Here’s another one for the wall. James Fisher came down for an evening of walleye fishing here at Holiday Island, and then the next morning going after the stripers on Beaver Lake. Big fish was this striper right at 40 inches long. I guessed his weight just shy of 30 pounds around 28. But the scales said just a little over 25 pounds. Those scales are what make fishermen into liars, they say. Still a big fish, well over three feet long.
Water temps have cooled down to below 72° on both Beaver and our part of Table Rock at the Island. The little pods of shad the fish were feeding on that were going up the river between Beaver and Houseman when they started generating have decided the water is cool enough in the lake now, so mornings and evenings have a lot of small shad coming to the surface more from Butler Creek just up from Beaver and north past the Missouri line.
Nice walleye, spotted bass and white bass are being caught now on top water and below off the bottom in 8- to 30-foot water. The walleye we got into fishing the flats off the Island were liking a 1/2 nightcrawler on a jig head better than a minnow on a jig head. Both will work now, just move slow off the bottom on the flats to the drop off the edge.
Trolling crankbaits that run 8 – 18 feet deep can catch them, too, along with the bass and crappie. On up river, rainbow trout are being caught on powerbait, worms and smaller crankbaits. The browns are spawning and on their nest like bass. Swimming something by them that makes them think it will eat their eggs, like a minnow, sculpin, small flicker shad or a Rebels Teeny Crawdad, can get you a mean bite.
Boaters beware for the river is low. So, will end this back on the stripers on Beaver.
Well, we’re still going out from the dam but it seams the stripers are moving south with most of them now being caught from Point 5 to Point 8 with big shad from the surface to 24 ft. deep working best, with topwater lures catching, too.
We also have some stripers moving up the bigger creek arms as far back and shallow as they please in the cooler temps, so don’t overlook Indian Creek here by the dam or going up the Big and Little Clifty Arms at Point 5. Enjoy this cool weather along with the fish. Watch for bait and big fish swirling on top now, be slow, be silent like hunting Wabbit.
Robert Johnson, fishofexcellence.com, (479) 253-2258