Focused Fishing Web Log

Kimberling City Area: Few changes this past week with most of the fish being caught out of deep trees and on deep points and bluff ends using drop shot rigs and white spoons. The best baits and colors on the drop shot rig have been; Chompers Drop Shot Worms in Plum and Sand, Kinami 4� Cut Tail worms in brown / purple and Robo Worm shad bodies and 4� worms in Aaron’s Magic and Ox Blood. Half ounce and ¾ oz. white spoons area also effective once you have the fish worked up out of the trees; Bass Pro Shops Strata and War Eagle Spoons have been top producers. A few fish are being caught in the shad of deeper docks back in the creek arms on Eakins’ jig and craw combos, look for large commercial and community docks to be best with most of the fish coming from 15’ – 25’ deep close to the center walkway.

James River: The deep crankbait bite is still pretty strong up the James River with most of the fish coming on DD-22’s and DT-16’s in Chartreuse Shad and Purple Shad colors. Look for pea gravel and mixed rock and gravel roll offs and points to be holding most of the fish. Jewel football jigs and Carolina rigged lizards and brush hogs have also been effective in the ditches and brush piles on pea gravel points from Camper’s Point to Bears Den. Brown / purple flash and Missouri craw 5/8 oz. Jewel football jigs with a Jewel Hyperflex grub trailer have been very productive from 18’ – 25’ deep in isolated brush piles. As far as Carolina rigging is concerned the same areas will produce with green pumpkin lizards and brush hogs on about a three foot leader.

White River: Both the White and Kings Rivers continue to produce fish as well as any other area of the lake. There is a good deep bite from the confluence with the James to Campbell point, above Campbell point switch over to Jewel Football and Spider jigs in PB&J or brown / purple flash with a green pumpkin Hyperflex grub or Carolina rig green pumpkin Salty Sinkers and brush hogs on pea gravel points and roll offs. Up the Kings River the bite changes with most of the fish coming out of the shallow cover of log jams and boat docks. Eakins’ jig and craw combos in brown or Missouri craw with green pumpkin trailers have been very effective in the shallow cover. Make multiple pitches to each piece of cover to insure you are putting your bait directly in front of the fish.

Dam / Branson Area: The lower lake continues to be a struggle to fish after 10:00 am, the pleasure boat traffic and vacationing anglers make fishing a challenge. Before the lake gets too crazy quite a few fish can be caught with drop shot rigs and white spoons in the deep trees off of points and bluff ends. Look for trees that top out at around 35’ – 50’ to be the most productive. Every week it seems a few more smallmouth move up relatively shallow on pea gravel points on both the main lake and in major creek arms. Jewel football and spider jigs in PB&J or green pumpkin / green flash with green pumpkin Hyperflex grubs have been productive baits from 20’ - 30’ deep.

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Dam area to Lead Hill: Lower water levels and limited generation has slowed the bite on the lower end of Bull Shoals this past week. The most predictable bite has been targeting spotted bass out over deep water. Most of the fish are either over deep points or bluff ends use your electronics to locate schools of bait fish near the structure and the fish will not be far away. Drop shot rigs and spoons are accounting for most of the fish with Chompers drop shot worms in plum or sand a top choice. A few smallmouth have been caught this past week on Jewel football and Pro Spider jigs, look for pea gravel and mixed rock points that drop into deep water to be holding most of the fish. PB&J or green pumpkin / green flash have been dominating colors matched up with a green pumpkin Hyperflex grub; work the bait slowly along the bottom from 20’ – 35’ deep close to the drop.

Lead Hill to Power site: The lack of current has hurt the upper end of Bull Shoals as well, without current most of the fish have moved to off shore cover and structure. The best bite has been on either a Jewel football jig or a Carolina rigged lizard or Salty Sinker. Look for pea gravel points near deep water with isolated brush piles to be the most productive area, work brown / purple flash Jewel football jigs or green pumpkin Carolina rigged lizards slowly through the brush piles to be effective. A few fish have been caught this past week around boat docks; pitch Eakins’ jig and craw combos to the shady areas around the docks.

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Link to the Generation Schedule: http://www.swpa.gov/generation.htm

Best fly patterns: Generation has been off and on all week based upon the demand for electricity so call before you go. The same flies have been working this week as last; scuds, bit scuds and g-bugs were all effective in wine, ginger, olive and plum in sizes #16 - #20.

Best spinning tackle: The summer pattern is in full swing; when there is current throw rooster tails, panther martins and buoyant spoons, when the current is slack switch to Berkley Power Nuggets or live crawlers on a drift rig.

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Kimberling City Area: The summer pattern is fully locked on and patterns shouldn’t change much over the next month or so. In the mid-lake area the deep bite has been the most reliable way to put fish in the boat. Drop shot rigs fished in tree tops from 25’ – 60’ deep have been producing good numbers and sized Spotted Bass. Chompers drop shot worms in plum and sand, Robo Worms in Aaron’s Magic and Ox Blood and Kinami Cut Tail worms in brown / purple and shad have all been very effective baits. White spoons have also been very effective in these tree tops both War Eagle and Bass Pro Shops Strata spoons in ½ oz. and ¾ oz. models. It seems that once you catch a fish with a drop shot rig and get the school worked up a spoon is much more effective.

James River: Several good fish caught his past week on deep crankbaits from the mid James up to above Cape Fair. DD-22’s, DT-16’s and Fat Free Shad have all been producing fish in purple hued shad or chartreuse / blue back colors. Look for points and roll offs near deep water and parallel the drop off from 12’ – 16’ deep. These same areas will also produce fish on Jewel Football jigs and Carolina rigs; brown / purple flash and PB&J Jewel ½ oz. or 5/8 oz. football jigs are working well when retrieved along the bottom and green pumpkin lizards and brush hogs on a Carolina rig has also been effective.

White River: The White and Kings Rivers have the best variety of fishing on the lake right now; from the confluence with the James to around Campbell point there is a great deep bite in deep trees on points and bluff ends, above Campbell Point the Jewel Football jig and Carolina rig bite on deep points is very good and in the Kings River there is a great shallow Eakins’ jig bite in and around laydowns and logjams on channel swings and bluff pockets. Natural colors on have been the rule when choosing either an Eakins or Football jig; brown, PB&J and green pumpkin / green flash have all been effective with green pumpkin trailers.

Dam / Branson Area: The boat traffic on the lower lake makes fishing after 10:00 a.m. difficult at best, until then the deep bite with drop shot rigs and spoons in deep trees on points and bluff ends is the most predictable tactic. A few good smallmouths have been caught this past week on Jewel ½ oz. Football Jigs and 7/16 oz. Pro Spider Jigs in PB&J with a green pumpkin Jewel Hyperflex grub trailer. Most of the fish have been holding on deep drops off of shallow pea gravel and mixed gravel / rock points from 20’ – 30’ deep.

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Dam area to Lead Hill: With the water level back below power pool the bite on Bull Shoals has slowed a little bit this past week. The best bite has been a combination of bottom bouncing lures fished on deep points and drop offs; Jewel ½ oz. and 5/8 oz. Football jigs and 7/16 oz. Pro Spider Jigs in either green pumpkin green flash or PB&J matched up with a green pumpkin Jewel Hyperflex Grub, Chompers Ultra tubes in green pumpkin/ orange and PB&J on a Jewel 5/16 oz. speed loader and Carolina rigged lizards, fish doctors and Chompers Salty Sinkers in green pumpkin are all effective presentations. Work all of these baits on the bottom from 20’ – 35’ deep to be productive. Spotted Bass can be caught on drop shot rigs and spoons on bluff ends in and around schools of bait.

Lead Hill to Power site: The upper end of Bull Shoals has been tougher than the lower end this past week, with all of the current over the previous weeks the lack of current this past week has hurt the fishing. A couple of patterns are still producing fish on the upper end; in and around the shade of boat docks a brown / purple flash Eakins’ jig and green pumpkin Eakins’ craw combo fished on the deep ends on the docks has been working and Jewel ½ oz. Football and 7/16 oz. Pro Spider jigs in PB&J or Missouri craw with a green pumpkin Hyperflex grub has been effective when swum along the bottom on deep points and pea gravel roll offs.

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Link to the Generation Schedule: http://www.swpa.gov/generation.htm

Best fly patterns: Very limited generation this past week has made the fly fishing very good. Best flies continue to be scuds, g-bugs, soft shell scuds and sow bugs in sizes #18 - #22 and standard colors; wine, plum, ginger, tan and olive have all been very effective.

Best spinning tackle: With little generation this past week the best bite has been drifting live red worms, night crawlers and mixed colors of power bait on a Taneycomo Drift Rig.

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Kimberling City Area: The fish are finally in a set summer pattern; drop shot rigs, spoons, Carolina rigs and football jigs are all very effective right now. Drop shot rigs and spoons are working best in and around deep trees on points and bluff ends, look for trees that top out around 25’ – 45’ deep and use white ½ oz and ¾ spoons or Chompers drop shot worms and Robo 4� worms on a drop shot. The Carolina rig and Jewel football jig bite is best when the Corps of Engineers is generating current; baby brush hogs, french fries and 6� lizards in green pumpkin have been best on a Carolina rig and ½ oz. or 5/8 oz. Jewel football jigs in PB&J or green pumpkin / green flash are most effective gravel / rock mixed points from 15’ – 35’ deep near deeper water.

James River: The James River continues to produce good catches of fish on a variety of baits; Jewel football jigs, deep crankbaits, Carolina rigs and Eakins Jigs are all working well. Much like the mid lake area look for pea gravel and mixed gravel / rock points with deep water near by and throw a ½ oz. or 5/8 oz. Jewel football jig in brown / purple flash or Missouri craw or a Carolina rigged brush hog or lizard concentrate on the 12’ - 25’ depth range. Fat Free Shad, DD-22’s and DT-16’s have been working on mixed rock points and pea gravel roll offs or ledges. Focus on 12’ – 20’ depth range and parallel the bank. Above Cape Fair the flippin’ bite has been strong on a brown or Missouri craw Eakins jig with a green pumpkin Paca chunk trailer. Work steeper rocky banks with laydowns, flooded brush or boat docks concentrating on the shady side to be effective.

White River: The White River remains a good choice from Baxter to Eagle Rock, top waters during low light hours, drop shot rigs and spoons in the deep trees and Carolina rigs or football jigs on deep points are all effective presentations. Spooks, Sammys and Pop-R’s have been working wherever you find schooling bass in the morning and evening. Just like the rest of the lake a Carolina rigged lizard or brush hog and Jewel ½ oz. or 5/8 oz. football jigs will work on pea gravel or gravel / rock points from 15’ – 25’ deep, key on points with a deep water drop near by to find numbers of fish. The biggest numbers pattern this past week has been in the deep trees on deep points or bluff ends, look for trees that top out at 25’ – 50’ deep and drop either spoons or drop shot rigs to the tree top.

Dam / Branson Area: The lower lake is still the toughest end of the lake; a combination of fishing pressure and boat traffic makes fishing after 10 a.m. almost impossible. The best bite has been on spoons and drop shot rigs in deep trees on points and bluff ends. Chompers drop shot worms, Robo Worm 4� worms and Kinami 4� cut tails have been effective in green pumpkin, plum and brown / purple, look for trees topping out at 30’ – 60’ to be holding most of the fish . Keep a top water handy through out the day; early and late Spotted Bass have been surfacing over top of the trees chasing schools of shad and through out the day roaming schools of white bass have been coming up just about anywhere long enough to boat two or three before they quit.

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Dam area to Lead Hill: The Corps of Engineers has drawn the lake back down to normal pool over the past week; all of the current throughout the week has positioned fish on both main lake and secondary points from 15’ – 30’ deep. Jewel football and Pro Spider jigs have been very effective presentations with all of this current, PB&J and green pumpkin / green flash both with green pumpkin Chompers Jig Trailers are great choices. Green pumpkin or PB&J Chompers Ultra Tubes on Jewel Speed Loader heads, 4� lizards and finesse worms on mojo rigs and Zoom Swamp Crawlers on shaky heads are good alternatives. On deep points and bluff ends drop shot rigs and spoons will load the boat in a hurry with spotted bass when you find them feeding on shad. Early and late the top water bite has been very good as well; spooks, Sammys and Spittin’ Image baits are working around schooling fish.

Lead Hill to Power site: The current has positioned most of the fish on main lake points and secondary points in bigger creek arms on the upper end of Bull. Just like on the lower end Jewel football and Pro Spider jigs, Carolina rigged lizards and baby brush hogs and speed loader tubes are all very effective presentations on these points. Fat Free shad, DD-22’s and DT-16’s are all catching fish on upper end points as well, concentrate on the edges of the point that drop into deeper water to be effective. The top water bite is pretty good in the low light hours on this end of the lake as well; Spooks, Sammys and Pop-R’s are all working around schools of shad.

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Link to the Generation Schedule: http://www.swpa.gov/generation.htm

Best fly patterns: Check the generation schedule before you go as the Corps of Engineers have been running water at different times everyday. Scuds, g-bugs, sow bugs, soft shell scuds and sculpins have all been great flies this week, purple, wine, ginger and olive have been the best colors in sizes from #20 - #16 depending on generation.

Best spinning tackle: This report is almost always the same this time of year; if they are running water small spoons like little cleos, buoyant spoons and little cleos, spinners like rooster tails, Mepps and panther martins, small jigs and small Rapalas are effective. When the water is shut off switch to a Taneycomo drift rig with live crawlers, red worms or mixed colors of Berkley Power Bat nuggets.

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Kimberling City Area: The Corps of Engineers has been drawing water off and on all week, whenever there is a little current the bite is much better than when the water is shut down. Early and late there has been a good topwater bite in the mid lake area; Spooks, Sammys and Pop-R’s have all been effective baits, look for surfacing fish or jumping schools of bait to find the fish. After the sun comes up you can catch fish on bluff ends and deeper points with both drop shot rigs and Carolina rigs. For the drop shot look for deep trees that top out at 25’ – 50’ deep and locate the fish on your electronics, the best baits continue to be a combination of Chompers drop shot worms, Kinami cut tail worms and Robo Worm 4� worms in a variety of greens, purples and browns. The Carolina rig bite has been on steeper points near deep water using baby brush hogs, Salty Sinkers and french fries.

James River: Still a little bit of current in the upper James River has the bite further up river stronger than close to the confluence with the White. Up river fish can be caught a number of ways including both deep and shallow crankbaits, Carolina rigs, Eakins and football jigs. For the shallow crankbait bite head to the back of shallow creeks and coves, throw a Lucky Craft R.C. 1.5 or 2.5, Bagley’s BB1 or BB2 and Bomber Square A crankbaits around flooded brush, laydowns and rock piles. The deep crankbait bite has been best on pea gravel or chunk rock points and pockets that roll of into deep water, make long parallel casts and run Norman DD-22’s, Rapala DT-16’s or Lucky Craft Flat CB D-20’s into isolated brush and rock piles. The Carolina rig and Jewel Football Jig bite has been best on the same points as the deep crank baits, work either presentation slowly close to the bottom. Still several fish being caught out of flooded bushes and wood with Eakins’ jig and craw combinations, look for isolated bushes and laydowns to be more productive than a group.

White River: The White River has held the best fishing this past week, there many ways to catch fish through out the White River. From the confluence with James to Shell Knob the drop shot and topwater bite has been outstanding, early and late look for surfacing fish to show you where to throw. When the sun is up position your boat over deep trees topping out from 25’ – 50’ deep and locate the fish with your electronics, use Chompers drop shot worms, Kinami cut tails and Robo Worm 4� worms on your rig. Pay attention to your sonar when you hook a fish, many times the tree will explode with more fish clueing you in to where concentrate your efforts. Further up the river and in the Kings River the same presentations that are working in the James will work here; shallow crankbaits, deep crankbaits, Carolina rigs, Jewel Football and Eakins jigs have all been effective this past week.

Dam / Branson Area: The lower lake continues to be tougher than the rest of the lake; the combination of little generation and a huge amount of boat traffic make this end of the lake to fish right now. Most of the fish being caught in the dam area are coming on drop shot rigs in the deep trees. Bluff ends and deep points are holding most of the fish, look for trees that top out at 30’ – 65’ feet to be the most productive. Chomper’s drop shot worms in sand or plum, Kinami cut tail worms in brown / purple and shad or Robo worms in Aaron’s Magic or oxblood have been the best colors. The biggest tip I can offer is to keep moving, once a couple of fish are caught out of a tree on the lower end the rest seem to turn off so move from one tree to another looking for active fish to be successful.

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