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Truman Lake - May 22, 2010

 

Spent Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd fishing for crappie at Truman.  The fish are post spawn in the Grand and are in deep water sitting in cedars or hedge.  Try catching them about 12' to 15' down on tube jigs tipped with minnows.  Keep your bait close to the main part of the tree to catch the best crappie (the main trunk of the tree seems to be the spot where the best crappie hold-up on a certain piece of wood).  If the wind is blowing, put your bait on the up-wind side of the tree and let the current push the bait into the tree.

 

Smithville Lake - May 8, 2010

 

I fished a 1-day tournament with Central States on Saturday the 8th.  Fishing was tough, but I managed to scratch out 2 bites and bring 6.20 to the scales.  I had enough for first place, and big bass for the day (4 pounds).  I caught both fish up shallow in small out of the wind pockets.  The crappie appear to be spawning as well, and I had several hit while bass fishing.

 

Smithville Lake - May 1, 2010

 

Fished with my rod sponsor and good friend Richard Stone.  We got onto a shallow flipping bit back in the creeks.  For the day we had 8 keepers, the best 5 of which would weigh 17 to 18 pounds.  Too bad we weren't in a tournament because the fish were on!

 

Lake of the Ozarks, March 19 & 20, 2010

 

This was my first fishing trip of the 2010 season.  I pre-fished on Friday the 19th, and fished day 1 of a 2-day tournament on Saturday the 20th.  Day 2 was cancelled, so it was reduced to a 1-day deal.  I fished a bunch of main lake and secondary points, caught nothing.  I then moved back into some pockets, and got on some fish.  I caught 2 good fish on Friday (a 4 and a 5+), and ended up with 2nd place in the CSBA club tournament with 12 1/2 pounds.  My partner and I, Aaron Olsen, caught all of our fish on suspending stick baits in little pockets.  No big fish on Saturday, but enough for 2nd place.  Dang near froze our asses off too!  It was cold, and we had rain, sleet, and snow all day.  I stayed pretty warm, and went through a bunch of gloves.  Thank God for that motorcycle helmet!

 

 

August 08,2009

 

I fished in another tournament today on Smithville, and it was HOT.  The wind blew as well, so most of my main lake places were nearly unfishable.  I managed to boat a nice 4 pound bass off rip-rap, and lost 2 other decent fish.  Once fish came out of a small patch of lilly pads.  I saw the keeper attack my Brush Hog, but I got hung up a piece of Conservation Area fence and I lost the fish.  The other fish broke me off while fishing a main lake point in the Camp Branch area with a Baby Brush Hog on a Carolina Rig.  A little better luck and my 3rd place finish would have been 1st.  Next time!

 

July 25, 2009....Smithville Lake

 

The crappie have found the main lake brush piles!  I was out for a couple hours and caught plenty including several that are pushing 1 pound.  Even caught quite a few white bass when I saw them working the surface.  Check out the article in the KC Star (Sunday 7/26 issue) about crappie fishing at Smithville!

 

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/1345983.html

 

July 18, 2009....Smithville Lake

 

Guided on Smithville today, and fishing was tough.  A cold front pushed through, and the air temp was in the upper 50's to start the day.  The lake temp was odd as well and was in the mid to upper 70's for the entire day.  My client caught a couple fish on the first stop on top water and a crank bait, then the "reaction" bite seemed to shut down.  I caught a handful of fish, including two keepers, on a flipping jig.  The fish were buried in heavy cover, and in the bottom of the emerging grass beds.  Tough day!

 

July 10 - 12, 2009....Lake of the Ozarks

 

I fished the Central States Bass tournament with a good friend from the club.  The tournament put in at Bledsoe Ferry (right below Truman dam).  Storms kept rolling in and out all 3 days, and Saturday got really hot mid day.  We managed to get onto a shallow flipping bit and took 2nd place with around 16 pounds.  If you're interested in "river rat" fishing on LOZ, give me a call.

 

June 5 - 6, 2009....Truman Lake

 

Spent a day pre-fishing for a Central States Bass tournament, and fished the tournament on the 6th.  We got onto a shallow bite on Friday hitting points with flooded buck brush in the Tebo and Grand arms of the lake.  On Saturday, those fish were gone and apparently moved deeper.  I placed 4th in the tournament by finding bass deeper on steep points and bluff ends.  I was dragging a brown football-head jig, and missed a couple good fish that would have put me in 2nd place.  This pattern will hold up all summer at Truman!

 

May 23, 2009....Truman Lake

 

I got a "tip" from a buddy that the crappie on Truman had spawned and had moved out deep.  He told me to target hedge or cedar trees on the edges of these flats.  He was right!  A friend and I caught some of the nicest crappie that I remember catching since the lake opened in the late 70's.  We kept the best 20, each of which was at or above 3/4 of a pound.  10" or 11" fish didn't even get a second look and were promptly released!  What a day.  Here's a picture of a few of the fish at the fish cleaning station at Bucksaw.

 

 

 

April 18, 2009....Lake of the Ozarks

 

I fished with local Bass Pro Pro-Staff member Aaron Olsen on the 18th at LOZ.  We fished in a small club tournament and took 3rd place.  Aaron was the "guide" today, so we hit a bunch of spots that I haven't fished before.  We got onto a strong spotted bass bite, but we only caught one keeper largemouth.  Several fronts had passed through the area, so fishing was a little tough, but we still managed to catch 6 keepers and weigh in the best 5.  Most of the fish we caught came on a variety of crankbaits.  The picture below is Aaron at the weigh-in.    

 

March 16, 2009....Lake of the Ozarks

 

After a long winter, it was great to be back on the water.  My first trip of 2009 was at the Lake of the Ozarks with my good friend and Bass Pro Staffer Aaron Olsen.  We fished both Saturday and Sunday out of Shawnee Bend.  Stick baits and Wiggle Warts were the baits that were working.  The bite was much better on Saturday than on Sunday, but we did manage to catch fish both days.  My best was a 6 pound bass on Saturday, and a 5 on Sunday.  All together Aaron and I had 16 to 18 pounds on Saturday, not bad for the opening day of 2009.  The fish were on secondary points and in the backs of the creeks.  The water is way down so were able to locate quite a few new brush piles, all of which I marked on my GPS for later trips.  Check out the picture of the 6 pounder.

 

 

October 19, 2008....Smithville Lake

 

I guided two great guys today on Smithville, Roger Hagen and his son Brad.  Roger told me on the phone "we just want to catch some fish!", so we went after white bass for the day.  We started off catching whites right away, but the action slowed late in the morning.  As the sun got a little higher the action really picked up again.  All in all we probably landed over 70 white bass and lost a bunch more.  The whites were really shallow today on main lake red clay banks where the wind was beating into the bank.  Points were better than the backs of coves too.  We caught fish on a variety of lures including shallow diving Bandit crankbaits and Strike King Red Eye shad lipless crankbaits.  Check out Brad's picture on my website.  If you want to go catch some white bass, call me and we can go get 'em.  I think they are really good to eat as well!!!! 

 

October 11, 2008....Truman Lake

 

I pre-fished for a Central States bass tournament on Friday the 10th, then fished the tournament on Saturday the 11th.  My partner backed out on my, so I fished alone on Saturday.  Both days I got on a shallow flipping bite in the Grand and Tebo arms of Truman, none of which were very far from Long Shoal Marina.  I came in 4th in the tournament weighing in 7 pounds of fish.  I caught at least 30+ bass that were short, 20 of which came from one laydown.  Everything you read about Truman is true, the bass fishing is really good!

 

October 6....Truman Lake

 

After a few days of fishing Taneycomo for trout, a buddy and I hit Truman Lake on the way home.  A front was moving in, so the bass weren't chasing anything.  We got onto a good bite fishing main lake points that had timber using a brush hog or jig.  The bass were really shallow and were buried in the root wads of the standing dead timber.  I had two good fish grab a lure and run back under the tree, only one of which I boated.  We caught several keepers, and a lot of short fish, in the few hours we spent on the lake.

 

September 26, 2008....Smithville Lake

 

Went to Smithville to catch white bass.  Never saw the whites busting the surface with any regularity, so I headed to the Trimble Dam area.  I caught enough 3/4 to 1 pound white bass on pepper spoons to have a couple really nice fish dinners for me and my family.  Released a bunch of small whites too!  You can't beat fresh grilled white bass filets that are marintated in olive oil along with my special seasonings!  Mmmmmm.... 

 

August 9, 2008....Truman Lake

 

I pre-fished for a tournament on 8/8, and fished the Central States tournament on 8/9.  For the tournament I placed 6th.  I caught a bunch of fish both days, and nearly all were on main lake or large secondary points.  Most of the fish I caught came on either a shakey head worm or a shallow diving crankbait.  In practice I hooked into a monster that ran drag off my spinning reel like crazy.  The fish eventually BROKE the hook off my shakey head rig.  On Saturday I had another monster bass on, but didn't get it into the boat.  I saw the fish take the crankbait and head for deeper water.  I never turned the big girl!  I caught and released 6 or 8 that were 14 1/2" to 14 3/4".  This bite will continue to hold up for several more weeks.  If you want to go fishing on Truman, please give me a call.    

 

July 25, 2008....Smithville Lake

 

I guided 3 guys today at Smithville, Ben Stark and his sons Graham and Neal.  An early morning thunderstorm, with plenty of lightening, delayed our start until after 8:00 AM.  With 4 guys in the boat I decided that we should fish fast and cover lots of water, so we all tied on crank baits or spinner baits and started chucking.  I kept the trolling motor on high and we fished fast and hard until 3:00 PM.  The bite seemed to get better as the day went on, and we boated our best 3 fish after 1:30.  Altogether we caught 4 keeper bass with the best over 4 pounds, caught around a dozen or more short bass, and a handful of white bass.  It was pretty steamy, so thank goodness for some cloud cover and occasional wind.  Slow start, but it ended up being a good day!

 

July 23, 2008....Smithville Lake

 

Fished for crappie first thing today, but I only caught short fish and a few keepers.  I'm catching crappie, but not enough for a fish fry!  Moved to bass fishing around 9:00 AM and I got on a strong bite in the grass beds.  I caught 4 keepers, and another 6 or 8 short fish, on crank baits, a buzz bait, and a Spro frog.  The frog bite is on!

 

Guided 2 great guys from Omaha on October 19th, Jim Heitz and his grandson Corbin. White bass fishing had been very good when you found schools of baitfish pushed up against the bank from the wind. Crappie fishing had been fair to good on main lake brush piles as well. For the day, strong winds made fishing on the main lake impossible, so the main lake brush piles weren't fishable for crappie. We did however catch a bunch of nice white bass, and cleaned 15 that were in the 3/4 to 1 1/2 pound range. Bad day of wind, but we were able to make the best of it!

October 3, 2007....Smithville Lake 

The white bass are really hitting at Smithville. My dad and I were on the lake for about 1 1/2 hours and we caught between 25 and 30 white bass, along with some crappie and keeper black bass. The fish are shallow and are chasing bait fish. Our best whitey was almost 2 pounds. If you want to go white bass fishing with me, send me an email or give me a call.

Whites are really fun to catch, and are surprisingly good to eat! Consider taking a kid with you, they'll love the non-stop action.

September 17, 2007....Pomme de Terre Lake 

Finally got out musky fishing again today, guided 2 guys from KC on Pomme de Terre lake. The members of the Pomme Musky Club stop fishing for musky in the summer when the surface temp is over 80 degrees. Now that the water is cooling down, it's "go time" again! For the day we had 2 follows, raised 3, and had a 36" to 38" fish on that we didn't get in the boat. No fish in the boat today, but lots of musky action most of the morning.

FYI....We spent the entire day casting, NOT TROLLING!

The shad at Pomme had a record hatch and I believe that this fall will be the best musky fishing in years! Let me help you catch a fish of a lifetime.

August 13, 2007....Smithville Lake

OK, it's hot and fishing is tough! Got on a decent bass bite by fishing the milfoil in the Camp Branch arm (is clearer there) working the deep sides of the grass with jigs and plastic. There is grass everywhere, so I keyed in on main lake points with grass and standing timber. Fished early until 12:30 and was done....was cooked clear through! The weather looks to stay hot for several more days so I doubt this pattern will change. Who knows, maybe I'll go trout fishing. Standing in cold water sounds pretty good right now.

August 01, 2007....Smithville Lake

Caught fish on main lake points near grass and wood on carolina rigged brush hogs. The early bite on top water stunk, but the late morning and early afternoon bite was good. The fish are on the deeper sides of the grass and the carolina rig did the trick!  Contact me if you'd like to give this a try.  Note, I will be in Canada again from 8/4 to 8/11 guiding a group of guys from Europe on LOTW musky.  Fun!

July 21, 2007....Pomme de Terre

Spent the day at Pomme and the white bass are going crazy! The wind was blowing, the sky was overcast, and big schools of shad were working on main lake points. The white bass were busting the surface like crazy, and were easy "prey" for shad colored lures that move fast like Rattletraps and shallow running crank baits.

This fall the musky fishing at Pomme is going to be awesome....I can't wait until the water cools down in late August or early September! 
 

July 18, 2007....Smithville Lake

Had a great morning of fishing this morning on Smithville. Boated 3 keepers, lost 2 others at the boat, and caught 6 short bass. I started looking for fish deep on main lake points, but found a good bite all morning up shallow. The fish were either on laydowns, or were on the edges of the hydrilla. I didn't get started until 7:00, and was off the lake by 11:00....not bad for a short day of fishing!

July 12, 2007....Smithville Lake

Spent the afternoon bass fishing, caught keepers on a 1/2 ounce flipping jig and on a floating Smithwick Rogue.  All of the fish I caught were shallow, and all were on beaver piles.  Find a beaver pile and find a keeper!  Heard that Truman is 24+ feet high and a bunch of the boat ramps are closed.  Might be time to try the out-house and corn field pattern again.

July 06, 2007....Lake of the Woods, Nestor Falls, Ontario Canada

Just got back from a 9-day musky fishing trip at LOTW, what a blast!  We boated 17 musky with my best at 41" (pictures to follow soon).  Had several at 36" to 39" too.  The pike were hitting too and we boated over a dozen over 30" with the best at 38".  If you're reading this and want to learn more about fishing in Canada, shoot me and email and I'll tell you all about it.  If you love to catch big fish including musky, pike, and smallmouth then a trip to Canada is just what the doctor ordered!

June 20, 2007....Truman Lake

I fished all day on Wednesday the 20th at Truman.  Was overcast all day with good wind and occasional sprinkles.  The lake is nearly back to normal level, but some water is still being pulled.  Got on a good bass bite in the morning fishing bluff ends and deep points.  The bass were tight to the wood cover which is odd given the clouds.  Spent the afternoon catching bass on secondary points on crankbaits and on jigs.  Later in the afternoon the wind calmed down and I could see big schools of shad on main lake points and on the larger secondary points in the bigger creeks.  Caught several bass way off the bank on crank baits as they followed the schools of shad.  The white bass were active as well.  I just love fishing Truman! 

June 15, 2007....Smithville Lake

I fished for crappie on the 14th and 15th at Smithville.  Both days I found crappie in 20+ feet of water, and they were from 10' to 12' deep suspended on or near structure.  Look for the crappie on the outer ends of main lake creeks on large pieces of standing timber.  Had a guide trip on the 15th with a dad and two kids and they caught a bunch of crappie!  Went through at least 7 dozen minnows in just over 6 hours.  This pattern will hold all summer, call or email if you want more info! 

June 13, 2007....Smithville Lake

I spent Friday the 8th, and Saturday the 9th, on Smithville Lake.  Rain earlier in the week muddied up the lake from the dam area well up the Platte side of the lake.  Surprisingly, even Rock Branch was muddy!  With the rain came lower lake temps as well with most water temp readings in the lower 70's most of the day.  I fished several spots across the lake working from deep to shallow and got on a good bass bite tossing square bill crankbaits in 2 to 4 feet of water on the main lake.  Friday was my best day catching 6 keepers, the best was over 5, all on the same crankbait.  My son and I fished the Burton's tournament on Saturday but only weighed in 3 keeps.  We were on fish most of the morning, but 14-inch'ers don't pay squat.  Several good bags of fished were weighed in including a monster over 7 pounds! 

While fishing I noticed that the Camp Branch arm of the lake is a lot more clear than the Platte side, and the grass is really growing all over the lake.  As the bass move onto the points they are going to find a lot of grass to sit in, and a ton of bait fish to eat in and around the grass beds.  This July and August are going to be awesome with the resurgence of the grass at Smithville!  Me, I love fishing the grass beds at Smithville, but it takes some "know how".  Contact me to book a trip and I'll show you the ropes.

June 4, 2007....Truman Lake