Focused Fishing Web Log

Kimberling City Area: The deep bite has taken over the mid lake area; drop shot rigs, spoons and grubs fished from 25’ – 45’ deep are the most consistent producers. Fish can be caught on a couple of different locations on these baits; main lake and secondary flat pea gravel points have been holding a mix of spotted and smallmouth from 25’ – 35’ deep right on or close to the bottom. Trees topping out from 25’ – 40’ deep in creek arms are also productive. Chompers and Robo worm baits in purple / brown, plum, MMIII and Aaron’s Magic are very productive on a drop shot rig right now.

James River: The bite up the James River has remained steady over the past week; Jewel Football jigs, Carolina rigged lizards and brush hogs and deep crankbaits continue to be the most productive offerings. The majority of fish are coming on pea gravel and mixed gravel and rock points or ledges from 15’ – 25’ deep. Work Jewel football jig and J tail grubs in brown / purple flash or Missouri craw along the bottom paying close attention to rock piles or drops. Work Fat Free shad or DD 22 crankbaits at all angles around main lake and secondary points, pay close attention to where each fish is caught and at what angle the bait is worked as the fish tend to be schooled up on points.

White River: The top water bite has slowed up the White River this past week, still a few fish being caught but they are mostly smaller non keeper spotted bass. When schooling fish are located try working spoons below the surfacing fish to catch better quality. A fast stop and go retrieve works best and most of the bites will come as the bait is falling on the pause. Carolina rigged lizards and brush hogs and Jewel football jigs continue to produce on main lake and secondary points from Baxter to Big M, look for gravel and mixed gravel / rock points near deep water to be the most productive. There has been a decent shallow crankbait bite up the Kings River on main river flats with wood cover. Throw Lucky Craft RC 1.5 or 2.5 baits in and around the cover to be productive.

Dam Area: The lower end of the lake is still dominated by the deep bite. Most of the fish are coming on main lake and secondary gravel points from 25’ – 40’ deep on drop shot rigs and spoons. White ½ oz and ¾ oz spoons have been most effective early and late around schools of bait fish. Drop shot rigs with Chompers worms in plum and brown / purple, Robo worms in MMIII or Oxblood / red and Zoom finesse worms in watermelon candy or watermelon red have been very effective when fished close to the bottom on these same points. A few fish have started to show up in tree tops from 30’ – 45’ deep in the larger creek arms, these fish will strike the same baits as those on main lake points.

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Lake - Tanneycomo
6/21/09:
Best fly patterns for the week: Still limited generation this past week, most of the water is being run in the late afternoon making for some great mornings. Zebra midges, scuds and g bugs continue to produce in gray, tan or black. A few fish have been taken on San Juan worms and 1/100th olive micro jigs as well.

Best spinning tackle: Even without the generation the bite has been very good, Gulp and Power eggs in orange, chartreuse and white have been effective, live inflated night crawlers and power nuggets will all produce. When there is some current Rapala 5’s and 7’s will produce in the deeper holes near bluffs and channel swings.

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Best fly patterns for the week: Another week with limited generation has resulted in some very good fly fishing. Scuds, sow bugs and G bugs have been dominate patterns. Natural colors like ginger, plum and grey have all been effective.

Best spinning tackle: Limited generation has meant the drift bite has been dominate; Gulp and Power eggs in orange, chartreuse and white and live inflated crawlers have been the productive. When the current is on Zig Jigs, Little Cleos and Panther Martins have been effective.

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Kimberling City Area: The water has warmed considerably over the last week, low to mid 80’s are common place and with forecasted air temperatures in the 90’s all week the fish will stay locked in a summer pattern for the near future. Early and late in the mid lake area topwater will still produce several fish. Spooks, sammys, pop-r’s and chug bugs have all drawn strikes from black and white bass. Look for fish chasing shad on the surface off points and flats. Once the sun comes up fish will move toward the bottom, Carolina rigged french fires and lizards and Jewel Spider or football jigs fished from 20’ – 30’ deep on pea gravel and mixed gravel points will produce. Drop shot rigged Chompers or Robo Worm baits will work on these same points from 30’ – 40’ deep. Most of the fish will be close to the bottom.

James River: The bite up the James has moved deeper as well, several fish are being caught on Jewel Football jigs in brown / purple flash or orange craw either with a green pumpkin Jewel jig trailer, Carolina rigged brush hogs and lizards are also producing. Look for gravel or mixed gravel points from 20’ - 30’ deep and work either presentation slowly along the bottom to draw strikes. DD-22’s, DT-16’s and Fat Free shad crankbaits are also producing fish, look for isolated cover on points and ledges to be holding fish and make contact with the cover to draw strikes. In the major creek arms the dock bite has also turned on; Eakins’ jigs and Ultra tubes fished in the shade of walkways will produce both quantity and quality.

White River: The bite in the White River has been very good over the past week. Much like the mid lake and James there is a good topwater bite early and late, as the day progresses Carolina rigs, Jewel football jigs and drop shot rigged Chompers worms are all producing. Further up the river and into the Kings there is a good jig bite developing on channel swing banks. Both major creek arms and the main lake will produce fish on the channel banks; Eakins’ jig and craw combos, Chompers ultra tubes and Lake Fork ring worms will all produce on these banks. Look for broken rock, wood cover or ledges to be holding most of the fish, bites come as the bait is falling so pay close attention to your line as the bait falls.

Dam Area: The deep bite is dominating the lower end of the lake; drop shots with Chompers worms in plum or brown / purple, robo worms in MMIII, Aaron’s magic or oxblood and Zoom finesse worms in watermelon/ purple or watermelon / red will all produce fish on main lake and secondary points from 30’ – 40’ deep. Most of the fish will be on or near the bottom through out the day but you can work them up as you catch a few. Up Long Creek the Carolina rig and deep crankbait bites have started to turn on. Look for points and ledges to be holding most of the fish.

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Kimberling City Area: It’s finally starting to happen, water temperatures have hit the low to mid 80’s and the fish have begun to move deep. Early in the day there are still a few fish being taken on spooks, sammys and pop-rs , but once the sun gets up over the tree line the bite disappears and the fish move toward the bottom. Look for schools of shad on or near the surface to find the fish. Still catching a few fish on Carolina rigged lizards, baby brush hogs and french fries from 20’ – 25’ deep on main lake and secondary gravel and mixed gravel rock points but Jewel Football and 7/16 oz. spider jigs have really started to dominate these locations. Green pumpkin / green flash, PB&J and orange craw have been the best colors matched with a green pumpkin Jewel or Chompers jig trailer. Dragging or swimming has been the best presentation but at times hopping or stroking the jig will out produce dragging. The dropshot and spoon bite is just starting to kick in; several fish are located from 30’ – 45’ deep on main lake points use your electronics to locate the fish.

James River: While not as deep as the mid lake area the fish from the lower James to around Cape Fair have moved deep as well. The most consistent patterns has been a Carolina rigged brush hog or lizard or Jewel Football jig and twin tail fished from 15’ – 25’ deep on main lake pea gravel and mixed rock and gravel points. Look for points that have deep roll offs near by. The deep crankbait bite has started to become a player from around campers point on up, roll off points and flats worked from 15’ – 20’ deep with citrus shad and lavender shad DD-22’s and DD- 16’s have been effective. Back into the creeks the dock bite has started to kick in as well; Jewel Eakins’ jig and Paca craw combos, Chompers Ultra Tubes and shaky head worms are all producing quantity and quality in shady areas around docks.

White River: The White river continues to be strong, good numbers of fish are still being taken early and late on spooks, sammys and pop-rs on deep points and around standing timer in deep pockets. Once the sun comes up fish will move back to the bottom or into the trees. On points Carolina rigged lizards, baby brush hogs and fries are still performing well, Jewel football and 7/16 oz. spider jigs in brown / purple flash or PB&J with green pumpkin trailers or deep crankbaits will result in several fish. Look for points with deep water close by and make casts from different angles to cover the point effectively. Near the confluence with the James to around Big Creek the dropshot and spoon bite has started to kick in; look for fish to be schooled up on main lake and secondary points in major creeks from 28’ – 45’ deep.

Dam Area: The lower end of the lake has the best deep bite on the lake; white 1/2oz and ¾ oz War Eagle and Bink’s spoons are producing numbers and good quality fish from 30’ – 45’ deep on main lake points and flats. These same locations worked with Chompers plum or brown and purple laminate dropshot worms, Robo worm MMIII and Aaron’s Magic worms and Zoom watermelon candy or watermelon red finesse worms on a dropshot rig will produce numbers and quality. The fish seem to be holding right around 28’ deep either on the bottom or suspended over deeper water, some fish will come out a little deeper but the active schools are around the 28’ mark. Up Long Creek there is still a good shallow bite on channel swing banks, Jewel J-Lock jigs and Chompers McCutchen spinner baits are producing around wood cover on main lake channel banks.

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Best fly patterns for the week: Limited generation this past week has resulted in some excellent fishing. Scuds, soft shell scuds and G-bugs have been the dominate patterns in wine, ginger and grey. Egg patterns will also produce in pink or orange. Look for the Corp to start running a little more water over the next week or so in to pull Beaver lake down closer to pool.

Best spinning tackle: The lack of generation has made it a little tougher on the drift bite; Gulp and Power eggs are still catching several fish, inflated night crawlers fished on the deep edges of flats and channel banks will still produce during slack water. Rooster tails, super dupers and Zig Jigs are working whenever there is a little generation.

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Best fly patterns for the week: The breaks in the generation this past week has improved the fly fishing significantly; zebra midges, scuds and sow bugs in wine, ginger and pewter have all been very effective. The areas below the dam have been crowed over the past couple of weekends so plan to have plenty of company.

Best spinning tackle: With limited generation in the morning the best options are Gulp or Powerbait eggs and inflated night crawlers fished on a drift rig. When the water is running Little Cleos, super dupers and Rapalas are producing in the current.

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Kimberling City Area: Despite the transition to a summer pattern, fish are still coming out of relatively shallow water. Good numbers of fish can be caught on split shot or Carolina rigged lizards, baby brush hogs and fish doctors in green pumpkin or watermelon / red from 8’ – 15’ early in the day. Jewel football and spider jigs will also produce in green pumpkin / green flash or PB&J both matched up with Jewel green pumpkin twin tail jig trailers in these areas. As the sun comes up you can follow the fish out into deeper water to 20’ – 30’ deep with these same patterns. The majority of the fish are still coming off of pea gravel and mixed gravel / rock points through out the mid lake area.

James River: The James has really turned on this week, the stained water and abundance of shad have combined to move shallow fish shallow chasing shad. Flipping Chompers’ Ultra Tubes, Jewel J-Lock and Eakins Jigs around shoreline cover has been producing numbers and quality fish up the river. Main lake and secondary points in the mid lake continue to produce fish on Jewel football jigs and Carolina rigged lizards or brush hogs in green pumpkin or watermelon / red. The deep crankbait bite is starting to turn as well, DD-22’s, DD-16’s and Rapala DT-16’s in a variety of shad patterns have been producing fish on ledges and roll offs from the mid James to above Flat Creek.

White River: Fishing on the White River has been very good over the past week, the top water bite has been very good early and late with spooks, sammys and red fins accounting for most of the fish. As the sun comes up the same gravel and mixed gravel / rock points will produce fish on Jewel Spider and football jigs in Green Pumpkin / green flash and PB&J or split shot and Carolina rigged lizards, brush hogs and fries in green pumpkin. While a few fish have begun to suspend deep off points the drop shot bite hasn’t been a reliable pattern yet. Up the Kings River the shallow bite continues to dominate; Jewel J-Lock jigs, Chompers Ultra Tubes and Texas rigged brush hogs flipped to shallow cover are producing numbers and quality.

Dam Area: The fish on the lower end are still holding fairly shallow as well. Pea gravel and mixed gravel / rock main lake and secondary points are holding fish from 10’ – 20’ deep most of the day. Split shot rigged fries and fish doctors, shaky head worms and single tailed grubs are all still producing both quantity and quality. The top water bite is very strong early in the day; look for shad activity to clue you into the locations. Further up Long Creek the stained water is holding fish shallow, target shoreline cover with Jewel Eakins’ and J- Lock Jigs, Chompers Ultra Tubes and McCutchen Spinnerbaits. The shallow crankbait bite has started to turn on up Long Creek as well; RC 1.5 and 2.5 crankbaits fished around shallow wood cover will produce quality bites.

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Kimberling City Area: The majority of the fish have transitioned to a full post spawn pattern over the past week, the warm temperatures have driven water temps to the low to mid 70’s and move the fish out away from the bank in the mid lake area. The majority of fish are being caught on main lake and secondary points with split shot or Carolina rigged lizards, fish doctors, salty sinkers and baby brush hogs, green pumpkin and water melon red have been primary colors. Several larger fish have moved up under large community or commercial docks, suspending under floats, these fish can be targeted with Eakins jigs, Ultra tubes and War Eagle spinnerbaits. Work the bait close to the walk way floats from shallow to deep.

James River: Early and late there ahs been a good topwater bite up the James river, look for schooling fish on pea gravel and mixed rock and gravel points, spooks, sammy’s and pop-r’s have all been effective. As the day wears on look for these fish to move lower in the water column, target the 8’ – 15’ deep rane with Carolina rigged lizards or brush hogs, Jewel ½ oz. football jigs and 7/16 oz. spider jigs in green pumpkin / green flash or brown / purple flash with green pumpkin Jewel jig trailers. The deep crankbait bite is just starting to turn on; Norman DD16’s and 22’s, Rapala DT 16’s and Strike King series 600 have all been catching fish in a variety of shad patterns.

White River: From the confluence with James to Shell Knob Carolina rigged lizards and brush hogs, Jewel football and spider jigs and Storm swimbaits have been effective on main lake and secondary points. Work these baits from 10’ – 20’ deep on pea gravel and mixed rock / gravel points, pay close attention to any concentrations of rock on these points. In the Kings River flipping and pitching Jewel Eakins and J-Lock jigs have been effective around shallow cover, orange craw and black / blue / purple with Paca chunk trailers have been best performers. On windy days a Chompers’ McCutchen spinner bait has been very productive in these same areas.

Dam Area: Surprisingly we have caught a few fish with bloody tails on the lower end this last week. Appears a final wave of spawners hit the bank on the last new moon. Not enough of these fish to comprise a pattern but it was interesting to catch spawning fish in the end of May. Best pattern continues to be split shot rigs and shaky heads on gravel or mixed gravel and rock points. Most of the fish have been a little shallower toward Long Creek, Big Cedar, Persimmon, etc, as the water has had great color. Further up long creek McCutchen spinnerbaits and Jewel J-Lock jigs have produced around shallow cover.

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Best fly patterns for the week: A little slack water over the weekend made a big difference; zebra midges, sow bugs and scuds have been effective in ginger, grey and plum. With the water shut off over the weekend the fishing was great.

Best spinning tackle: Not much current and lower water meant the bite was a little tougher, drift rigs with Berkley power eggs, Gulp eggs and live crawlers have all been producing from Cooper Creek to below Branson.

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