Lake Sherwood, Franklin County, MO, April 25th, 2010: Huge Redear Sunfish and Bluegill harvested, despite rain and wind

We got a chance Sunday to head out to Lake Sherwood for some fishing. I just had a feeling that the fishing would really be on. The weather was not very encouraging. It seems the best time to fish would have been on Saturday morning before all the really big storms moved in. On Sunday, the cold front had already passed and it was windy with intermittent showers, some were fairly heavy at times. That forecast usually spells for bad fishing. However, I do believe that the spawn is on, so sometimes, especially with panfish, that rule is not always applicable. In this case it was not.

We started out with slip bobbers down about 10', but soon found that the bigger fish were closer to shore. My nephew Hunter came out with Rob, and he tore them up...very, very large Redear Sunfish and Bluegill. The most productive rig was the rig that is always productive at sherwood- bottom rig with nightcrawlers.

We got out around noon and left around 4:00 p.m. or so....Rob and Hunter had 30# worth of fish, we came close to 10#....great day at the lake despite the weather!

Fish ON!

MLT

whetstone Creek CA, Callaway County, MO., April 17th 2010: The SPAWN IS ON!!

The title should say enough....THE SPAWN IS ON!! Got out to Big Lake on the Whetstone CA around noon or so and the fishing started off a bit slow. Hit the first cove that I had some success on a couple of weeks ago first, but only caught one smaller bluegill. What was nice about this trip was that we did not have 20 mph winds coming in from the SW, so I was able to get some decent paddling in as well. Paddled to the back of the lake and fished that spot for a short period. I had a strike on a Gulp! nightcrawler texas rigged, but that was it.

As the sun started to go down lower as it got later in the day, I decided to paddle to the east shore of the lake (where the sunlight was in direct contact). Parked the kayak and got out to stretch and shore fish for a bit...this is when they really started to hit. The bluegill are obviously starting to spawn about 10' from shore. Got on them using a slip bobber and night crawler outfit about 6-8' down.

The most exciting part was catching the large Channel Catfish on 6# test on a kayak...at one point he tried to go under the bow of the kayak...really thought I might lose him- what a fight! The fish are on again, off again, but if you follow water temperature, you should really do good this time of the year....finally, the spawn!

Fish ON!

MLT

Finger Lakes SP, Boone County, MO, April 15th, 2010: First nice crappie of new year!

I have fished Finger Lakes SP in the past, but due to the fact that I did not have a kayak, it has always been from shore. Finger Lakes is a reclaimed coal strip mine area north of Columbia, MO. This is an EXCELLENT area if you are into Kayak fishing. The "fingers" are like little canals that span all over the place. The largest lake is actually outside of the state park, called Rocky Fork (which I have fished w/ the kayak last year, see earlier post).

It got very windy, which made the kayaking and the fishing interesting....a current actually started to develop, so it almost felt more like fishing a small river. The strips are narrow, but they go down 20-30 feet in some places.

Caught the nice 11" crappie on a jig/spinner set up, as well as the couple of smaller bass, especially as the sun started to provide shade close to shore. All fish were released on this trip, but I am considering coming back to do some harvest fishing....overall great day. Water temp is still a little cool, but we are really on the brink of a heavy spawn....my prediction is any day now.

Fish ON!

MLT

Truman Lake, Benton County, April 14th 2010: Bass starting to come up closer to shore

Had the rare opportunity to fish Truman Lake on Wednesday on my way up from Pittsburg, KS. It is great having a proper Kayak rack this year on the car.....a lot more quick fishing opportunities are presenting themselves to me this year- very cool!

Launched off at the State Park marina boat launch. I was able to get about 2 hours in before it was time to go due to sunlight. The water temp is still a little cool. Note to self- received the Missouri fishing forecast a day later that said the lake was high- I think that is old news. It looks like they have been drawing down at the dam big time- looked very low.

Had some success on little mini spins w/ a jig and Tree Top black/magenta grub. I figured I might get on some crappie. Just bass on this trip. The spinners I like to use this time of the year are kind of like Beetle Spins, except instead of attaching a "beetle" I attach a small jig and whatever small soft plastic that I think will look good (I usually let sunlight, wind, and water clarity effect my color choice). This is my "go-to" rig this time of year....excellent on a kayak and spinning rod.

Fish ON!

MLT

Lake of the Ozarks, Grand Glaize arm, April 9th: Fishing a little slow, but the kayaking was excellent!

The wind in central Missouri finally calmed down on Friday and I was able to get some kayak fishing in Friday. I had been to Table Rock and Stockton earlier in the week, and it was WAY to windy to get any fishing and/or kayaking in.

The paddling was incredible....the coolest part was the cave located in the cliffs. I got a chance to shore the yak, and went up to explore. A kingfisher was nesting in the cave and was not to happy about my presence. I was hitting the rocks and timber with a white spinner, then a chartreuse spinner as well....no success. Threw Wiggle Warts and little micro spins with Treetop grubs, still no success. I think if I would have had a nightcrawler and slip bobber set up, the results would have been different. Looks like the water temp is around 55 degrees (60 on top) so the fishing should get good real soon...the paddling was AWESOME!

Fish ON!

MLT

James River/Lake Springfield, April 6th 2010: fishing still a little slow, Kayaking was fun, however

Got a chance to hit the James River Water trail right by Hwy 65 south of Springfield. I have fished this portion of the river/lake a few years ago with one of my friends. Decided to paddle up stream and drift fish back.....threw spinners, plastic worms and rattle traps without much success.

The paddeling was excellent. The only drawback was the wind (which was blowing opposite of the current) at quite a clip. Had a shot to do Table Rock the next day for a few hours after business, but it was so windy, it looked like the Atlantic Ocean...maybe next time?

Fish ON!

MLT

Whetstone Creek CA, Callaway County, MO. April 4th 2010: First stringer of new year!

The wind was a challenge again, but that is why kayak fishing is part workout, part fishing. Found a nice cove and anchored the kayak in about 14' of water. Caught my first nice (9") bluegill on a treetop jig w/ spinner close to shore. The rest of the stringer was caught in about 20' of water with slip bobber and night crawler rig.

Fishing action was slow (as expected) due to the fact that the water temp is still quite cool. Whetsone has a slot on bass (12-15") with a limite of 6. The bass I caught was 11". Got the stringer home (6 bluegill, 1 bass) and fileted them on the back deck, and baked them and served on top of brown rice....great meal!

Fish ON!

MLT

Council Bluff Lake, Iron County, MO. April 2nd 2010: Rough waters...fish appear to be before the spawn still

The kayak made it's first appearance of the season. It was outstanding getting out on the water again (it has not been out since around Halloween). The water temperature is still really cool (around 55 degrees surface) so with a sit on top kayak, you have to dress accordingly. I wear jeans and hip waders due to the nature of the kayak.

Council Bluff lake is run the the National Forest Service and it is located in the Mark Twain Forest (just south of Potosi). The water is incredibly clear. This would be a good training lake to practice up for Table Rock...the water reminds me of Table Rock. From what I understand, it also has smallies like Table Rock does as well. It appears to be about 50' or so in the middle, but I bet you could find a deeper spot. I make an attempt to fish the point, but I was dealing with some serious white caps. Found it hard to keep the craft stable, so I ended up fishing the wood lines. The wind gusts were so bad, you could hear their roar ahead of time. I threw a slip bobber/nightcrawler rig, white spinner baits, rooster tails, and even a jig with no success...glad to have found this lake, however....will be back!

Fish ON!

MLT

Meremec Spring Park, Phelps County, March 30th, 2010: Water is high and fishing was challenging

The warm weather may finally start to be upon us....got an opportunity to fish Meremac Spring on my way back from Springfield for a couple of hours. Arrived around 3 p.m. and fished until about 6:00 p.m or so. Used just my fly rod on this trip. This park can be a challenge on a fly rod, at least in my opinion, due to the fact that there are no zones. So you can be throwing flies and the next guy 10' from you is throwing Power Bait. I think that can throw it off for fly fishing sometimes. Let it be said, I have nothing against Power Bait....matter of fact, I have an entire kit dedicated to bait and artificial fishing. I may come back later and do some bait fishing, matter of fact....this would be a good park to do so.

Used several jigs in different colors, as well as both an orange and red San Juan Worm, which I thought would tear them up. This park is famous for drift fishing plastic worms w/ small bobber, wacky rigged....maybe next time?

Fish ON!

MLT