Focused Fishing Web Log

Kimberling City Area: The water temperature continues to be much higher than normal for this time of year. With that in mind most of the standard winter patterns have not really come into play. The most consistent pattern continues to be the deep bite; War Eagle Spoons, Chompers’ Drop Shot Worms, Single Tailed Grubs and Tubes have all been catching fish. Most of the fish continue to hold in deep trees on bluff ends and deep points and have to be “worked� in order to draw strikes, remember that the fish in these trees are focused on shad so use appropriate shad colors. Still a few Smallmouth on the bigger docks and the bite will improve as the water temperature drops.

James River: The water in the James continues to be much warmer than usual as well; several good fish are being caught around isolated standing timber on steep banks in bigger creek arms and on the river above Cape Fair. Most of these fish are coming on Smithwick Rogues and Lucky Craft Pointers fished in and around these trees. Make casts beyond the tree and work the bait back to it to the tree, allow the bait to sit next to the tree from 5 to 15 seconds before moving it again. Another way to catch these fish is to pitch a PB&J Eakins jig with a green pumpkin Eakins craw to the base of the tree. Try to make the jig fall through the limbs and pay close attention to the bait as it falls through the tree, many times the fish are suspended in the limbs and will strike the bait as it falls.

White River: The deep bite is still the strongest option on the White River; War Eagle Spoons, Chompers’ Drop Shot Worms, Single Tailed Grubs and Tubes are all effective presentations. Just like the rest of the lake the higher water temperatures have kept the fish from moving into classic winter patterns with most being caught around deep tree tops from 35’ – 55’ deep in as much as 120’ of water. You will need to “work� these fish to get them to bite, take a look at your graph when you hook a fish and see if any others follow the one you’ve hooked, if not, the chances of catching more fish out of that tree are slim. The Kings River is fishing in more of a fall pattern than a winter pattern; reports of fish being caught on Strom Wiggle Warts, War Eagle Spinnerbaits and Lucky Craft R.C. 2.5’s on windy rocky banks are common right now.

Dam / Branson Area: The dam area is still dominated by the deep bite; War Eagle Spoons and Single Tailed Grubs have been the best two baits in the dam area. Much like the rest of the lake most of the fish are still holding in the tree tops and will need to “work� them to get bit. Long Creek above the Arkansas line has been strong this past week, the rain has added some more color to the water and the warmer temperatures have the fish up near the bank. The best bait has been a Missouri Craw Eakins’ jig with a green pumpkin Paca chunk trailer. Pitch the jig to the bank on channel swings and bluff banks in the creeks and on the main lake, pay close attention to any wood cover that you find along the banks.

Main Lake: Not a lot of changes over the past week; still several fish being caught on jerkbaits in and around standing timber and on windy rocky banks on both the main lake and in the bigger creek arms. Look for isolated piece of cover to hold most of the fish. On calm days switch over to an Eakins’ jig and craw combo in Missouri craw or brown / black. You will need to fish slower and pay close attention to the bait whenever it is falling. Just like with a jerkbait most of the fish you catch on a jig are in and around isolated trees and rock piles.

Above the bridges: The strongest pattern up the rivers continues to be a jerkbait. Look for schools of shad in and around isolated standing timber and fish both. Make cast beyond the timber or bait and work the jerkbait back, allow the bait to suspend next to the timber or shad for 5 – 15 seconds before moving it again. A second pattern is to pitch Eakins jigs and tubes around timber and laydowns on steeper banks and bluff ends. Make sure you pay close attention as the bait falls since the majority of the bites are coming on the fall and are little more than a line jump or the bait just stops falling.

Walleye are still being caught by trolling the face of the dam and main lake points with crawler harnesses and crankbaits.

Crappie are being caught 10’ – 20’ deep on squirts, crappie jigs and live minnows around brush piles.

White Bass are ganged up on windy flat banks and points and can be caught on rooster tails, grubs and small crankbaits.

Dam area to Lead Hill: The Deep Bite is still strong on the lower end of the lake; War Eagle Spoons, Chompers’ Drop Shot Worms and Single Tailed Grubs have all been effective presentations in and around schools of bait on bluff ends and roll offs. Several Smallmouth have been caught this past week on pea gravel points and roll offs by dragging Jewel Spider Jigs and Chomper Ultra Tubes in PB&J or Green Pumpkin from 20’ – 35’ deep. Pay close attention to any rock piles you run the bait into; they are holding most of the fish. The backs of the creeks are still producing Largemouth on Storm Wiggle Warts and Eakins’ Jigs, if it is windy parallel steeper banks 6’ – 10’ deep with a brown craw Wiggle Wart, if it is calm pitch a PB&J Eakins’ jig to every piece of cover you find on these steep banks.

Lead Hill to Power site: Above Lead Hill the fish have been a little more active than in the lower end of the lake. Run toward the back of the bigger creeks and throw a Lucky Craft Pointer or Smithwick Rogue around any standing timber on channel swing banks and steep rocky banks. Cast beyond the cover and work the bait back to the tree and allow it to suspend for 5 – 15 seconds before moving it again. Another effective pattern has been an Eakins’ jig and craw combo fish on steep rocky banks. Choose either PB&J or Missouri Craw depending on water color and pitch the jig to the bank and work it back to the boat alternating hopping and crawling the jig to determine which presentation the fish prefer.

Pomme remains strong; jerkbaits have been top producers this past week when fished around standing timber and brush piles on both main lake and secondary points. IF it is windy you will not need to pause the bait between jerks but if it is calm you will need to allow the bait to pause for as much as 20 seconds to draw strikes. There is still a good jig bite in these same brush piles with either an Eakins’ jig or Jewel ½ oz. Finesse Football jig in P&J or Missouri Craw being top choices. In addition fish channel swing banks toward the backs of the major creek arms with an Eakins’ jig and craw combo, paying close attention to any wood cover you find.

Best fly patterns for the week: Big Rainbows are showing up with regularity as the Browns have moved back into the depths to recover. Best flies continue to be; g-bugs, scuds, bit scuds, sow bugs and egg patterns in brown, tan, gray, olive and purple in the scuds and bugs while coral and orange have been the best egg colors. The trophy section of the late has been pretty quiet this past week and is prime time to catch a 20�+ Rainbow.

Best spinning tackle: The best techniques continue to be using a drift rig with live crawlers, wax worms or power bait, remember to mix up your colors on the power bait to draw more strikes. Small jigs have also been productive this past week with white and chartreuse being the best colors. Whenever the Corps is running water you can catch several fish on Mepps, Roostertails and Panther Martin in line spinners or Bouyant and Little Cleo Spoons.

Kimberling City Area: The rising water temperature seems to have effected the shad migration and in turn the deep bite in the mid lake area. Most of the shad seem to have moved out of the creek arms and back out to main lake points and bluff ends similar to a late fall pattern rather than a winter one. The fish are also much less aggressive than they were a week ago. War Eagle Spoons, Chompers Drop Shot worms and single tail grubs continue to produce but you will need to really work the fish to get them to bite. The dock bite has also slowed a bit; Eakins’ Jigs in PB&J with a green pumpkin Eakins’ craw is still the best bait but you really need to slow down and make multiple pitches to each stall to draw strikes.

James River: The James really hasn’t been as affected as the rest of the lake; still a bunch of fish being caught on both Smithwick Rouges and Lucky Craft Pointers in and around isolated cedar trees on steep mixed rock and ledge banks. The fish are not as far back in the creeks and coves as they were a week ago but if we get the rain that is forecast the shad and fish will move toward the backs of the creeks again. As always an Eakins’ jig in brown with a green pumpkin Paca chunk will work on channel swing banks in major creek arms and on the main lake.

White River: The Kings River is still producing fish on Storm Wiggle Warts, Smithwick Rogues and Lucky Craft Pointers. Wiggle Warts are working on steep mixed rock and ledge banks in six to ten feet of water; position your boat eight feet deep and run the bait parallel to the bank bumping the bottom throughout the retrieve. Much like up the James River the jerkbait bite is most productive around isolated cedar trees. The deep bite in the White River has slowed up just like in the mid-lake; War Eagle Spoons, Chompers Drop Shot Worms and single tail grubs continue to produce but you really need to work the fish. Also the fish are a lot deeper in the White River arm; start looking 45 feet deep but don’t be surprised if you have to go as deep as 80’.

Dam / Branson Area: The deep bite around the dam has slowed much like the rest of the lake; look for the fish to be closer to mouths of creeks as well as on the main lake, you really need to find the shad to find the fish. War Eagle Spoons, Chompers’ Drop Shot Worms and single tail grubs are all effective once the fish are located. A few more Smallmouth starting to show up on pea gravel / rock transition banks; Jewel spider and football jigs will work for these fish but you really need to slow down and work each area thoroughly. PB&J, watermelon / purple flash and brown / purple flash have all been very effective colors match each one up with a Chomper jig trailer. Up Long Creek several Largemouth have been caught on Storm Wiggle Warts; steeper chunk rock and mixed rock and ledge banks seem to be holding the fish six to ten feet deep.

Main Lake: The bite has improved over the past week with several fish showing up on both the main lake and in the major creek arms. Channel swing and ledge banks are producing most of the fish, any wood cover on these banks will hold multiple fish so fish these areas thoroughly. On windy days the best bite seems to be on Smithwick Rogues and Lucky Craft Pointers, chartreuse shad, clown, and American shad are all strong colors right now, work the bait from the bank out to about 15’ – 20’ deep and pause about 10 seconds between jerks. On calm day switch over to an Eakins’ jig in brown or Missouri craw both paired up with a green pumpkin Eakins’ craw trailer. Fish these same areas and pay close attention to any wood cover.

Above the bridges: The same patterns are working up both river arms; jerkbaits and jigs will continue to be strong throughout the winter. Look for channel swings and ledges to hold most of the fish. Remember that anytime we get rain or run off to check the backs of the creeks first, the fresh, highly oxygenated water will draw shad and in turn bass to the back of the creek no matter how cold it is. There are still fish being caught on Wiggle Warts as well, fish the same banks when there is wind on them but note that once the water temperature drops into the low 40’s the fish will likely not chase a fast moving bait.

Walleye are still being caught by trolling the face of the dam and main lake points with crawler harnesses and crankbaits.

Crappie are in marked brush from 10’ – 20’ deep and will bite live minnow, squirts and crappie jigs.

On windy days the white bass have been “ganging up� on flat points and pea gravel banks, rooster tails, grubs and small crankbaits have all been effective.

Dam area to Lead Hill: The lower end of Bull Shoals still has a strong deep bite going on; look for gulls and loons to clue in to the location of the bait then fish War Eagle Spoons, Chompers Drop Shot Worms, Single Tail Grubs and Mann’s Sting Ray Grubs in and around the schools of shad. Most of the fish are holding on drops and roll offs in the major creek arms and have been going on feeding binges through out the day. Toward the back of these same creeks Smallmouth have been holding on ledge bock and chunk rock banks and points and will hit Eakins’ jigs in PB&J with a Paca chunk trailer. Work the bait out from the bank to about 25’ deep to be effective. A few Largemouth have shown up on these same banks and will bite the jig or a Storm Wiggle Wart if there is any wind.

Lead Hill to Power site: The best two patterns above Lead Hill have been either a Storm Wiggle Wart , a Smithwick Rogue or Lucky Craft Pointer. For the Wiggle Wart position your boat in about ten feet of water and parallel steep chunk rock and ledge rock banks from five top ten feet deep. The best colors this past week have been brown craw and watermelon. If there is little wind look for isolated cedar trees and other cover 10’ – 25’ deep and make casts past the tree with either Rouge or Pointer. Work the bait back to the tree and allow it to suspend next to the tree for 10 – 30 seconds before moving it again. Make sure to hit the tree from multiple angles, many times you will need to put the bait directly in front of the fish to draw a strike.

Pomme has really picked up this past week, while the best bite remains on steeper banks with either an Eakins’ jig or Ultra Tube there are a lot of fish being caught toward the back of creek arms on Smithwick Rogues and Lucky Craft Pointers. Look for schools of shad to key you into where you need to throw the jerkbaits. In addition the river bite has been pretty strong over the past week; flip stumps and log jams with an Eakins’ Flippin’ Finesse Jig in black / blue flash with a Zoom Super Chunk jr. as a trailer. Make multiple pitches into each spot, most presentations need to fall directly in front of the fish to draw strikes.

Best fly patterns for the week: More and more Rainbows are showing up below the dam as it appears the Browns are about done. Best flies continue to be scuds, soft shell scuds, g-bugs, sow bugs and egg patterns. Natural colors are still best with shades of brown, tan and khaki being most productive and olive or grey close behind. Coral and pink have been the top egg colors. The number of anglers has dropped of over the past week so it is a great time to fish.

Best spinning tackle: Still few changes over the past week; drift rigs continue to produce best day in and day out. Live crawlers, power eggs in pink or orange and power nuggets all seem to work equally as well. Remember to mix up your colors on the power eggs and nuggets it will draw more strikes. Like always if you can be on the water when the generators are running the bite is much better; Roostertails, Little Cleos and Buoyant Spoons are all effective when the current flows.