Focused Fishing Web Log

Dam area to Lead Hill: The high water is making conditions tough all over the lake. On the lower end of the lake fish can still be caught early and late on topwater; spooks, sammys and red fins will produce in and around surfacing fish. The amount of cover in the water makes finding fish difficult: look for points of difference within the cover to locate the fish. Flip Jewel Eakins Jigs to different types of cover to be successful, hardwoods mixed in with cedars or a lone cedar or bush around buck brush will result in more bites.

Lead Hill to Power site: Covering water has been the key in the upper end of Bull Shoals; rattle traps, spinnerbaits and shallow crankbaits have been effective on flooded flats and shallow points. The top water bite has been effective early and late, look for surfacing fish and bait to locate fish. Steep banks are also producing fish, look for areas of broken rock along bluff and channel swing banks o be the most productive.

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Dam area to Lead Hill: Several fish on beds through out the lower end of the lake. The usual sight baits have been effective; white and green pumpkin tubes, green pumpkin lizards and green pumpkin craws are all effective choices. The rising water has put a lot of bushes in the water; fish around the bushes with weightless flukes and salty sinkers on calm days and Chompers spinnerbaits on windy days. Early and late there is a top water bite starting to emerge, look for surface activity and throw spooks, sammys and red fins toward the schooling fish.

Lead Hill to Power site: The spawn is further along on the upper end of the lake. Fish are in all three stages of the spawn; several fish are still locked on beds and can be caught by sight fishing, pre –spawn fish are on the inside of spawning pockets and can be caught on mojo rigged lizards and french fries, and finally post spawn fish have moved out of the pockets and have begun to show up on secondary points. The rising water has moved several fish into the bushes and wood cover on the bank up the river; on calm days an Eakins Jig and Craw combo has been very effective and on windy days a Chompers spinnerbait fished tight to the cover will produce.

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Dam area to Lead Hill: Fish have moved up and are ready to spawn, once water temperatures rise there should be a mass move to the bank. For now large groups of fish are holding on main lake and secondary points near spawning pockets. Jewel Spider jigs in PB&J and green pumpkin / green flash with Jewel jig trailers, mojo rigged lizards and centipedes, Chompers Ultra tubes and single tail grubs are all effective on these points. Look for fish to be 7’ – 15’ deep early and move up as shallow as 3’ deep once the afternoon sun warms the water. On windy days these same locations will produce with stickbaits and wiggle warts.

Lead Hill to Power site: The bite up the river continues to be strong; wiggle warts, jerkbaits and spinnerbaits are all producing on windy main lake and secondary points near spawning areas. On calm days Jewel Eakins and Spider jigs in PB&J and brown purple with green pumpkin Eakins craws or green pumpkin Paca chunks will work in these same areas, look for larger rocks in the transitions to hold most of the fish. Further up river slow rolling a spinner bait over and though rock cover has been very effective.

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Lake - Bull Shoals
3/31/09:
Dam area to Lead Hill: Secondary points have been the ticket over the past week, Jewel 3/16 and 5/16 PB&J spider jigs fished from 10’ – 20’ deep off the sides of the points has been the most productive pattern for both smallmouth and spotted bass. Largemouth have been shallower with most of the fish coming off of ledge rock toward the backs of creek arms and pockets where the water has a little more color. Eakins’ jigs, shaky head worms and mojo rigs have all been producing fish. Better fish are being caught on wiggle warts on rocky banks leading to spawning coves. Parallel these banks 6’ – 8’ deep running the bait into any big rocks or wood along the bank.

Lead Hill to Power site: On windy days the wiggle wart bite continues to produce several fish on chunk rock and mixed points, flats and channel banks. Look for areas with some wood cover mixed in to hold better fish. On calm days an Eakins’ jig in brown or Missouri craw with a green pumpkin Eakins’ craw is your best bet pitched around ledge rock or broken boulders near deep water. The jerkbait bite is not as strong as in past weeks but there are still several fish being caught. Work the bait on windy mixed rock points and transition areas at a pretty good clip to be effective.
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Dam area to Lead Hill: The bite continues to be good on main lake points and steep banks with Lucky Craft pointers and McSticks. Flashier chromes and holographic colors like American shad or Nishiki have been producing on sunny days while chartreuse shad and pearl ayu are better on cloudy ones. Eakins’ jigs and Tubes are working as well on bluff ends and channel swing banks toward the back of major creek arms PB&J / green pumpkin has been a hot combination. Some crankbait fish have been caught this past week toward the backs of major creeks and up around the bridge at Theodosia, windy, flat mixed rock banks have been the most productive.

Lead Hill to Power site: The crankbait bite seems to be better above Lead Hill with wiggle warts in brown craw, watermelon and natural green craw being the most productive colors. Parallel chunk rock and mixed rock points and channel swing banks in 6’ – 10’ of water. Most of the bites are coming as the bait runs into a piece of cover like a log or large rock, so try to hit as much cover as possible in your retrieve. On calmer days throw a Jewel 5/16 oz. spider jig and Jewel or Chompers jig trailer combo to main lake and major creek arm channel swing banks and bluff ends.
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Dam area to Lead Hill: Much like last week smallmouth are being caught on tubes and Jewel 5/16oz. spider jigs on points and transition banks, look for the areas where bluff or rock transitions into chunk rock and pea gravel. With a little wind you can catch fish on 45 degree chunk rock banks with a wiggle wart or bandit 200 in a crawfish pattern, parallel the bank in about 6′ - 10′ of water. Kentuckies ranging from 13″ to 17″ are schooled up on bluff ends and points with shad, fish a spoon or drop shot finesse worm.

Lead Hill to Power site: The walleye are making their spawning, look for the fish to be staging in deeper pools of the river; they can be caught on Lucky Craft pointers and wiggle warts as well as hair jigs tipped with minnows. 45 degree chunk rock banks in major creek arms are holding most of the Largemouth they can be caught on Lucky Crafts and wiggle warts as well. On sunny days Largemouth will move up on to the sunny steep channel swing banks and can be caught on an Eakins’ jig in PB&J with a Yamamoto twin tailed grub.

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Dam area to Lead Hill: The cooler temperatures plus all the additional water has kicked things in gear. The deep bite continues to be strong; white War Eagle Spoons, Chompers Drop Shot worms in sand or salt / pepper and single tailed grubs fished vertically have all been effective baits on channel swing and bluff ends banks around schools of bait. Let the birds show you where the bait is and then use your electronics to find the fish around the schools of bait. A few good fish have been showing up on Jewel Spider and Football jigs, PB&J or brown / purple flash with a green pumpkin Chompers Jig trailer fished on mixed rock and ledge rock banks have been catching Smallmouth and a few Largemouth toward the backs of creeks.

Lead Hill to Power site: Three good patterns are shaping up above Lead Hill; on windy days throw a brown craw or phantom green craw Wiggle Wart on mixed rock and chunk rock banks. Parallel the bank 6’ – 10’ deep running the crankbait into any cover you may run across. Throwing a jerkbait around isolated trees and rock cover has been producing some good fish over the past week or so, Lucky Craft pointers in American Shad, Nishiki and Chartreuse Shad have all been productive throw the bait past the cover and work it back around the cover allowing it to suspend next to the cover for 5 – 10 seconds. Finally, throwing an Eakins’ jig on ledge rock banks on the main river and in the bigger creeks has been very productive. Brown and PB&J have been your best colors both matched up with a green pumpkin Eakins’ craw, pitch the bait to the bank and work it back to the boat allowing it to fall from ledge to ledge.

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Lower Lake: Four patterns have been producing on the lower lake; spoons or grub in deep water, wiggle warts, jerkbaits and football jigs. The spoon bite has been ½ to ¾ of the way back in the larger creek arms, in and around suspended schools of shad from 40’ – 60’ deep. Both ½ and ¾ oz. white spoons and 4” smoke grubs on 3/8 oz heads have been effective when worked in front of the fish. Wiggle warts and jerkbaits have been effective on windy chunk rock and ledge banks from 6’ – 15’ deep. Position the boat over 10’ of water and parallel these banks. Brown / purple flash and PB&J Jewel football jigs with green pumpkin Jewel 4” jig trailers have been effective on these banks from 10’ – 30’ deep. Work these baits slowly along the bottom to be productive.

Above Lead Hill: The bite tends to be a little shallower above Lead Hill, wiggle warts in brown craw, phantom green and natural green have been very effective on windy chunk rock and ledge banks. Work the bait parallel to the bank 6’ – 10’ deep and maintain bottom contact throughout the retrieve. Chartreuse shad, American shad and aurora black jerkbaits are also working well in these areas, work the bait quickly allowing it to sit for a couple of seconds between jerks. Finally, Jewel ½ oz and 5/8 oz football jigs in brown / purple flash and PB&J continue to catch fish from 10’ – 25’ deep on ledge rock and channel swing banks. On a side note there have been scattered reports of walleye catches around K dock on jerkbaits and crankbaits. Don’t believe the run has started yet but there are certainly fish moving up stream.

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Dam area to Lead Hill: As of this report Bull Shoals is almost 40’ high and I have not been able to get on the water.

Lead Hill to Power site: As of this report Bull Shoals is almost 40’ high and I have not been able to get on the water.

Dam area to Lead Hill: Tough as a pine knot. The best bite is a combination of three baits right now; jerkbaits, jigs and tubes will all produce the limited number of bites you will get on Bull Shoals. Deep rocky points are producing most of the fish with a jerkbait working best on windy days; Rouges, Pointers and Vision 110’s are all working as well as anything right now, you will need to pause the bait for 15 – 30 seconds between jerks to draw strikes. On calm days a Jewel Pro Spider Jig or Heavy Cover Finesse Football jig in PB&J or green pumpkin / candy flash with a green pumpkin Hyperflex grub or Chompers green pumpkin Ultra Tube fished very slowly along the bottom from 25’ – 40’ deep will produce a few bites.

Lead Hill to Power site: The bite up the river has been a little better than on the lower lake. Despite the cold dirty water coming in, the current has the bait and in turn the fish moving around and feeding more. The jerkbait bite has been better in the current and most of the fish have been holding on isolated pieces of cover on rocky points and bluff ends. The jig and tube bite has also been a lot stronger up the river, look for fish to be holding on chunk rock points and bluff ends from 15’ – 25’ deep, work either Jewel Pro Spider Jig and Hyperflex Grub Combos or Chompers Ultra tubes slowly along the bottom to draw strikes.

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