October 28, 2009 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett
Creek Marina -Well it's that time of the year again. This will be my last fishing report for the season. We will be closing down for the season Nov. 1. I will start the fishing reports again the first part of March. It seems like this year has flown by. As I look back it has been one of the better fishing seasons we have seen in several years. The crappie size has been good all season and the numbers the same. The bass fishing this year was super. When it takes close to 20 lbs to win tournaments that's some good fishing. The cat fishing was excellent all year. Lots of good sized blues. The whites and hybrids were a little slow moving down to main lake last spring but once they got here the fishing was great. Lets hope next year will be as good or even better.
LAKE LEVEL: 713.7
LAKE TEMP: 57 deg
WATER CLARITY: Light stain.
BASS: The bass are still on their fall pattern. 1/2 way to all the way back in the creeks on the flats. Spinner baits fished along the cedars has been a good bite. 2' to 4' of water seems to be best. There are also some fish on the secondary points in 8' to 10' of water. Jig and frog has been working on these fish.
CRAPPIE: We had a few good crappie reports this week. The crappie are holding on brush piles in 25' of water. Jigs are the best right now. The fish seem to be holding right on top of the brush. There were also fish caught off the bluffs out of 35' of water down about 25', here again jigs were the best.
WHITES & HYBRIDS: Seems the weir has cleared up enough to get these fish all excited. We saw several nice hybrids come in. Best bait was a 1/4 oz. jig head with a 3" orange and chartreuse jig. Fish were holding right off the bottom. There were also some fish on the road beds in the Little Tebo area. Between spoons and deep running crank baits the were some nice whites caught. These fish have bee in about 16' of water.
CATFISH: Jugs have been working well for blues. Perch along with Little smokies have produced some nice fish this week. Best fish are coming out of 25' of water down about 20'. Close to points seems to be the best areas.
I would like to thank all the people that have sent ataboys for the fishing report, they were appreciated. We would also like to thank all the folks that came to Sterett Creek this year and hope to see you all in the spring.
Till next spring
Good Fishin
Tommy
October 21, 2009 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett
Creek Marina -
LAKE LEVEL: 715.25
WATER TEMP: 59 deg.
WATER CLARITY: Stained.
If you are looking for some beautiful scenery now would be the time to be on Truman. The leaves are in full color, probably the best it's been in a few years. The lake is starting to fall, the COE has been running good amounts of water so lets hope they get it down before winter sets in. I would hope with the running water it will pick the fall fishing up.
BASS: The bass have reacted to the falling water and pulled out of the way backs and have set up on the secondary points. Jig and frog and a medium running crank bait fished in 6' to 10' of water is a good bet right now. The fish seem to be holding 1/2 to 3/4 of the way back in the creeks. Look for shad.
CRAPPIE: The crappie fishing is still slow in our area. There are a few fish on the bluffs. I saw some fish come in yesterday that came out of 30' down about 20'. They have switched from minnows to jigs now. I would start checking the brush piles now. There is still quite a bit of water on them but the crappie should be laying on top of them.
WHITES & HYBRIDS: We saw some nice whites come in. These fish were caught off the cemetery in 20' of water. Jigging spoons and deep running crank baits were working the best. The water still has to much color up on the weir to hold fish. The wind has been blowing hard enough to make it tough to fish the flats. There were also deep fish caught off G4 on spoons. If the wind will lay I think the flat points would hold some fish in 4' to 6' of water, look for shad flipping.
CATFISH: We have been seeing some nice cats come in. Jugs have been working in 18' to 20' of water on the flats set about 5' down. Little smokies and perch have been the best baits. Trot lines in 30' have also been working.
That's it for this week from Sterett Creek Marina
660-438-2280
Till next week
Tommy
October 14, 2009 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett
Creek Marina - We are looking at some typical fall weather and fishing. The fish are doing their part, we have been seeing some real good hybrids and black bass come in this week. We are also seeing some little rain showers come through. It looks like the COE is going to catch up with the water this week. They have been running water everyday this week which has helped improve the fishing. The leaves are turning nicely and the lake bluffs are as pretty as I have seen them in years. The weatherman is calling for good weather this weekend so it should be perfect for Heritage Days in Warsaw.
LAKE LEVEL: 715.25
WATER TEMP: 63 deg
WATER CLARITY: Light stain to stained.
BASS: The bass moved right on up with the water. The back ends of the creeks are holding good numbers of bass right now. Spinner baits fished in 2' of water has been working well. Buzz baits are also working in the shallow flooded trees in the back ends. On sunny days fish are coming off the secondary points in the creeks on jig and frog out of 8' to 10' of water. Black and blue seems to be the best color.
CRAPPIE: The crappie fishing remains slow right now. The fish we are seeing come in are coming out of 35' to 40' of water down about 25'. Fish seem to be holding close to points. Minnows are the best bait right now. With the lake up the brush pile fish have slowed up.
WHITES & HYBRIDS: We are seeing lots of whites and hybrids come in now. There has been fish on the windy points up shallow hitting Rooster Tails and Rat L Traps. There has also been good hybrids on the weir hitting spoons. The COE has been running water everyday so I am looking for these fish to hold for awhile. The rip rap on the dam is another spot to check if the wind is blowing into it.
CATFISH: No Report.
That's it for this week from Sterett Creek Marina
660-438-2280
September 30, 2009 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett
Creek Marina - There is no doubt about it, fall has to be here. With the cool mornings and the wind we have had the last couple days it is that time of year. The good thing about it is that the fish should start feeding up for the winter. The leaves are starting to turn and the fall mushrooms are doing well. We have been seeing lots of deer moving in the evenings about dusk so if you are on the roads in the lakes area keep a eye out.
LAKE LEVEL: 707.5
WATER TEMP: 71 deg.
WATER CLARITY. Light stain to stained.
BASS: The bass are still holding in the back 3/4's of the creeks. Spinner baits have been the best producer when fished in 2' to 4' of water. The secondary points are also working when fished with a jig and frog in 4' to 6'. Look for shad working in the backs of the coves. Buzz baits are picking up a few fish on the shallow main lake tree rows.
4' to 8' has been the best. Tree rows need to be close to deep water.
CRAPPIE: This week the crappie have been a little tough. With the wind we have had it has been hard to find a place to to hide and still catch fish. The bluff points are holding some fish. Look for 30' of water, fish about 20' with minnows. The brush piles are also holding some fish. Best piles are in 17' to 20' of water. A jig tipped with a minnow has had some good results.
WHITES & HYBRIDS: Wind and running water sounds like a good combination to me. It's time to start hitting the windy banks for whites. Rooster tails and small Rat L Traps will work great in these areas. There are fish holding on the flats in 8' to 10' of water. Some of these fish are in the 2 lb. range. With the COE running water in the afternoons I would keep an eye on the weir, jigging spoons would be my first choice in this area. You might try trolling the ditch in front of the swim beach for hybrids.
CATFISH: Last weekend we saw some real nice blues come in. 20' of water next to the drop offs. The guys were using vertical trot lines baited with perch. There were also fish caught on jugs baited with little smokies on the flats. Look for 12' to 15' of water.
That's it for this week from Sterett Creek Marina
660-438-2280
Till next week
Tommy
September 23, 2009 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett
Creek Marina - Fishing Report from Sterett Creek Marina 9/23/09
Even though it's the middle of September it sure feels like fall. Daytime temps in the 70's and 50's at night has everything moving. We are starting to see lots of deer and turkey feeding in the fields. The pelicans have come back and the geese are getting allot more active. For the mushroom hunters the corals are popping all over, and the leaves are starting their fall colors. We had about 2" of rain this week and the COE has been running water in the afternoons so the fishing is starting to pick up again.
WATER LEVEL: 707.12
WATER TEMP: 73 deg.
WATER CLARITY: Light stain to dirty way up the rivers.
BASS: The bass fishing is doing great here on Truman. Fish are moving towards the back ends of the coves. Spinner baits fished on the flats in the way backs in 2' of water is a good bite now. On bright sunny days the fish are holding on the secondary points in 5' to 8' of water hitting jig and frog and big worms. Pop R's are starting to produce some fish on the flats also but you have to move them slow.
CRAPPIE: The crappie fishing has slowed a little this week. There are still fish holding on the bluff banks. 30' to 35' of water seems to be the best when fished with minnows. Look for the trees just under the surface and fish down about 20'.
WHITES & HYBRIDS: With the COE running water the white bass and hybrids have started hitting again. There are fish on the wind blown points in 2' of water. Rooster tails and in line spinners are working on these fish. There are also fish on the weir in front of the dam. Sassy shad seems to be the best bait in that area. Jigging spoons are picking some fish up also. Afternoons seem to be better.
CATFISH: We are seeing some good catfish come in this week. Trot lines seem to be producing the best. The mouths of the coves in 20' to 25' of water baited with perch and cut shad has been working. Ron Lastner brought in a 45 lb. blue this week along with several others. Jugs baited with little smokies have been picking up a few fish on the flats in 15' of water.
With the great weather it's a good time to hit the lake and enjoy mother nature at her finest. That's it for this week from Sterett Creek Marina
660-438-2280
Till next week
Tommy
September 17, 2009 - Lake
of the Ozarks - Submitted by Old Oar House Inn Mile Marker 81 -Lake of the Ozark water elevation is 658.40’. Truman lake water elevation is 707.65’. LOZ water temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Water discharge through Truman Turbines is 0 CFS and over the spillway was 250 CFS.
Crappie: Good
Crappie fishing is beginning to pick up according to Bob & Chris Tally. They reported catching some decent numbers of crappies off their docks from their crappie beds. The bigger fish still haven’t schooled but they did catch a few good sized fish. They’ve established some real nice crappie beds below their docks by sinking a series of brush piles interwoven through concrete cinder blocks and tied off to their docks to prevent shifting into the deeper main channel and being carried away. Chris said use live minnows for best results fished a foot or so above structure on the bottom.
Catfish: Good
I’ve heard the best way to fish for the big cats right now is to find the concentrations of shad which are real thick and schooling in the coves and along natural and man-made obstructions and then fish below the schools using shad bellies. For best results scrape your knife along the shad below before you drive it onto your hook to maximize the scent being released into the water from the fish. Whenever in doubt as to what bait to use when fishing for cats always defer to fresh shad bellies if you can get them. If you have a throw net and stop in some weekend when I’m helping Bernie I’ll show you exactly where to throw your nets only 10 minutes from the Oar House.
Largemouth Bass: Good
I’ve received mixed reports on the bass fishing but most have been good. Rubber Night crawlers and 4” tube baits have been working real well on the flats when fished around structure. Mike Reynolds from Topeka, KS stopped in last weekend and had a live well with a real nice 9# largemouth he’d caught on a rubber worm. After a few ‘braggin’ pictures the fish was released unharmed. Well done Mike!
Walleye: Slow
Walleye fishing has slowed again but I suspect that will change soon. I’m waiting for Joe & Kim Gregory to stop back in for their report. They like to use a bright colored jig head and fish the flats just above the main channel. Make sure you have a steel leader and a good sized net. Joe and Kim are convinced the new state record is presently swimming in LOZ.
White Bass: No Report
Northern Pike: Great!
I just returned from a superb week of fishing and bear hunting up in Northern Minnesota and the Pike fishing was fabulous as evidenced by these two nice fish. The pike were hitting just about anything you threw at them but I had best results using a giant fluorescent green and yellow MEPPS spinner w/ a bright yellow rooster tail. It was the best Pike lure I had and by the end of the trip my lure was shredded and bent badly but still producing. I stayed at the Gold Mine Resort wilderness retreat http://www.goldminecamp.com on the Vermilion River. I highly recommend this northern wilderness fishing camp to anyone who wants a northern fishing or bear hunting adventure. Because I harvested my bear the first night of the season I was able to fish every morning and early afternoon until going out in the evenings to film my buddy as he went after his bear. All my dozen or so nice Pike were returned to the water unharmed.
For up to date water temperatures and elevations for LOZ and Truman call Truman Dam Water Report at (660) 438-7317 and mash #2 once the recording starts.
Bruce
September 16, 2009 - Truman - Submitted by Sterett
Creek Marina - The fish must be enjoying the weather as much as we are. It's just like fall out even some of the leaves are starting to turn a little. The COE has been running some water in the afternoons and this even adds some more to the excitement of the season. We have been seeing
lots of fish come in the last few days both crappie and whites and hybrids. Looks like a good time to put some fish in the freezer for the winter months.
Fall camping rates start this weekend.