I did get one trip this week chasing those Beaver Lake stripers but due to the morning starting out below freezing and having four kids on the boat Dad thought it would be best going out at 10 a.m. which was not the best time for the fish.
I picked them up in sailboat cove at Point 4 and we headed south till we saw some surface activity and bait. We dropped bait and also trolled the Rocky Branch area, Point 5 and in the mouth of Big Clifty with no luck.
The water temp was 59° which was great for a top water bite, but no rods went down and the kids were ready for dinner so I took them back in, stowed my rods and net, then headed to the boat launch before losing the sun.
As I crossed in front of the Point 4 marker I had stripers rolling all around me. I shut her down and threw a big whopper plopper with no luck but I had so many fish around me that every time I threw past a roll I had another roll in front and each side of the boat.
The sun was going fast and I had some water to cover but I had the fever so I grabbed 2 bait rods with no weights and ran 2 brood shiners freelining behind the boat. Within 5 minutes one went down then ran like a freight train. I smiled as I set the hook and the fight was on.
The net, it’s not out and ready for this so I’m fighting this big fish while trying to get my net and he pops loose. Darn, the sun is going over the last hill and I need to get moving so here’s my best pic of the day as I’m heading home.
Fish are feeding up good and will until the water temp gets below 48° which should not happen until about January. A lot of good catches are being reported now for all species, but timing is key. Some days you can catch during the afternoons, but the hours after sunrise or before sunsets are best, so if mornings are too cold we’re also running a special on 3-hour trips from 2:30 till we lose the sun.
It’s about the same here at Holiday Island with bass, walleye and crappie. The water temp is just right for our warm water fish. You could still hit a feeding frenzy when the sun is high but try to include that sunrise or sunset if you can.
Remember that trout are cold water fish that you can catch all year, just grab a pole, some worms, marshmallows, power bait, little spoons or lures to catch some sun on one of these nice days in the 50s and 60s and you should be eating fresh fish for dinner.
Enjoy what the Ozarks still has to offer along with that warming sun for it is a peace that is very hard to find elsewhere.