10 wooley below the walk out just above the fish house. You would get a bite on just about every throw. Best bite was at the end of the drift after the swing, just holding it in the current. They would just thump it. I missed more than I caught.

On a side note, folks fishing the docks below Scotty's were catching really nice fish on Power Bait. Looked to me to be very nice fresh Big stockers.

Here is a bit of a pictorial of the copper/orange scud that I have had really good success with the past week.