The Spring Turkey Season is right around the corner. The youth season starts March 31st, and the regular season starts April 16th.
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Your Mark Twain Lake Vacation Spot!
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Fishing Report, Lake Conditions
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Date: 10/27/07 Lake Level : 602.7 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Clear Surface Water Temp: 60
Crappie fishing has been spotty, they've been caught in the mouths of coves, and up in the rivers. Crappie in the mouths of coves are at about 8 - 10 foot deep, and about 3 feet deep up the rivers. Minnows with crappie nibbles, or minnow tipped jigs have been the best. Catch a few here and there and keep on the move.
Bass fishing has been slow. Catfishing has been good. Flatheads, blues and channels have been caught. The flatheads and blues have done best on perch. Channel cats are biting on nightcrawlers.
White Bass have been slow.
Date: 8/25/07 Lake Level : 603.1 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Clear Surface Water Temp: 80 - 83
Crappie fishing has been a little slower this week. Crappie have been caught anywhere from 10 - 18 feet deep, with the best catches coming off of main lake points. The crappie have been holding tight to the timber, with one or two being caught here and there. Keep on the move. There has been some good size to the fish being caught.
Bass fishing has been fair.
C atfishing has been fair. However with the recent rains, the water will be flowing into the lake from creeks and runoffs, so they should be biting very soon.
White Bass have been slow.
Date: 8/19/07 Lake Level : 603.2 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Clear Surface Water Temp: 83 - 85
Crappie fishing has been a little up and down this past week. The weather fronts have been coming and going. Some fishermen have reported catching numerous crappie of various sizes, and others have been struggling. Still pretty much the same pattern as it has been lately. The most consistent pattern has been catching crappie at 10 feet deep over about 28 - 30 feet of water. The crappie have been kind of scattered at different depths. Bridge piers are still a good place to catch crappie, but they are also worked over pretty hard. Tree tops near steep dropoffs along channels have been productive. Catch a couple here and there, and keep on the move. Minnows, or jigs w/nibbles. Pink/white, or blue/white plastic tube jigs.
Bass fishing has been fair, seems to be mostly shorts. The bass have been feeding off of shad, so look for shad breaking the surface. Spinners and crank baits, shallow. Plastics worked deeper around 10 feet.
C atfishing has been fair, rod and reel fishermen seem to be doing the best.
White Bass have been slow.
Date: 8/12/07 Lake Level : 604.7 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Clear Surface Water Temp: 83 - 85
Crappie have been very good during the past week. Good size to them. Still pretty much the same pattern as it has been lately. The most consistent pattern has been catching crappie at 10 feet deep over about 28 - 30 feet of water. The crappie have been kind of scattered at different depths. Bridge piers are still a good place to catch crappie, but they are also worked over pretty hard. Tree tops near steep dropoffs along channels has been productive. Catch a couple here and there, and keep on the move. Minnows, or jigs w/nibbles. Pink/white, or blue/white plastic tube jigs.
Bass fishing has been good. Bass fishermen have been catching bass in the flats, shallow off of the banks, and in the creeks. The bass have been feeding off of shad, so look for shad breaking the surface. Spinners and crank baits.
C atfishing has been good for rod and reel fishermen. Set lines have been slow.
White Bass have been fair, catching them off of main lake points or humps. Silver spoons or rattle traps.
Date: 7/29/07 Lake Level : 605.7 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Clear Surface Water Temp: 81 - 83
For the most part Crappie have been very good during the past week. Good size to them. Still pretty much the same pattern as it has been lately. The most consistent pattern has been catching crappie at 10 feet deep over about 28 - 30 feet of water. The crappie have been kinda scattered at different depths. Bridge piers are still a good place to catch crappie, but they are also worked over pretty hard. Tree tops near steep dropoffs along channels has been productive. Catch a couple here and there, and keep on the move. Minnows, or jigs w/nibbles. Black or red and chartreuse. White/yellow, or blue/white plastic tube jigs.
Bass fishing has been good, channels off of points, deep.
C atfishing has been good for rod and reel fishermen. Some crappie fishermen have been hooking into some catfish with minnows. But for the most part it's been nightcrawlers that have done the best.
White Bass have been fair, catching them off of main lake points or humps. Silver spoons or rattle traps.
Date: 7/22/07 Lake Level : 607.1 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Clear Surface Water Temp: 83 - 86
For the most part Crappie have been very good during the past week. The most consistent pattern has been catching crappie at 10 feet deep over about 28 - 30 feet of water. Bridge pier are still a good place to catch crappie, but they are also worked over pretty hard. Tree tops near steep dropoffs along channels has been productive. Early in the day they have been shallower at about 6 - 8 feet deep, and going deeper as the sun gets higher. Minnows, or jigs w/nibbles. Black or red and chartreuse. White/yellow, or blue/white plastic tube jigs.
Bass fishing has been good.
C atfishing has been good for rod and reel fishermen in particular. Some crappie fishermen have been hooking into some catfish with minnows. But for the most part it's been nightcrawlers that have done the best.
Some fishermen are still catching Walleye while Bass or White Bass fishing, using crank baits or silver spoons.
White Bass have been fair, catching them off of main lake points or humps. Silver spoons or rattle traps.
Date: 7/14/07 Lake Level : 608.3 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Clear Surface Water Temp: 84 - 87
Crappie have been very good. They are in a same typical summer pattern that they have the past few weeks. Although late in the day, some crappie have moved up close to the bank near isolated trees, in about 6 - 10 feet of water and being caught 2 - 6 feet deep. The best catches have come off of main lake points, suspended about 8 - 10 feet deep. Some fishermen are catching them around bridge piers, while others are finding them around trees near bluffs, and some are finding them in the flats near trees. Early in the day they have been shallower at about 6 - 8 feet deep, and going deeper as the sun gets higher, catching them anywhere from about 12 - 18 feet deep. Some fishermen have been finding 20 feet of water, going to the bottom and coming up a couple of feet. Minnows, or jigs w/nibbles. Black or red and chartreuse. White/yellow, or blue/white plastic tube jigs.
Bass fishing has been good.
C atfishing has been good for rod and reel fishermen in particular.
Several fishermen have reported catching Walleye while Bass or White Bass fishing, using crank baits or silver spoons.
White Bass have been fair, catching them off of main lake points or humps. Silver spoons or rattle traps.
Date: 7/7/07 Lake Level : 610.6 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Clear Surface Water Temp: 84 - 87
Crappie have been very good. They are in a typical summer pattern. The best catches have come off of main lake points, suspended about 8 - 10 feet deep. Some fishermen are catching them around bridge piers, while others are finding them around trees near bluffs, and some are finding them in the flats near trees. Early in the day they have been shallower at about 6 - 8 feet deep, and going deeper as the sun gets higher, catching them anywhere from about 12 - 18 feet deep. Some fishermen have been finding 20 feet of water, going to the bottom and coming up a couple of feet. Minnows, or jigs w/nibbles. Black or red and chartreuse. White/yellow, or blue/white plastic tube jigs.
Bass fishing has been good. The lake is up and plastic worms or lizards in the flooded grass has been good. Another key is to find shad busting the surface and toss shad colored crank baits.
C atfishing has been good for rod and reel fishermen in particular.
Several fishermen have reported catching Walleye while Bass or White Bass fishing, using crank baits or silver spoons.
White Bass have been fair, catching them off of main lake points or humps. Silver spoons or rattle traps.
Date: 6/23/07 Lake Level : 609.6 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Clear Surface Water Temp: 75 - 78
Crappie have been a little on the slow side this week. They have pretty much settled into a summer pattern around trees and bridge piers, with some being caught just outside of the coves around tree cover. Early in the day they have been shallower at about 6 - 8 feet deep, and going deeper as the sun gets higher, catching them anywhere from about 12 - 18 feet of water. Minnows, or jigs w/nibbles. Black or red and chartreuse. White/yellow, or blue/white plastic tube jigs.
Bass fishing has been good.
C atfishing has been fair.
Date: 6/09/07 Lake Level : 609.9 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Stained Surface Water Temp: 72 - 75
The Crappie are in a typical summer pattern around trees and bridge piers. Early in the day they have been 6 - 8 feet deep. They've been going deeper as the sun gets higher, catching them in 10 - 20 feet of water. Minnows, or jigs w/nibbles. Black or red and chartreuse. White/yellow, or blue/white plastic tube jigs. Some have been caught just outside of the coves around tree cover.
Bass fishing has been good.
C atfishing has been fair.
Date: 5/1/07 Lake Level : 610.7 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Muddy, minor debris Surface Water Temp: 58 - 62
Great News!
T he Hwy 107 Bridge over theNorth Fork of the lake is now reopened.
Crappie fishing this past week has been very good. The spawn is starting to kick off, the males have been moving in and strutting their stuff getting ready for the females to move in. Some rain made the lake rise a couple of feet, and seemed to slow the crappie down for a couple days. But they made a good rebound by sunday, and several were caught right on the banks in spawning patterns. Jigs or minnows are doing good.
Bass fishing has been good.
Fishing for catfish has been very good, the catfish are on the move. Several nice size flatheads and blue cats have been caught using perch or goldfish on set lines.
Morels are popping up all around the lake!
Date: 4/22/07 Lake Level : 610.4 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Muddy, some debris, upper reaches clearing Surface Water Temp: 57 - 62
As of the date mentioned above, the lake is about 4.4 feet over normal. All ramps are open with the exception of the ramp at the end of Hwy HH. This is the ramp in Shell Branch, and will be closed until the Hwy 107 bridge work is complete, it is being used for staging of the equipment and materials.
Crappie fishing this past week has been hit and miss. A lot of varied reports indicate the crappie are on the move. Early in the week, crappie were being caught about 15 - 18 feet deep, about mid-week they were around 12-15 feet deep, and more recently about 6 - 10 feet deep. A few fishermen reported catching crappie 2 feet deep near the banks, in the coves. Most consistent reports have the crappie near channels with good tree cover, along approaches to coves. Minnows, or jigs, minnow or crappie nibble tipped jigs.
Bass fishing has been good. Last weeks Media Bass tournament winner had 26 lbs.
Fishing for catfish has been good. Several nice catches of flatheads and blues have been caught on set lines, trot lines, jugs or noodles. Goldfish have been good on set lines. Nightcrawlers for rod and reel fishermen.
Date: 4/15/07 Lake Level : 612.8 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Muddy, some debris Surface Water Temp: 48 - 50
The lake is about 6.8 feet over normal. All ramps are open with the exception of the ramp at the end of Hwy HH. This is the ramp in Shell Branch, and will be closed until the Hwy 107 bridge work is complete, it is being used for staging of the equipment and materials.
Crappie fishing is picking back up from the lull that last cold front brought. Sandy Creek, and Shell Branch, have seen some good catches of crappie. That’s just a couple of areas, there are some sections in most areas of the lake that are starting to turn on. The best reports this weekend have the crappie at about 30 – 40 feet off the bank, and about 15 – 20 feet deep. One of the best tactics has been to slow troll minnows or road runners. Some nice size catches in the 10 – 12 inch range have been reported.
Bass fishing has been good.
Fishing for catfish has been good. Some nice Blues have been caught on trot lines, 20 – 30 lb’ers. Channels have been biting also using night crawlers or chicken livers.
Date: 4/8/07 Lake Level : 612.5 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Muddy, some debris Surface Water Temp: cold
The links above for Best Fishing Times and Fishing Tournaments have been updated for this year. This years fishing prospects report (located at the bottom of this page) is updated for 2007.
The lake is about 6.5 feet over normal. All ramps are open with the exception of the ramp at the end of Hwy HH. This is the ramp in Shell Branch, and will be closed until the Hwy 107 bridge work is complete, it is being used for staging of the equipment and materials.
Crappie fishing has been on the slow side lately. We did get one good report of crappie being caught pretty far up the South Fork.
Still haven't heard much on bass fishing.
Fishing for catfish has been good. Rod and reel fishermen have done good near the bluffs in the State Park. One guy caught a 29 lb flathead on a rod and reel that gave him a 30 minute fight.
Date: 4/1/07 Lake Level : 610.5 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Muddy, some debris Surface Water Temp: 55 - 60
The links above for Best Fishing Times and Fishing Tournaments have been updated for this year. This years fishing prospects report (located at the bottom of this page) is updated for 2007.
Some rain this weekend made the lake rise. All ramps are open with the exception of the ramp at the end of Hwy HH. This is the ramp in Shell Branch, and will be closed until the Hwy 107 bridge work is complete, it is being used for staging of the equipment and materials.
Crappie fishing seems to be the most successful, right now. There have been several good reports of crappie being caught. While some have reported catching their limit, it is still tough to do so at this point. The size is averaging 10 to 12 inches. They are most often found in the mouths of the coves anywhere from 2 to 10 feet deep depending on the time of day. Use crappie rigs for better luck. Minnows are the most popular bait. The northern banks, or areas which get good sunlight during the day, are better to fish right now as the water warms up quicker and attracts more fish.
No word on bass fishing right now. We will keep you posted!
Fishing for catfish has picked up considerably this weekend. The warm weather and runoff from the rains has got the catfish active. One fisherman reported getting his limit 2 days in a row using jugs. Most were about 10 lbs, with the largest about 40 lbs
Date: 3/28/07 Lake Level : 609.8 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Dingy to muddy, some debris Surface Water Temp: 55 - 60
The links above for Best Fishing Times and Fishing Tournaments have been updated for this year. This years fishing prospects report (located at the bottom of this page) is updated for 2007.
The lake is 3.8 feet over normal. All ramps are open with the exception of the ramp at the end of Hwy HH. This is the ramp in Shell Branch, and will be closed until the Hwy 107 bridge work is complete, it is being used for staging of the equipment and materials.
As of last weekend, there should be at least one courtesy walkway in place at each of the ramps that normally have them. The other courtesy walkways should be in place sometime soon.
Fishing for catfish has been very slow. A few have tried, none have succeeded.
Crappie fishing seems to be the most successful, right now. Although it is still tough to catch your limit, the size is averaging 10 to 12 inches. They are most often found in the mouths of the coves anywhere from 2 to 10 feet deep depending on the time of day. Use crappie rigs for better luck. Minnows are the most popular bait. The northern banks or areas which get good sunlight during the day are better to fish right now as the water warms up quicker and attracts more fish.
No word on bass fishing right now. We will keep you posted!
Something to think about! The past few years have seen good runs of white bass as they head upstream to spawn, and perhaps this could be a good reason to get out of the house earlier than normal. White bass are usually the first to kick off the spring fishing season when they get the spawning urge from about mid-March to mid-April. White bass inhabit Mark Twain Lake and have spring spawning runs up its tributary streams. The South Fork, Elk Fork and Middle Fork branches have seen particularly good runs. Male white bass migrate upstream in large schools to shallower water with rocky or sandy bottoms, followed shortly by schools of females. Spawning occurs in moving water over gravel shoals or a hard bottom. Look for shallow water (riffles) with rock shelves or rocky banks to help find likely spawn areas. Large females may lay as many as half a million eggs that stick to rocks and gravel. After spawning, they abandon their eggs and provide no care. Fry hatch in only two to three days and may grow eight or nine inches during the first year. The usual white bass lures can be used throughout the year, for the spawn or post spawn. Good lures include spinners (including beetle spins), rattle traps, and spoons, including the hammered metal spoons. White bass mainly eat shad so your baits should imitate them in color (white, silver or silver and black). To date, no one has reported catching any white bass, but they should be getting active soon.
The Spring Turkey Season is right around the corner. The youth season starts March 31st, and the regular season starts April 16th.
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