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Kansas Fishing Records

Copyright 1999-2003

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May 28, 2003 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett Creek -
The holiday has come and gone but the fishing has stayed good. The weather is holding and the water temp. is in the range for all species of fish. The water clarity is great so it looks like it could be an awesome year of fishing on Truman.

LAKE LEVEL: 707.50
WATER TEMP: 68 deg.
WATER CLARITY : Clear to light stain

BASS: The bass fishing here on Truman remains very good. Last nite in the hawg fights it took 16.59 lbs. to win and that was in 3 hours. Doug and Ozzie Wallace were the winners catching their fish on black and blue jigs. They were fishing a summer pattern of suspended fish in tree rows. Most fish are holding in 6' to 8' of water. Mike Friend and Carl Shipman came in 2nd. with 13.82 lbs. Mike said they caught their fish on Carolina rigs up in 2' of water on the steeper banks. They were throwing critter craws in pumpkin. Jim and I caught our fish on spooks and pop r's in 3' of water on the flats. So as you can see there are several patterns on Truman working rite now.
CRAPPIE: The crappie have moved to the summer pattern. The best area at this time seems to be in the Finney Creek area on the Grand arm. Fish 12' to 20' with a minnow set about 7'. Fish the outside tree rows. Move tree to tree and just keep moving.
WHITES & HYBRIDS: There are a few nice hybrids being caught. They have been surfacing in the KK area and the around the airport. Rooster tails and hog sticks are the two best baits. There has also been some fish caught above Long Shoal off the big point above the bridge trolling. Magnum Wiggle Warts seem to be working the best. Whites have been taken off the wier on jigging spoons out of about 15' of water.
CATFISH: Catfishing on Truman remains good. Trot lines baited with leeches seem to be working the best. Floating lines on the flats with stages set about a foot deep have produced some really good fish this week. I'm sure that jugs on the flats set about 15' baited with leeches will also work. Bait with perch and you might even find a good ole flat head.

Well that's it for this week from Sterett Creek Marina
660-438-2280
critter@dam.net
So till next week we bid you good fishin.
Tommy

May 21, 2003 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett Creek -
The storms have passed and were getting back to normal.  Were looking for a great week end, with the coming of Memorial Day.  So lets get to the fishing report.
Lake Level:                    708.29
Water Temp:                 69 deg.
Water clarity:                Upper arms still some what muddy, main lake clear to light
                                               stain.
Bass:   Bring your worms, the bite is on.  The lake is up a couple of feet, but the fish are holding in 4 to 8 ft. of water on the steeper banks.  Blue flake or red shad are working best.  A few reported a top water bite.  Lots of short fish caught in the shallows.  Tuesday night Hog Fights came with clear skies, and a light north wind.  The bass were on the bite for some of the contestants.  First place team of Marty Watson and Jeff Hooe with a great stringer weighing in at 14.14.  Second place Mike Friend and Pat Friend with a weight of 13.29.  Big fish of the evening 5.60 lbs. was caught by Clint Rayburn and Jeff Swaggart.  17 boats were in the competition with most everyone catching fish.
White Bass/ Hybrids:  The weir is producing lots of whites when the COE is running water.  The fish hold at 16 to 23 ft. Slab spoons in silver or chartreuse, and sassy shads, on jig heads, are the best producers.  Some are doing well on the big flats with humps, trolling.  Deep running crankbaits work best.  We are starting to see some Hybrid action on the surface.  Hog sticks, and pop'rs work best.  Steve Blake {sterett creek guide} has brought in a few hybrids in the 10 lb. range.  Most of the whites caught on the main lake are coming from the humps, in 16-25 ft.  As the water temp. rises, look at the 14 to 18 ft, depth.
Crappie:  Crappie expert Marty Zych, brought in a nice limit of crappie today, with several fish in the 13 in. range.  Marty says the crappie are getting into the summer pattern.  Fish the summer pattern with minnows  8-10 ft. in 14-17 ft. of water.  Large flats in the Finney creek area of the Grand is producing well.  Any good flat above there should be good,unless you get into muddy water.  This shallow flat pattern will work in other arms like Tebo,Osage,Little Tebo. 
Catfish:  There are some big cats being caught on jugs using leeches.  A young lady brought one to the scales today that weighed 48 lbs.  Reports of some cats weighing up to 60 lbs. are being taken.  With the lake up 2 ft. shallow flats with deep water close by are the best spots to start looking.  Truman is well noted for big catfish.  There are some big blues being caught on spoons while fishing for whites.  Who knows, you spoon may be the next meal for some super sized catfish. 
 
This weeks rating from Sterett Creek Marina are:
Whites and hybrids                    #1
Crappie                                         #2
Bass                                              #3
That's it from Sterett Creek Marina
                       660-438-2280
So until next week, take a kid fishing and we'll see you on the water.  The Legend of Sterett Creek Marina
 
May 14, 2003 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett Creek -
If you remember last week I said we counted our blessings that all the bad weather missed us. Well it came back an got us. Tuesday afternoon super high winds came out of nowhere. Lots of boat damage, and damage to the marina.
LAKE LEVEL: 707.20
WATER TEMP: 69 deg.
WATER CLARITY: Upper arms muddy, main lake clear to light
light stain.
Bass: Now to the important news. After the high winds the evening hog fights were held. The bass fishermen had clouds with a calm lake and the fish were on. We're in the stage of the full moon with another round of spawning fish. Nitches with pea gravel in shallow water was the bite for some fishermen. However the team of Crist Fanning and Terry Close weighed in a 6 fish limit weight of 18.35 plus big fish at 4.29. Colors in baits varied, with dark colors in slow moving baits such as worm or jigs, and light colored spinnerbaits. Bigger fish were in the 5ft, depth range. We had 14 boats for the hog fights, and everyone had fish.
WHITES AND HYBIRDS: The bite is on real strong. Spoons are the best bait, however, there is also a top water bite is some areas of the lake. Nice stringers of whites are coming from around the dam area. The full moon is approaching this week which is the key to the white bass spawn. Humps on the main lake are producing well. Depth ranges from 16 to 23 ft. With the COE running water, it draws the bait fish, and then the whites and hybrids start feeding.
CRAPPIE: There are still plenty of crappie to be caught. The spawn is almost over. There are still some crappie coming off the bank. Most are being caught in deeper water. The summer pattern is just about to begin. Look for crappie on the flats, in tree rows,fence rows, and along old road beds. We had a great spring with lots of crappie in the 2 lb. range being caught. Summer fishing should be excellent.
CATFISH: With lake getting back close to normal the best bite is still with float lines set about 16 in. baited with leeches, or cut bait. Fresh shad is working well also. Look for big flats with 3 to 6 ft. depth close to deep water.

This weeks ratings from Sterett Creek Marina are:
Whites and hybrids # 1
Bass # 2
Crappie # 3
That's it from Sterett Creek Marina
660-438-2280

So until next week, good fishing and we'll see you on the water.
The Sterett Creek Legend

This weeks report was prepared by Larry Wright one of the guides out of Sterett Creek so please forgive any tall tails.
So till next week we bid you good fishin.
Tommy

May 7, 2003 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett Creek -  
 Fishing is always easy but sometimes catching is really hard and I guess if you take the weather into account that is what we have had so far this week. With all the savior weather we have had around us this week we should just be happy to be here. Here at the marina we had no damage and are counting our blessings. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those less fortunate. We are seeing a little rise in the lake level but I think this will do nothing more than make the fishing a little better.
LAKE LEVEL:          708.68
WATER TEMP:        68 deg.
WATER CLARITY:  Upper arms muddy, main lake clear to
                                     light stain.
 
BASS: The bass fishing here on Truman is very good. With the storms last night we didn't fish the hog fights but the people that
were fishing earlier in the week had real good reports. The jig and frog  is still the best big fish bite. Black and blue is the best rite now. There are a lot of bedding fish rite now. Just remember the lake is up about 2 1/2' so these fish aren't going to be rite on the bank. Most of the better fish are coming out of 5' to 6' of water. The nitches behind secondary points are producing a lot of fish. Lizards and brush hogs are working in the same areas. Watermelon and pumpkin are two of the better colors. These can be fished either Texas or Carolina rigged. We have heard of a fair buzz bait bite in the back end of the creeks but with the dirty water coming in this may slow up for a few days.
CRAPPIE: This afternoon the crappie have gone back to the banks in our area. We saw several nice stringers come in. Most of the folks said that the fish were in small main lake nitches and were about 3' off the bank. Chartreuse road runners were the best producers. Little Tebo gave up a lot of fish today. There were also some fish caught off the steeper banks around the dam area in 8' to 10' of water when fished the same way.
WHITES and HYBRIDS: We are starting to see quite a few whites coming in now. They must be biting pretty good if Mark Weber can catch them. The islands out in front of Sterett Creek has been producing some nice whites. Small shad colored crank baits have been working real good. With the COE running water most of the old haunts should start producing as well. Dan Dunek had some nice whites and hybrids on Saturday. Said he caught them on the Osage. I would sure check out O3 and around KK island, those spoon fish should be ready to go.
CATFISH: With the rise we have coming now the catfish should really take off. Floating trot lines set on the flats with stages set at about 16" baited with leaches will be a super bet. Fish 3' to 5' next to deeper water.
 
This weeks rankings from Sterett Creek are:
   Bass         # 1
   Crappie    # 2
   Whites      # 3
That's it from Sterett Creek Marina
                        660-438-2280
                        critter@dam.net
 
So until next week we bid you good fishin.
                         Tommy
April 30, 2003 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett Creek -  If May comes in like April is going out it is going to be one fantastic month of fishing. It would be hard for the fishing to get any better than it is rite now. We have crappie bedding and the bass seem to be about everywhere. Last nite I even saw whites being caught. So if you are looking for some string stretching you need to hit Truman real quick.
LAKE LEVEL:          707.46
WATER TEMP:         68 deg.
WATER CLARITY:   Clear
 
BASS: Last nites Hawg Fights took over 17 lbs. to win and that was in 3 hours of fishing. Honors go to Doug and Ozzie Wallace for the win and Jim and I had big fish at 5.11 lbs. The best bite for the better fish is a jig and frog in black and blue or a pumpkin and pumpkin. Fish seem to be holding off the secondary points in 3' to 5' of water. Transition banks seem to be the best bet. Brush hogs and lizards will also work on these banks.
CRAPPIE: The crappie are on the beds on our end of the lake. Jigs with a bobber set about 16" or road runners are working great. Anything with chartreuse should work for you. The little nitches in the back end of the creeks is a good place to start. Also the main lake nitches on big Tebo are starting to produce.
WHITES: Like I said earlier I saw some whites caught last nite by the islands out in the front of Sterett Creek. Small shad colored crankbaits were working real good. I would also check the cemetery with a jigging spoon the time is getting real close for those fish to pull up there. They have been running water this week through the dam so this might get things going at he wier to.
CATFISH: Jugs are still working on the flats with cut shad. Set your lines about 10' and make sure you have deep water close.
Trot lines set shallow on the flats are also starting to work. Set your stages about a foot deep and use a floating line in 3' to 5' of water.
 
Well that's it for this week from Sterett Creek Marina
                                                     660-438-2280
                                                     critter@dam.net
So until next week we bid you good fishin. Tommy

April 23, 2003 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett Creek -  
Well the weather has thrown us another curve ball. Seems we can't make it through a week without a cold front hitting us. This one didn't seem to effect the bass but it slowed the crappie down big time. The lake is still in really good shape but the water temp is slow in getting to where we need it. Sooner or later it is going to get there.
WATER LEVEL: 706.14
WATER TEMP: 62 deg.
WATER CLARITY: Clear to a light stain

BASS: The bass fishing here on Truman is real good. There are several baits that are working now. The jig bite is real good rite now. Black and blue is the best color. These fish are holding in the backends of the creeks, and laydowns are the best. Look for steeper banks. You can also catch spinnerbait fish on this same pattern. White and char. with gold blades is a good choice. There is a pretty good crankbait bite on the steep creek channel banks. Small med. runners in brown crawfish fished next to deep water are catching some nice fish. Lizards and brush hogs in watermelon or green pumpkin are also working in the same areas. CRAPPIE: Like I said earlier the crappie have slowed a little this week. Fish a jig and bobber in the nitches of the creeks. Set your bobber about 18" and the color doesn't seem to matter. Look for the steeper nitches and fish them out to about 8'. If we ever get any warmer weather they will go to the banks to spawn.
WHITES: No Report
CATFISH: The catfish are still doing good on the flats. Jugs baited with shad set about 10' are your best bet. The flats close to a creek channel are working the best.

Well that's it for this week from Sterett Creek Marina
660-438-2280
critter@dam.net
So until next week we bid you good fishin Tommy

April 22 2003  -Table Rock - Submitted by Pete Wenner's Professional Guide Service -WATER LEVEL - 913.02  Normal Pool 915'  
WATER TEMP.         
Kimberling City, Baxter, & Dam Area  57-60 Main Lake
Fish are on beds all over the lake, the split shot and mojo rig are starting to work real well. 
I fished 8'-15' deep on main lake and secondary gravel points, also single tail grubs fished on 1/4 oz. heads.  Grub colors-salt & pepper, smoke, smoke w/blue flake.  Some fish are starting to bite on top water baits-Zara Spooks, Storm's Chug Bugs, Ambush's Pop A-long around the same areas you are split shotting.  Try flukes, floating worms and Senko's in spawning pockets and backs of creeks around bedding and cruising bass.  Best split shot baits are 4" worms, in green pumpkin, watermelon, and 3"-4" craws and twin tail grubs.  Some areas are covered with moss, try drop shotting to keep bait off bottom or fish a little deep, outside the moss line.
James River, Long Creek, & Kings River  58-65 Rivers
Same as main lake, but some spinnerbait fish are being caught in the backs of creeks slow rolling 1/2 oz. spinnerbaits under schools of shad in 8'-12'.  On some days I'm seeing a lot of bass fry in the rivers.  The Carolina bite and topwater bite should pick up in these areas where there are more post spawn fish.

April 16, 2003 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett Creek -  If it gets any better than this I'm just not going to tell anybody. The crappie are on the banks pretty well all over the lake and when you have a bass tourn. that weighs 6 fish over 26lbs. that's just kind of hard to top. The weather is still unstable but it doesn't seem to be affecting the fish. The mushrooms should be up by this weekend and turkey season opens Monday boy I love Missouri !!!
 
LAKE LEVEL:            706.36
WATER TEMP:          61 deg.
WATER CLARITY:    Clear to light stain
 
BASS: This was called pick a bait week because they all seem to be working. Last nite we had the Tuesday Nite Hawg Fights and even though we had really strong winds Danny and Virginia Johnson were the winners with 12.73 lbs. They also had big bass at 4.89 lbs. Not bad for 2 1/2 hours of fishing. Story is that they caught their fish off points on spinnerbaits. The jig bite is still on with black and blue working the best. Secondary points are a good bet and if they are a little steeper all the better. Lizards and brush hogs are also working. Pumpkin and watermelon are the two best colors when rigged Texas style. The best areas are 1/2 to 3/4 of the way back in the creeks and the fish seem to be holding in 2' to 3' of water.
CRAPPIE: The little critters are just about everywhere. Most of the fish are coming out of 5' to 6' of water and are about 3' down. Roadrunners are working great and the best color seems to be white with a red head. Tube jigs set on a bobber about 16" deep is a sure bet. Most of the nitches in the creeks are holding fish. Steve Blake said the steeper banks were producing a little better. Marty Zych had a 2.5 lb. fish this week and we heard they had a 2.9 lb. up at Bucksaw. The DNR said this would be one of the better years we have seen on Truman for crappie and if this is any indication it is going to be awsome.
WHITES: No report
CATFISH: No report
Well that's about it for this week from Sterett Creek Marina - 660-438-2280 - critter@dam.net
Please say a prayer for our troops overseas and we wish you all a HAPPY EASTER. With that we bid you good fishing. Tommy
 
April 9, 2003 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett Creek -  Well we got hit with another northerner this week. It affected the crappie more than anything but the bass bite is still pretty good. With the weather they are calling for this weekend I think the crappie will start rite back in. The lake color is real good going from clear to a light stained. The backends of some of the creeks are a little more colored from the wind.
LAKE LEVEL:        706.72
WATER TEMP:       49deg.
WATER CLARITY: Clear to light stained. Color in the back
                                    ends of the creeks from the wind.
 
BASS: We ran our first hawg fight last nite and even though we fished in a 15 mph. wind out of the north and snow flurries we caught fish. Doug and Ozzie Wallace won it with 8.31lbs. Jim and I came in 2nd with 8.0 and also had big bass of 4.60. Doesn't sound like much but the tourn. was only 2 1/2 hours long. The best bite going is a jig bite about 3/4 of the way back in the coves. The fish seem to be holding in 3' to 5' of water on the steeper banks. Deeper water has to be close by. Pumpkin and green jig seemed to work the best for us. Doug said they caught their fish on rogues.
There has been a spinner bait bite going in the backends of the coves, white and char. with gold blades seems to be the color.
CRAPPIE: With the wind and cold weather we haven't had much going on this week. But with the warm weather we have coming in this weekend they will be rite back on the steeper banks. A jig and a bobber set about a foot deep will work. Look for cedars around the points and fish them the same way.
CATFISH: We saw some really nice catfish last weekend. Charlie Chapman did great on jugs. He said he was running his jugs on the flats set 10'. Shad was the bait. So it looks like the catfish are starting early this year.
WHITES: No Report.
 
Thats about it from Sterett Creek Marina
                                  660-438-2280
                                 critter@dam.net
So with that we bid you good fishing Tommy

April 3, 2003  -Table Rock - Submitted by Pete Wenner's Professional Guide Service -WATER LEVEL - 912.57  Normal Pool 915'  
WATER TEMP.    49-51 Main Lake      52-59 Rivers
This weekend, Team Supreme Tournament Trails had their 2003 year end Championship on Table Rock, with 170 teams from all over the mid-west.  Most of these guys are shallow water river fishermen, but they showed they could catch them just as good on this deep, clear Ozark lake.  Producing over 20 lb. stringers each day in serious changing weather patterns, 80 degrees the 1st day, then on the 2nd day...Rain, snow, sleet, with 30 mph winds, below freezing temps, with bluebird skies, and on the third day, no precipitation, but windy & cold!!  Most of the fish were being caught up the White River, from #9 to Eagle Rock up, and the Kings River & mid-lake areas.  Lots of 3-4 lb. smallmouths weighed in and I saw more healthy largemouths than I have seen in the past few springs since the fish kill, showing that the lake is rebounding excellent.  I worked the Team Supreme Catch & Release boat, and all the fish were in excellent shape, loaded with eggs and waiting to spawn.  The fishing should really break loose over the next 7-14 days if it warms up, like they say in the upcoming forecasts.  Water temps range between 49-59 degrees, it's warmer up in the upper ends of the rivers and creeks in the afternoons.  Fish were caught on all different baits, mainly jerkbaits-Husky Jerks, Rouges, & Lucky Crafts, on main lake and secondary points and channel swings in the creeks.  Best colors were Tennessee Shad, Purple/Chartreuse, Chrome/Blue & Chrome/Black.  Some came on crankbaits, Storm wiggle warts, Rapala Shadraps in green crawdad patterns, & reds, & browns, fished in the same areas as the jerkbaits-but a little shallower.
Several fish were reported being caught on single spin spinnerbaits along bluffs, & bluff ends, being slow rolled, & tandem willow leafs in the upper rivers.  Many anglers also caught a few fish on Team Supreme's 1/4-3/8 oz. jigs in brown & green.

April 2, 2003 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett Creek -  If the wind would ever quit blowing we could probably catch a bunch of fish. The water is warming up nicely and the water clarity is super. The cold front this weekend slowed things up but it looks like its starting to get  back on track and we may even be a little early this year.
LAKE LEVEL:            706.16
WATER TEMP:           53deg.
WATER CLARITY:    Clear to a light stain
 
 BASS: With the water temp warming the bass have started to move shallower. Have heard of a lot of fish coming out of 1' of water. Jigs have started to produce some fish. Black and blue with a flippin blue trailer seems to be working the best. Fish the steep banks and fish rite off the bank. Lizards are picking up a few fish in the same areas. Watermelon/red or pumpkin/green are two of the colors that are working. Guide Steve Blake had some nice fish on 4 1/2' Husky Jerk on Monday. He said the two best colors were clown and black and silver. Here again the fish were up shallow and on the steeper bank.
CRAPPIE: The has been quiet a few crappie coming from about 1/2 way back in the coves. Seems that most of the fish are coming out of the cedars or real close to them. The points off the little nitches in the coves seem to work the best. Road runners in chartreuse are working real good. Also a tube jig set about a foot deep on a bobber will work. Red and char. seems to be the best color. These fish are running from a foot of water to about 8'. If this weather will hold for us we may see fish on the banks within the next week.
WHITES: No report.
CATFISH: No report.
Thats about it from Sterett Creek Marina
                                  660-438-2280
                                  critter@dam.net
So till next week we bid you good fishin.
                        Tommy

March 26, 2003 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett Creek - If the weather would just settle down the fishing would be great. These little fronts that keep popping through just won't let the fish do what they want to do. The crappie are still doing pretty good and the bass are trying to start but they are calling for cold and wet weather this weekend so they will probably get pushed back again.
 LAKE LEVEL:        706.31
 WATER TEMP:       50deg.
 WATER CLARITY: CLEAR TO A LIGHT STAIN
 
BASS: With the backends of the creeks starting to warm a little the fish have started to move alittle. Some of the creeks you will find water temps.as warm as 55deg. There is still a Rouge bite going on main lake pockets, its slow but you can catch some fish. The jig bite has started on some of the steeper banks going back in the coves. Black and blue is the top producer. Most of the fish are coming out of 4' to 8' of water. Haven't heard of any spinner bait fish on this end yet but they can't be to far away.
CRAPPIE: The crappie fishing is still good. There are a lot of fish coming on jigs fished with a bobber set about a foot deep. They are coming off the steeper banks. There are a few fish coming out of the creeks about 1/2 way back. These fish are are bobber and jig fish and are tight on cover. Laydowns seem to be best in about 3' to 4' of water. If the weather would warm just a little more there would be a lot of fish on this pattern.
WHITES & CATFISH: No Report.
 We have everything open here at Sterett Creek so if you are in the area stop on by. Hats it for this week from
Stere Creek Marina
660-438-2280
critter@dam.net
With that we bid you good fishin !!! Tommy

March 19, 2003  -Table Rock - Submitted by Pete Wenner's Professional Guide Service -WATER LEVEL - 911.14 Normal Pool 915' TEMP. 46-49

Water has warmed up the last few days, fishing quality varies from day to day, one day we will have great results and the very next day, not so good! Most of the fish being caught have been on jerkbaits, jigs, crankbaits, & some spinnerbaits, and a few on grubs.

Best Baits:medium billed Husky Jerks, Lucky Craft, Rouges (black/chrome, blue/chrome, Tennessee Shad, Purple/Chartreuse) crankbaits, Shad Raps, Wigglewarts (crawdad patterns)

Jigs (Team Supreme 1/4 oz. & Eakins 3/16 & 1/4 oz in Brown, Brown/Black, or Brown w/ watermelon tipped with 3" craws-green pumpkin or watermelon.

I don't think that one are is producing any better than the other, I have heard of more reports of the Baxter, Campbell Point, & Upper Whiter River area, mainly because these areas are being fished more.

Fish in the creeks and pockets off the main lake, look for cedars on points, also channel swings where rock changes from gravel to chunk rock. Also look for gravel banks with isolated big rock boulders, or ledge. Fish 1/2 oz. or 3/4 oz. spinnerbaits- slow rolled, and just ticking the bottom 5'-10', with crankbaits or jigs.

March 19, 2003 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett Creek -Fishing has picked up considerably this week along with the water temp. We are seeing lots of nice crappie come in and the Team Supreme tourn. that was out last Sunday took over 12# of bass to win so this year looks like it is starting out in the right direction.
 
LAKE LEVEL:        705.3
WATER TEMP:       51 deg.
WATER CLARITY: Stained
 
BASS: All the guys that I talked to this weekend caught their fish on rogues. Clown color seemed to be working the best. The fish were caught out of main lake pockets and they were shallow. Big Tebo and the lower Grand seemed to produce the better stringers. In this anglers mind I would think that the jig should start working in these pockets with the warming water. Just remember that the water is still cool so you are going to have to work your baits real slow.
CRAPPIE: The crappie fishing here on Truman has really started picking up. Most of the fish are coming off the bluff banks out of about 3' of water. Jigs with a bobber set about 18" has done a good job all week. Red/Chartreuse and Black/Chartreuse are two of the better colors. Marty Zych weighed in a 2.4 lb. crappie on Sunday along with a real big limit. There are also some fish moving towards the back ends of the coves and are being caught along the edge of the creek channel. These fish are in 10' to15' of water and hitting jigs about 3' down.
WHITES: No report.
CATFISH: No report.
 Well if the rest of the fishing year goes like it has started we should be in for an awesome year. We are open here at Sterett Creek so if you in the area stop by the coffee pot is always on. Thats it for this week so with that we bid you good fishing.
Sterett Creek Marina
660-438-2280
critter@dam.net Tommy

March 11, 2003 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett Creek -Though the fishing report will be a little skimpy this week I thought I would let you know that we are open. If the fish put on as much weight as we did this winter there should be some really big ones out there.
Lake Level:705.3, Water Temp: 39deg. Water Clarity: Clear to
 
BASS: With the cool water temps here on Truman the bass fishing is slow. The best bite rite now is rogues on the main lake points. With the weather patterns they are calling for I would expect this to pick up real quick.
CRAPPIE: We are seeing some nice crappie coming in. These fish are coming off the main lake points out of 25' to 30' of water suspended at 12' to 15'. Jigs have been working the best. I have had a couple of reports that there are some creek channel fish in the Windsor Crossing area. These fish are holding in 17' of water and hitting at about 8'. Here again jigs are your best bet.
WHITES & HYBRIDS: Steve Blake told me there is some good whites holding off LT 2. He had some yesterday up there on tube jigs.
 CATFISH: No Report.
 
 I wish this could be a much better report but it's really early in the year and this is just the start of another awsome fishing season. If your in the area stop by the coffee pot is always on. So until next week we bid you good fishing from:
          Sterett Creek Marina
           660-438-2280
           critter@dam.net
                Tommy

February 25, 2003  -Table Rock - Submitted by Pete Wenner's Professional Guide Service -  WATER LEVEL - 910.81  Normal Pool 915'  
WATER TEMP.  41-43

Fish starting to bite stickbaits fished on main lake and secondary points with submerged cedar trees, in about 15'-20'.  Work bait real slow, let set for several seconds between twitches. Try  fishing the channel swings back in the creeks about half way back in.  Fish around docks in the creeks near channel swings.  Best baits:  medium billed Husky Jerks, Smithwick Rogues, or Lucky Crafts.  Try Chrome/Blue or Chrome/Black on sunny days and White/Black or Purple/Chartreuse on cloudy days. 

Some jig fish in 10'-20', on chunk rock banks (channel swings), and around brush and docks.  Best baits:  Team Supreme or Eakins jigs in Brown & Black in 1/4 or 3/8 oz.  fish being caught on 1/4 & 3/8 darter head grubs-single tailed, 3"-5", in salt & pepper, smoke, pearl, fished at 15'-25' over 30'-50' of water , around points with submerged timber, and channel swings in the creeks.

If we ever get a few warm days, try shad raps and wigglewarts in crawdad patterns in behind the trees you would normally stickbait and on the channel swings in the creeks.  Good Luck!

February 12, 2003 -Table Rock - I found the fishing to be a little slow in the morning for black bass, with it picking up as the sun emerged over the horizon. We caught 8 in about 5 hrs fishing time on the little arm of the Dungy River. we also hooked into some nice sized white bass later on in the day.

January 19, 2003 -Table Rock - By White River Basin Guide Service
Water Level: 911.8 Normal Pool: 915
Water Temp: Main Lake: 43° - 45° Upper Rivers: 36° - 43°
(Water temperature is falling fast with the cold weather)

Baxter/Kimberling City/Dam Area
The fishing on Table Rock has gotten a little more difficult the last couple of weeks. It took 18 lbs. to win the last two Ahoys tournaments and it took 21 lbs. to win the two before that. I have found the fishing to be very slow in the mornings and once the sun comes up and it gets a little warmer, the fishing picks up. I'm still catching good deep fish using a _ oz. white or chrome spoon, shad colored grub, salt and pepper or smoke tubes, and drop shot with any type of shad colored 4 in. finesse worm. The fish have moved a little bit deeper the last couple of weeks and I am now catching them in 40-55 feet of water. The main thing is that you have to have patience. Most of the fish I'm catching are not seen even on the best graphs. They are very tight on the bottom and in the trees. You have to be patient and keep fishing, slowly. They will bite sooner or later. On nice sunny days with wind, you can catch a few fish on wiggle warts and slow rolling a spinner bait. With the water temperature falling, the stick bait bite is also slowly moving from the rivers down the lake ­ something to keep in mind.

James River
The jerk bait bite is going well up in the rivers. The water is clear and a lot colder, and that bite will be getting better every day, especially as it keeps snowing and melting. I'm seeing a lot of eagles at my house, up in the James, taking shad off the top of the water that are dying, which will make this bite get better and better. Fish channel swing banks with a shallow to medium build Smithwick Rogue or a Lucky Craft stick bait. Also catching some jig fish, same as above, with 5/16 or 7/16 oz. jig on those channel swing banks and in deeper docks. Slow is the key.

Lake Taneycomo

Above Fall Creek to the Dam
During the week, they have been generating water in the mornings and turning them off around noon. It seems to be a day by day thing one day it's great and the next day it's just OK. We're catching good fish on a black, olive or tan skud. You can also catch fish on an orange soft hackle when the sun it out and on 16 or 14 beadhead natural Hare's Ears.

DEFAULT PATTERNS/Consider the following:
Shamois leech size 12, or gray/olive scuds, size 14-16. Fish them either dead drift or under an indicator, just off the bottom.

Below Fall Creek
Try a 32 oz. white or olive jig in slack water, close to lay-downs. I'm also catching fish on a Taneycomo drift rig. Use white, orange, red or yellow Power Bait. Also inflated night crawlers are working very well.

Good luck and good fishing!

January 10, 2003 - Showl Creek near Joplin - On 12-30, about 1:00pm while fishing from a cliff about 10 feet above surface on Showl creek, ( Showl Creek is near Joplin, MO about 5 miles from the Oklahoma border ) caught 6.10 Oz Walleye, female with egg sacks. The have begun to spawn, as her fins showed bruises. You can see the places they make there beds by looking at the rock flats, you can see they have sweep away debris and have created a bed. They will hang out in the main channel near center of foam line or near drop offs on the edge of the channel. I was using a pumpkin orange plastic lizard with a couple modifications, a 1/2 oz Bright orange jig head, a 2 foot 10LBS test leader connected with a swivel to keep from tangle and twist in the river current. Becareful not to use too heavy of a line as it will impair action in the river. Above leader I used a 3/4 Oz slip sinker to keep bait low in the current. Work the jig up and down moving about a foot at a time. You will get most bites on the fall so pay attention. I continued fishing the spot for hours more and produced many smaller walleye. The water is cold but these fish seem to love it. They are hungry and if you can stand the cold then it could be worth it!

Thank You
Kevin Dennis
800-239-6013 Main
417-621-0090 Direct
KevinD@systemupgrade.com