Focused Fishing Web Log

Kimberling City Area: For the most part little has changed over the past couple of weeks in the Kimberling City area. The majority of fish are still coming out of deep trees; look for trees on main lake points as well as in larger creek arms that top out at around 40’, most of the fish will be in the top third of these trees. A drop hot rig with your favorite color, size and style of finesse worm is you best bet to catch these fish; use your electronics to follow the bait down into the tree and shake the rig in front o the fish.

James River: The James continues to produce good fish on points, ledges and roll offs. A variety of baits have been producing fish but the most effective have been fat free shads, DD-22’s or DT-16’s or a either a ½ deep cover finesse or 5/8 oz. Jewel football jig. Both types of baits are working in the same locations and should be used together to maximize your catch. Look for the deep edge of roll offs, points and ledges and make long parallel casts with a deep crankbait, once you locate the fish with the crankbait work the area over a football jig as thoroughly as possible.

White River: The White and the Kings have become two distinctly different fisheries; from Baxter to Rock Creek on the White it is similar to the Kimberling City area of the lake (drop shot rigs, Carolina rigs etc..) and the Kings is fishing similar to the James river with football jigs and deep crankbaits are putting fish in the boat on points, ledges and roll offs.

Dam Area: The boat continues to make the dam area difficult to fish, head back into the bigger creek arms and you will get away from some of it but it is still pretty bad. Drop shot rigs in tree tops are your best bet if you can control the boat in all of the boat traffic. The upper portions of Long Creek has really good color and several fish have been caught on Eakins’ jigs in brown / black with a Chomper 4� jig trailer around laydowns and other wood cover.

Main Lake: Stockton is still tough in the main lake area; the few keepers that are being caught have been on main lake points with Jewel 5/16 oz. spider jigs in PB&J matched with a 4� Chompers’ green pumpkin jig trailer. A few fish are coming out the back of some of the bigger creeks as well, try R.C. 1.5 or 2.5 or Bagley Square Bills around laydowns and standing timber, make sure your crankbait makes contact with the wood during the retrieve.

Above the bridges: Flipping laydowns and standing timber on channel swing banks or in bluff pockets with an Eakins’ jig in Missouri craw or black / blue flash matched up with a green pumpkin or black / blue Chomper 4� jig trailer or a weightless Chomper salty sinker in green pumpkin has been the most productive pattern over the past week or two. Fish slowly and pay close attention to your line since most of the strikes are little more than the fish picking up the bait and moving it a few feet.

Trolling continues to be your best bet for walleye; deep divers, deep jerkbaits and crawler harnesses trolled around 20’ deep in the mouths of creeks is your best bet.

Crappie fishing is best in 30’ – 40’ deep over tree tops with live minnows, electronics are a must to find the trees and fish.

Dam area to Lead Hill: Targeting smallmouth has been the best plan over the past couple of weeks; Jewel ½ oz. heavy cover finesse football jigs, 7/16 oz. pro spider jigs and tubes have all been effective in green pumpkin, PB&J or watermelon / purple flash fished out to 35’ deep or deeper on pea gravel points and roll offs near deep water. If you are after Kentuckies use your electronics to find schools of shad on bluff ends and in standing timber and fish drop shot rigged finesse worms and ½ oz. white spoons.

Lead Hill to Power site: There has been a decent top water bite early and late; spooks, sammys and redfins have all been producing over standing timber and on deep points. Once the sun is up switch over to a Jewel ½ oz. or 5/8 oz. football jigs and move out the main lake and major creek roll offs, rock piles and ledges and work the jig with short hops on the shallow side of the structure and allow it to free fall off the ledges and roll offs while paying close attention to your bait as it falls.

The deep bite is in full swing on Pomme, look of brush piles on drops and ledges from 12’ – 25’ deep to be holding most of the fish. A Jewel ½ oz. heavy cover finesse football jig was designed specifically for this situation. Once you have located the brush make multiple casts and retrieves from a variety of angles through the cover slowly working the jig over each and every limb. The fish can be hunkered down in the brush making it imperative that you work slowly to get bit.

Best fly patterns for the week: Smaller flies have been the most effective; scuds, midges, copper dun, all in tans, grays and olives have been best.

Best spinning tackle: A lot of slack water over the past week, drift live night crawlers on a Tanneycomo drift rig in the deeper pools.

Kimberling City Area: The fish have moved into their summer locations for the most part, deep trees off the ends of points and on sharp drops and roll offs. Drop shotting watermelon or green pumpkin finesse worms has been the most productive tactic, position your boat directly above the tree and fish vertically using your electronics to locate the fish within a tree. A Carolina rigged centipede or finesse worm will work as well on the deep ends and sharp drops around pea gravel points.

James River: While this area has the most fishing pressure it is also giving up the biggest stingers of late. Jewel ½ heavy cover finesse, 5/8 heavy cover and ¾ oz. football jigs in brown / purple flash and PB&J have been the most productive baits. Most of the fish are coming on drops and ridges near deep water and are hitting the bait on the fall. On cloudy days a few good fish will move up into the flooded bushes and feed on bluegill and shad, a Jewel bluegill or Lavender shad spinner bait is very effective when the wind is blowing.

White River: Between Baxter and Shell Knob the White River is almost as crowded as the James for good reason, plenty of deep fish being caught on drop shots and spoons as well as fish on points and drops being taken on Jewel Football jigs. Much like the Kimberling City area most of the fish are coming out of trees with a drop shot; look for the fish to be in and around the trees awaiting schools of bait to swim or drift by. The football jig bite is similar to up the James; points and ridges are holding most of the fish.

Dam Area: The dam and Long Creek areas have an unbelievable amount of pleasure boat traffic even during the week making it difficult to fish the main lake after 9:00 am. Before then drop shotting watermelon / red or watermelon candy finesse worms on points, islands and saddles has been very effective for Kentuckies. A few good smallmouth are still being caught on shaky head worms but you will need to fish them slowly to 25’ deep to get bit. The upper end of Long Creek has nice color but shallow crankbait and flipping bite has fallen off in the past week or two.

Main Lake: Stockton has remained tough over this past week; the best bite has been with either a Carolina rigged french fry, Jewel 5/16 oz. pro spider jig in PB&J or a shaky head finesse worm. Fish all of these baits out to 25’ on pea gravel and mixed rock points near channel swings. The fish are moving up and following the points into and out of shallower water to feed. There is a top water bite early and late but it is mostly short fish and white bass.

Above the bridges: Still a few fish coming out of shallow cover up both river arms, look for laydowns and flooded grass or bushes to be holding most of the fish. Flipping an Eakins’ finesse flippin’ jig in black / blue flash or Missouri Craw with a Zoom super chunk jr. trailer has been the most effective bait, make sure to hit the shady side of the cove several times before moving on to the next piece of cover.

Walleye are being caught all over the lake but the greatest concentration is still at the dam and your best bet is to troll medium divers and night crawler harnesses.

Crappie fishing is still tough with most of the fish being caught on live minnows over brush piles.

Dam area to Lead Hill: The dam area continues to have a great smallmouth and Kentucky bite; Carolina rigged french fries, shaky head finesse worms, Jewel 3/16 and 5/16 spider jigs all fished on long pea gravel points out to 30’ deep. Schools of Kentuckies have been working over groups of shad through out the day and can be caught on top waters early and late when they surfacing and on drop shot rigs in the heat of the day when they are suspended below the schools of shad.

Lead Hill to Power site: Most of the fish have moved out to deep points, roll offs and deep ridges; target these fish with either a Jewel ½ oz. heavy cover finesse football jig, a Jewel 5/8 oz. heavy cover football jig or a Carolina rigged lizard or baby brush hog. Fish all of these bait from shallow to deep paying close attention to the bait as it falls off a ledge or drop.

The fish have really started to relate to brush piles on Pomme. Jewel ½ oz. heavy cover finesse football jigs have been the ticket worked slowly through these brush piles as deep as 20’. Up the river your best bet has been flipping Eakins’ jigs and 8� red shad worms to standing timber and laydowns, make multiple flips to the shady areas of the cover to be successful. Schools of white bass have been feeding all over the lake so having a rooster tail or rattle trap ready is a good idea.

Best fly patterns for the week: Scuds and midges in grey, tan and green hologram have been very effective.

Best spinning tackle: When the corp. runs water the bite is great but in slack water throw live night crawlers on a drift rig.