Fishing topwater Rebel lures from a kayak- Aunts Creek Access, Table Rock Lake

Fishing Table Rock Lake in the southern Missouri Ozarks has been interesting this year. It seems like the bass have been deeper in the day, and then have been coming out close to shore in the morning and evening.

 
I got a chance to hit the lake late June, and did not have a lot of success in the daytime.  Early morning before the sun comes up over the hills seems to be the best time to get any kind of action.  Shad are quite active, and you can see the activity in the shad balls in about 50' of water.  I was throwing quite a few lures, but it seems the topwater minnow poppers were working the best.  Check out the video and you can see how I was "chugging" them.

Fish ON!

Mike

Greers Ferry Lake Arkansas, Choctaw Access, May 29th, 2013: This lake is beautiful!

Choctaw Access boat launch

Greers Ferry Lake is a lake in Arkansas that has some amazing views!  I put in at the corps run Choctaw Access point right off Hwy 65 on the west side of the lake.  It was a warm day with some chance of thunderstorms, with a bit of wind.

I first fished some reed/brush areas with some drop offs using spinners, wiggle warts ,and senko worms.  I then started to work my way around the rock bluff narrows, right before you start to face the boat docks on the other side.  The fishing was slow, but got a nice hit on a watermelon Zoom trick worm , texas rigged.  I was not able to land it, but it jumped about 3' out of the water, which made the connection all the worth it. 
What was really spectacular was witnessing a whole school of white bass going gonzo on a shad ball close to shore.  I paddled over and started throwing a minnow topwater plug, but got there just a few seconds too late.

Incredible sunset on Greers Ferry Lake, AR

This is an outstanding lake worth a trip to.  It is beautiful like Table Rock, but has some cool "mountain islands" which are unlike anything I have seen in Missouri.

Fish ON!

Mike

Greers Ferry Lake, Choctaw Access, Arkansas- fine place to do some kayak fishing!

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McCubbins Point, Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri May 21st, 2013: Lesson learned...ALWAYS re-tie your lures!

 The weather the last couple of weeks has been a bit challenging (at least speaking for me coming from a kayak).  I had an opportunity to hit the McCubbins Point area (just south of Lake of the Ozarks SP).  I like this area due to the fact that there are not as many pleasure boaters on the water.  If you go back in further, there are some nice gravel access points that are perfect for someone with a canoe or kayak.
I used the boat ramp and headed out for a few hours of fishing.  It started off cool, windy and grey, and then the clouds moved out and we experienced sunny skies.  The only challenge was that the wind really started to kick in.  I fished the first cove (to get out of the wind), but realized the the fish were probably up on the rocks in the whitecaps.  Great for fishing ...challenging for kayaking.  I went around the point (you can see it in the photo, towards port side).  I took the kayak through the white caps into the next cove and fished the other side- same story-not a taker.  So I headed back and drift kayaked back up on the point.  The lesson learned in this trip was a quick fact that I got lazy and forgot.  ALWAYS RE-TIE YOUR CRANKBAITS AFTER A SNAG UP!  I was fishing a crank bait (Wiggle Wart- my go to!) and got snagged real bad in the second cove.  I thought I might lose the lure, but managed to get it out.  If I would have felt the line, I would have realized it was time to re-tie the lure. 

Going back to the "one that got away" story- As I was drift fishing with the wind to my back, and got up on a very nice Largemouth in the rocks.  Got him almost to the boat, and then "snap" I watched him take off with my Wiggle Wart in his mouth....wow!  Lesson learned....

Fish ON!

Mike

Kayak fishing McCubbins Point at Lake of the Ozarks

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Kayak fishing Table Rock Lake, Aunts Creek Access May 15-16th: Fishing slow with rain, but still managed to get up on one!

Had a chance to hit Table Rock Lake at the Aunts Creek Access point (just north of Kimberling City, MO) on May 15th & 16th.  We have been receiving a lot of rain and storms, so the lake is not necessarily high, but is more murky than I am used to (at least at this section of the lake).  The first day got a chance to only fish for about an hour or so.  Got back to shore just in time (heavy thunderstorm).  Would have really thought the fishing would have been better with the impending

storm coming in.  Was throwing Senkos, Wiggle Warts, spinners, and kitchen sink LOL.

Day 2 I had a little more time, so I got down to the ramp around 2:00 p.m.....then I waited for the rain to stop....and waited....and waited.  Finally I went back to the camper and took a nap, and then came back out around 5:00 or so.  I call the fish in the photo "the fish of a thousand casts" (I know that moniker belongs to muskies)

I did a TON of casting and throwing things out to try and figure what they were getting up on.  Once again, the Wiggle Wart came through for us!  I am really starting to enjoy fishing crank baits, especially on Table Rock.  Made a short video for you viewing pleasure...enjoy!

Fish ON!

Mike

Day 2 of Kayak fishing Table Rock Lake- Success in day 2!

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Kayak Fishing Table Rock Lake- Rain and slow fishing for our first day

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Boulder Lake, Pyramid SP in Southern Illinois- an AWESOME place to kayak fish!

I had an awesome time kayak fishing Pyramid SP in Southern Illinois on May 12th.  This area is an old strip mine that was converted in the early 60's for recreational use.  There is an older section and a newer section.  I went ahead and fished the newer section, choosing the larger Boulder Lake as the place I would fish for the day.

The water is gin clear and varies in depth within a matter of feet.  Like its name would imply, there are quite a few boulders and rock piles, which is AWESOME!

It took me a few hours to figure out what they were biting on.  I eventually caught a huge bass on a texas rigged Senko worm, but lost it about 5' from the yak.  I started to throw what has become my "go to", the Wiggle Wart (never thought a crank bait would be my go to LOL).  SMACK!  thought it was a bass a first, but ended up being a nice sized channel catfish.  Took me about 1/2 hour to the get the lure untangled from the net!  After that caught several smaller bass and bluegill on the Wiggle Wart.

Looking forward to coming back to this place soon!

Fish ON!

Mike

 

 

Boulder Lake, Pyramid SP, Illinois- Kayak fishing at it\'s best!

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July kayak fishing at Lake Sherwood, Warren County, MO: Heat does not always stop fish

This is a combined report from (2) trips I took to the always wonderful Lake Sherwood, MO.  Sherwood is a private, gated community with several lakes.  I prefer to fish the main lake for bass and monster bluegill.  Both times I fished the lake, the temperatures were about 100 degrees, with very warm water temps.
The first trip I had a ton of success on Largemouth bass (which is what I was fishing for).  I had a fire tiger bright colored Rapala medium diving crank bait.  There were a lot of casts involved, but caught over (8) that day, as well as a catfish that I was unable to land (I knew if was a catfish due to the fight and the slime left all over the line when he spit the lure out).  Most people I spoke with that are familiar with the waters said that the fishing was slow, but I think I figured out what the deal was.  The bass were laying at the bottom of the lake, in the middle of the arms in about 15' of water in the heavy vegetation.  When that lure when by, they jumped up to hit it (hence having to cast a ton of times before a bite).

The second trip the conditions seemed very similar, but no such luck.  A storm front was getting ready to move in, and I started to throw a Rebel topwater plug.  What was interesting was the fact that no bass were caught, however, I caught several good sized bluegills off my efforts.  Makes me think I should come back with a fly rod and a bunch of smaller sized poppers....hmm.....

Fish ON!

Mike

Beaver Lake, Prarie Creek Access, Benton County, Arkansas: Water low, clear, and productive!

I got a chance to kayak fish Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas.  This was about the 3rd time I have fished this lake, and the experience was awesome.  The lake reminds me of my "home water" lake of Table Rock.  Nice rocky bottom with deep drop offs and clear water.

My strategy was to take (4) rods...(2) spinner rods with a topwater plug on one, and a Wiggle Wart on the other, with the two baitcasters rigged with a texas rig and a white spinner.  I got out about 5:00 pm., but the bite did not really start until 6:30 or so.  I got a little interest on the plug, but I started to catch them on my "go to" bait for summer: texas rigged with watermelon Zoom trick worm on the end.  I was catching them about 6' off shore. 

Before I headed in (I saw lightning in the distance.....time to get off the water!) I fished the cliffs that were right across the put in point.  These deep cliffs are really, really productive.  The bass like to lay towards the bottom against the cliff waiting for either things to go past or things to drop.  I dropped the worm in a couple of times, and the third cast I caught the pig.  I could have fished another couple of hours, but I really need to rig my kayak with some lights and night fishing stuff....maybe that will be what I work on for the rest of the weekend :)
I cannot wait to get back to Beaver Lake to do some more bass fishing.  It is an incredible lake with some awesome angling opportunities!

Fish ON!

Mike

Kayak fishing Beaver Lake, Arkansas

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Stockton Lake, Dade County, Missouri July 18th, 2012: Hot Temps and Big Pigs lurking off shore!

Stockton Lake is not a lake I have had an opportunity to fish all that often.  I think this trip may have been the second time I have ever fished this lake.  It is not really close to anywhere (It is north of Springfield, MO kind of between Springfield and Joplin.

The outside temp has been really high.  I put the kayak in around 3:30 or so.....It was 100 degrees when we put in at the Mutton Creek Access point.  My strategie starting off was to bring (2) spinning rods and (2) bait cast rods.  The (2) spinners had a wiggle wart and rebel popper, and the (2) bait cast had a white spinner and a texas rigged Zoom trick worm.

I caught the largest fish on this day off the main channel, in the rocks, about 8' from shore in about 10' of water.  I let the spinner sink all the way to the bottom and had a slow, inconsistant retrive.  It hit the spinner hard!  He was a nice, nice piggie bass!  After I released him, I got out of the kayak and took a quick swim (it was so hot outside).

The cove on the way back had some bass as well.  I caught a smaller one on the Wiggle Wart crank bait.  This has been a very productive lure this year for me in these Ozark reservoirs, big time.
Stockton Lake is a very interesting lake to me.  It is know as one of the top sailboat lakes, and it lived up to its reputation.  Everytime I have been here it is windy and choppy.  The bottom of the lake reminds me of Table Rock Lake...just not quite as clear.

Fish ON!

Mike

Stockton Lake, Kayak Fishing Mutton Creek Area

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Whetstone CA, Callaway County, MO April 22nd, 2012: Rainy but got on some fish anyhow

Whetstone CA in Callaway County, MO (between Columbia and St. Louis) has some great fishing opportunites not only in the big lake, but also in Whetstone Creek and the other smaller lakes surrounding the bigger lake.
The weather was not the best, but I decided to take my chances and get a day of fishing in anyhow.  I was throwing slip bobber and texas rigged Zoom trick worms.  The slip-bobber/nightcrawler rig was not working out to well, however, the trick worms were doing the trick.  I would not say this was the worlds best day of fishing, but I got enough action to make it entertaining.  What was interesting was the bass were not hitting the worm very hard at all.  It seemed like when I would pull my rod tip up, that is when I would know I had one on the other end....like they were putting it in their mouths like a cigar, or something.

Water temp was around 68 degrees, and it was windy and raining on again/off again.  Good news was I had the entire lake to myself....always a plus!

fish ON!

Mike

Kayak Fishing Whetstone CA, Missouri

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DiSalvo Lake, St. Francois County, MO April 17th, 2012: Largmouths pinging on spinner baits...panfish still on!

DiSalvo lake located on the Bismark CA area in SE Missouri is becoming one of my favorite lakes to fish.  I got a chance to fish this place for about 5 hours which was very exciting.  I started off fishing for panfish with a slip bobber and nightcrawlers (you can see the success I had a few post prior.  I was not disappointed, matter of fact, my stringer was large with larger size bluegills than the prior trip.  Had enough for a nice stringer of fish to take back and clean.

After I had a full stringer, I decided to start bass fishing with chartreuse spinner baits.  I was HAMMERING them.....these little pigs were so hungry.  I must have caught at least (7) bass, all really, really, nice sized.  I lost a HUGE pig that I was not able to get a photo on, but I was grateful none the less.  This lake has a lot of vegetation.  I was throwing the spinners parallel to shore and they were absolutely hammering them.

I am looking forward to coming back to this lake a little later this month....great spot for kayaks (not as great for larger boats, although people take them out)

Fish ON!

Mike

Lake Atkins, Pope County, Arkansas: Great lake with lots of structure

Kayak Fishing Lake Atkins, Arkansas

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Lake Atkins is located in central Arkansas between Little Rock and Ft. Smith.  I brought my SOT fishing kayak, "The Bossy Flossy" along for the trip.  I was able to get a couple of hours of fishing in before the sun started to go down (I figured the fishing would turn on towards sunset).  I paddled across the lake and drifted along shore.  This lake is chock-full of trees, stumps and structure.  I had read that it was drained in 2002 and restocked with Florida-strain Largemouth bass. 


It is a nice sized lake, and looks like one that does not receive as much pressure due to the stumps and the location.
I was throwing a lot of stuff out trying to get something to hit.  I have not had a lot of success the last couple of trips, so I was really hoping to catch something (It is funny how if you do not catch a bass after about the 3rd trip you start to wonder if you can remember how to fish!!). 

I put out some white spinners, mini spinners with minnow, stand up jig with hula grubs, texas rigged dark worms.  What I had success on was what my go to has been for 2011- watermelon zoom trick worm texas rigged on spinning rod.  And sure enough, caught it in some trees, right about sunset.

Fish ON!

Mike

Lake Sherwood, Warren County, MO September 10th, 2011: Some action heating up with the Largemouths!

This was a kayak fishing trip that I had set out to harvest some fish for an evening dinner.  The day was cool and beautiful.  I have had some incredible stringers and large catches in the month of September, so I was really looking forward to the fishing!

I was on the main lake and kayaked most of it.....cool temperatures after Labor Day are excellent for kayak fishing, due to the fact that you have most of the lake to yourself, without much motor traffic.
I had a spinning rod with a bottom rig/night crawler set up (which can be a great rig when the panfish really fire up) however, I did not have much luck with that rig.  Lake Sherwood has a "Under 12" take all you can Largmouth Bass" set up, so I figured I would try and take enough for a small meal for myself once I got home.  I accomplished the goal on this trip!

I had the most success on a texas rigged watermelon trick worm (6")....that has been my "go to" worm this year in regards to bass fishing...once again it delivered!

fish ON!

Mike

Loutre River, Montgomery County, Missouri Sept 5th, 2011: lots of fish in shallow pools- but you have to get to them!

This was a challenging kayak fishing trip on the Loutre River, Missouri.  The word "river" really should be replaced with "stream".  I ended up going about 4.5 miles total, but I think half of that time was spent portaging with my kayak cart (really glad I decided to bring it along!).  No complaints, however.  It was a really nice day to be out, cooler than normal, and windy. 

As I looked at the water on this stream, I really started to wonder if there were any fish.  Some spots had quite a bit of bright algea growth (I bet some of it had to do with some agricultural run off- some was probably natural). 

About half way through the trip, I caught the shadow under the kayak of a huge Gar..big fish, small pool!.

As you watch the film , you will see the typical catch on this stream.  No smallmouths, but all Largemouths.  I also caught quite a few really small sunfish as well.  I had a gold mini spinner, with a red jig head and a plastic minnow.  This seemed to really tear them up.  Almost all of them were laying deep in structure or in grass next to shore with heavy rocks...structure is key in a small stream. 
Now here is what is great about small stream fishing- you are probably the first fisher they have seen!  I could tell that this is a spot that a lot of people do not fish.  Probably due to the fact that the fish are typically smaller and the effort to get to some of these spots is intense at times.  It is a lot of fun to see what you will pull from a stream in Missouri!

fish ON!

Mike

Coffeen Lake, Montgomery County, Illinois, August 14th, 2011: Incredible day of Largmouth fishing!

Coffeen Lake is one of 3 nice size lakes around Litchefield, IL. I fished this lake in May with my friend Ray off the kayaks, and we had a little success then, so I figured I would come back. I am glad I did....This lake has some really nice Largmouths in it!

The lake is still a little high- I was going to try and paddle the whole lake, but there is a railroad track levy half through it. Due to the high water, you cannot go through the tunnel (it is almost entirely under water.

I caught over (7) bass, a few in the 15-16" range. What I noticed about the ones I caught at this fishery were how fat they were. Little footballs! Also, I noticed what fight they had! I have caught a few bass in last months that have been like catching a branch, but not these. I really thought at first I had landed a smallmouth or something.

My success was based on a spinning rod, with a carolina rig, and a zoom trick worm. I think the secret today was the carolina rig. I think this rig causes action on the worm, but not as much horizontal movement. Could that be the secret to getting on large numbers of bass in the late summer? I am looking forward to trying this at Table Rock Lake in a few weeks as see if it holds true there as well.

Fish ON!

Mike

Table Rock Lake, Stone County, MO July 6th 2011: Very, Very light bite on Table Rock

Table Rock still is a little high, but it is much closer to normal pool than when I had kayaked it 4 weeks ago.  This weekend (the 4th) the boat traffic was incredible.  I am thinking it was good for the local economy, at least I am hoping it was.

I was using Zoom Pumpkin trick worms on a texas rig when I caught the bass in the video above.  I was getting a lot of taps, but it seemed eveytime I pulled back to set the hook....nothing.  I had debated going to a small set up on the spinning rod (maybe a small spinner) but decided to keep with what I had.  I also was throwing a Chomper Hula Grub on a stand up jig.  This time of the year, the smallmouths really seem to be prevalent when it gets warm, so I figured that would be a good strategy...not this time.

They are really deep so I was fishing 14' of the shore and points....sometimes it is just hard to figure them out.

Fish ON!

MLT

Lake Kincaid, Jackson County, Illinois May 29th 2011: Lake and small creek fishing all in one trip!

Windy kayaking adventure at Lake Kincaid, Illinois

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This was a fun fishing trip on a really hot day.  Launched the kayak on the north part of the lake, but was really having to fight off the wind and the boat traffic.  Decided to paddle to my right and go about 3/4 of a mile into a small creek that empties into Lake Kincaid.  Was catching some Largemouth Bass on a roadrunner with black/yellow grub.  I almost forgot how much fun it is to fish smaller flowing waters.  Due to water levels, it has been real difficult getting out on the streams and rivers this year.
I look forward to coming back to this lake....it is a lake know for it's Muskie fishing.  That would be a real trip catching one on a kayak sometime!



Fish ON!

MLT

Lake Sherwood, Warren County, MO, April 20th, 2011: Panfish are starting to warm up.....

Lake Sherwood is probably like most lakes in east central Missouri right now....high with water!  I did not know how the fishing would be after we had that massive cold front move through yesterday.  It was colder than I expected when I got out there.  I am glad I keep my gore-tex jacket stored in the kayak just in case.

Picked up some nightcrawlers and had one of the rods set up for a bottom rig, but due to the wind and the fact that my sea kayak does not have an anchor, I went back to mini spinning rigs (silver or gold spinner, jig head and mini grub).  Caught a couple of nice bluegill and a small slot size bass (the slot at Sherwood is 12-15"). Really enjoyed my time out in the water.
If you watch the video, I get the jig stuck in my hand about 2/3rd through it.  I like how I just tried to shake it off.

The thing to remember about sea kayaks and fishing is that there are some limitations.  I bought a rod leash and some foam rod floats.....leash D hook was cheap, fell off, and actually lost it in the water.  Rod fell in water and turned kayak around to find in floating.  Rod leash= FAIL  Rod Float= thumbs up!  Keep that in mind if you are fishing from a sea kayak.  I will be breaking the SOT fishing kayak out very soon.

Fish ON!

MLT

Lake Sherwood, Warren County, MO, April 17th 2011: Fishing a little Slow, great day for a kayak fishing trip!

Lake Sherwood- kayaking and fishing

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Table Rock Lake, Aunts Creek, Stone County, MO August 28th, 2010.: Largemouth Bass in Summer Pattern

Grand Lake, Deleware County, Oklahoma, July 28th, 2010: Little bit of action near marina, bass are deep

Marina near Bernice State Park

My first Oklahoma largmouth!

I got a chance to fish Grand Lake O' The Cherokee's (Grand Lake) after working in Kansas for the day, and hit the water around 3:30 p.m. or so.  The put in spot was Bernice State Park.  Grand lake is a beautiful lake and today turned out to be excellent.  I paddled up to the bridge that crosses the arm of the lake and went to the other side of the bridge. 

Grank Lake Largemouth Bass

There was a marina and a shady rocky shore with docks, shade, and depth, so I chose to fish that area for the day.  I was using a natural colored Wave Worm on a texas rigged baitcasting rod.  I got a couple of really small taps and caught a 6" green sunfish (the bait was as large as the fish!).  After fishing the drop off points for about an hour, I paddled to the cove that had the marina.  About 10' out on the corner of a dock, I landed my first and only fish for the day.

  They call this spot the "Crappie Capital", so I will make sure to come back to it soon, and most definitely check it out for spring crappie fishing.

Fish ON!

MLT

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