Tom Kelly with some nice ones.
The lake level is 554.24 and has dropped 2-inches in the last 24-hours with generation about 1/2 the time. The surface water temperature is 48-degrees and the water is stained but not brown. It is a good color and at a good level for fishing. The White River at Newport is 20.37 feet and high but dropping. The big moon, dropping river and continuous cold fronts coming through are not helping fishing any. It is to get very cold again the middle of next week,,When I went out yesterday afternoon the temperature was in the 50's and when I came in it was in the low 40's with the wind coming from the North and not pleasant. Scuba Steve caught a few fish and all of them in just a few minutes. Most of the time they were not biting. I am either spooning brush piles or casting a grub and minnow past the brush and letting it sink into it. If there is no wind you can use a slip float and medium sized minnow. The 1/4 ounce Bink's Spoon will catch about anything including brush if you drag it and not keep it straight up and down. As far as jigs go the Bobby Garland Baby Shad Blue Ice in color is the best on a 1/16th ounce white with red eye jig head. For a grub I like a 2-inch white twister tail turned up with a small minow hooked through the top of the head on the same jig head. Most fish bite on the drop but right at dark you can try going deep and reeling up slowly on the side of the brush pile. Go against the wind with your trolling motor and use it sparingly and shut off spot lock. The fish are very spooky. The crappie are right in the brush and the Bass and Walleye are on the sides of it near the bottom. I sometimes use my own concoction of dipping sauce and keep a few jigs and grubs in a seal tight container with it and add some to my minnow bucket but am not sure if it does much good or not. I mostly use it when the fish are not biting. Harvey Hall taught me that and he also said he did not know for sure if it helped but it does not hurt anything and he was the best Crappie Fisherman that I have ever seen and I miss him. He always took his boat when we went fishing and we fished both his and Scuba Steve's brush piles when we were together and only our own when apart. I never fished his and he never fished mine even though we both knew where they were. He preferred Shad over Crappie Minnows and would net his every morning. Shad smell so bad you certainly do not need dipping sauce with them. They die easily but I like to put a few in my minnow bucket when available. I am not into going out in the dark under a light and netting shad but freeze a few when they come under my dock. Do not leave them in your live well or you will be sorry. Blackburns Resort and Boat Rental continues to have the best place with the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals in the Ozarks. Compare prices and give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 for a reservation or to answer any questions. It is nice here and the price is right. No we are not for sale or have not been sold. We are family owned and family operated and are not cashing out. We like it here and are not interested in moving on to a different chapter of our lives. This is it.
