These were my best fish yesterday evening.
The lake level is 551.79 and has dropped 1-3/4 inches in the last 24-hours with genetation for about 6-hours alternating between one and both generators. It is about 2-feet lower than at this time last year and that is good. I hope we are headed to 547-548 by March and they try to hold it there for as long as they can. The very dry weather is helping. Just the little amount of generation is dropping the lake. The surface water tmeperature is between 56 and 57 degrees and is holding steady with the warmer weather. We are to have good chances for rain in the next three days and it is badly needed but the wind is also to pick up again. It has been nice to have light wind for a few days. The fishing picked up a little yesterday a few days after the high pressure set in. The open water fishermen found a school of 2-3 pound largemouth and another one of white bass just over a foot long. They are looking very hard and long to find them but when they finally do they are able to stay on them better without the wind. The white bass seem to be staying put and not traveling as fast but I do not fish for them anyway. People are still trying to hunt down and kill the stripers that are left for meat but more and more are releasing them to grow. That is good for the lake. A 5-8 pound stocked striper is not much of a catch but old habits are hard to die. People need the meat bad. The white bass are low in numbers but at least they reproduce themselves and seem to be coming back somewhat but not nearly what they were. Hybrids are about the same but not nearly as many are stocked. More crappie are starting to move back in from the deeper water back to the brush but not the shallow brush. I am carching a few big ones shallower but the numbers are deeper. A lot of fish of different species are now suspended about 40-ft. down no matter the depth. The walleye continue to elude me for about 4-days now but I have not specifically targeted them as I am still on the crappie, bluegill and Kentucky bass. I have a place where I was catching them but have not been back there for a few days and will give it a try when the wind comes from the south. Fishing looks pretty good for ther next several days. Stay out there until it rains you out with the 1/2 ounce Bink's Spoon. Right now the Arkansas Shiner is working best for me the the white with green back is second. I switch to the Bobby Garland baby shad when it is windy and I cannot keep my spoon straight up and down. If you drag your spoon in brush you will lose it but not so in open water unless you are tapping bottom which I do a lot. I still check for smallmouth on the shadowy banks just before I come in but nothing so far. Open water fishing is OK but I get tired of looking and looking to find feeding fish. You see pictures when they finally find some but nothing for days when they do not and there are several of them. The lake overall is in excellent condition and at a good level.
