Arkansas Lakes Fishing Report

Lake - Bull Shoals 08/08/06

Dam area to Lead Hill: The fish are definitely deep in the dam area. Smallmouth are being caught as deep as 40’ on points and bluff ends with Jewel spider and football jigs with Chomper jig trailers, PB&J remains the most productive color. Spotted bass are suspended for the most part and are following schools of shad from point to point. Spoons and drop shots are your best bet and you will need to find the bait with your electronics to be successful. Largemouth are not as deep and can be caught on Jewel football and spider jigs or Carolina rigged French fries are effective on points near deep water.

Lead Hill to Power site: the fish are still holding tight to cover; smallmouth on rock and largemouth on brush or other wood. Much like in the dam area the fish have moved fairly deep with most of the smallmouth coming as deep as 30’ and largemouth as deep as 20’. Both species are feeding on shad and crawfish so Jewel spider and football jigs, Carolina rigged fries and deep crankbaits have all been effective. Look for most of the fish to be “stacked up” on points whenever there is any generation.

Fishing report for BULL SHOALS LAKE home of the record Largemouth Bass.
Submitted as a community service by SPRING CREEK ENTERPRISES, Don and Judy Schnable 417 273 4859 schnabs@webound.com

SPRING CREEK ENTERPRISES http://www.maout.com/springcreek is sponsored by HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS Mountain Home Arkansas http://www.hiexpress.com , SCHOCKEYS BOAT and MOTOR http://www.bullshoals.com/schockey/

The warm weather continues to hang around with no relief in sight. Lake temperature is 85.8 degrees this week and by 3 o’clock in the afternoon the surface temperature will reach 88.5 degrees. That is warmer than bath water.

Generation has been steady because of the heat requiring power and the pool level has dropped to 652.33, two feet below normal pool. The thermocline remains between 28 and 38 feet and the oxygen level in the thermocline is still the best in the lake.

Every once in a while there comes a time when the lake conditions effects the game fish and the bite just shuts down. This is one of those times. Whether it is the lake temperature or the amount of shad or maybe a shallower than normal thermocline it is hard to say.

You can still catch bass, crappie and walleye but you really have to work at it and spend a lot of time on the water for a few bites.

White bass are halfway back in the creeks and if you can find them under the shad you can spoon up a few in the mornings. Look for them in 50 to 60 feet of water.

Crappie are around brush piles in the creeks and suspended on pole trees along the bluffs. Pinpointing their feeding period is the problem – one day they will bite in the morning and the next day they will feed around noontime in the heat of the day. Crappie minnows, crappie tubes and Bobby Garland Swimming Minnows are baits and lures that they will bite on.

Largemouth bass are slow except for a little top water action in the morning in the back of some creeks and pockets. They don’t want fast moving baits like buzzbaits or Spooks but they will react to Pop R’s, Chug Bugs and Spit’N Image baits. After top water shuts down it is anyone’s guess where the largemouth go.

My tip for the week is to drag a Carolina rig around secondary points with a 7 1/2” worm or a trick worm. Smallmouth are suspended. A few will go nose down and feed on crawdads but the majority of Smallmouth are suspended. They won’t react to spoons or drop shot rigs so you have to fish for the few that are on the bottom. Fish a tube, a Shaker Head with a finesse worm or a Mojo rig with a baby brush hogs or grub.

Kentuckys are easy to find under schools of shad but hard to catch. Spoons will work, drop shots will work and grubs will work but the problem is if you are lucky enough to catch a Kentucky , you can’t get a second strike.

Walleye, on the other hand, are catchable and limits of four walleye in the 20 to 26” range is not uncommon daily. The key is pulling lead core in 28 to 36 feet of water in the creek arms and coves with Hot’N Tots or Reef Runner Rip Shads in purple colors.

The bite is the best from 10 a.m. in the morning until 2 p.m. Spoons are also triggering a few walleye fished vertically to walleye that are on the bottom in 40 to 48 feet of water over flats.

NIGHT TIME: The bite is slow before and after dark. The few bass that we can catch are on points or in brush piles. Standard baits are as good as anything (pig and jigs or 8 to 10 inch worms). With the full moon this week that might all change.

Remember to keep only what you can eat and release the rest for another day. Rick Culver of Wilderness Trail does the research for this report and the writing of this report. For more information call Rick or Sue Culver at Wilderness Trail at 870-445-2703, e-mail us at wtrail@bullshoals.net or check out our web site at www.wildernesstrail.com

For stories and info in the our Ozark area and data on recreational activities in the midwest log on to one of the nations largest and most complete Internet magazines Don and Judy Schnable 417 273 4859 schnabs@webound.com

SCE is sponsored by
Wendell Stills http://www.wendellstill.com
Holiday Inn http://www.hiexpress.com
Gaston's http://www.gastons.com
Willow Ford Outboard http://www.fishinwhattheysee.com
Stetson Resort http://www.stetsons-resort.com
Twin Bridges Canoe http://www.twinbridgescanoe.com
Venues of Distinction http://www.maout.com/springcreek.htm
Venom Boats http://www.venomboats.com
TMR http://www.tmrbullshoals.net
Shockey's http://www.bullshoals.com/shockey

For stories, recipes,and articles in the South Central Ozarks try ALL THINGS OZARK
http://www.maout.com/springcreek.htm Check us out!!!!

For all outdoor activity in the midwest try www.maout.com