|
|
Your Mark Twain Lake Vacation Spot!
|
|
|
Fishing Report, Lake Conditions
Please support our local businesses. Check out the Mark Twain Lake Chamber of Commerce web site, or email them at mtlcoc@socket.net
Email Us
Missouri Division of Tourism
Free DHTML scripts!
|
Date: 11/29/03 Lake Level : 602.84 Last Weeks Lake Level: 603.72 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Dingy in Upper Arms, Otherwise Normal Surface Water Temp: 50 degrees Between Thanksgiving, Hunting and poor fishing reports there haven't been very many fishermen out this week. There's not much to report on. Happy Belated Thanksgiving Day! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 11/20/03 Lake Level : 603.72 and rising Last Weeks Lake Level: 601.39 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Normal Surface Water Temp: 55 degrees
Based on the few fishermen out this week, crappie fishing has been tough. It’s a case of either you’re finding them or you’re not. The few crappie caught have been in the flats along the tree lines about 6 – 10 feet deep. The usual bait, minnows or jigs. Keep on the move to locate them.
Bass fishing has been half way decent this week. Spinners and crank baits worked 4 – 8 feet deep off of main lake and secondary points.
Catfish have been caught on nightcrawlers with rod and reel. Blues and channels up to 5 lbs were caught near the runoffs from the recent rains. The lake is still on the rise and catfishing should continue to be good.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 11/13/03 Lake Level : 601.39 Last Weeks Lake Level: 602.46 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Normal Surface Water Temp: 55 degrees Crappie fishing continues a slight improvement this week. A limit of decent size crappie can be caught, although it will require patience and keeping on the move. The better size crappie moved up to a more shallow pattern and can be caught in the flats about 8 – 12 feet deep using minnows or jigs tipped with minnows. Tree rows and submerged cover is a good place to start, keep on the move to locate them. Smaller crappie continue to be caught deep, at about 15 – 20 feet. Bass fishing has been fair, although it is mostly dinks that are being caught. Spinners or crank baits worked shallow on the main lake points. Catfishing has been slow. The few fishermen out haven’t caught anything worth reporting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 11/07/03 Lake Level : 602.46 Last Weeks Lake Level: 602.67 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Normal Surface Water Temp: 57 degrees Crappie fishing has improved this week. Better size crappie (9 – 12 inches) have been caught in the flats, about 8 – 12 feet deep, using minnows or jigs tipped with minnows. Tree rows and submerged cover is a good place to start, keep on the move to locate them. Smaller crappie are being caught deep, at about 15 – 20 feet. Bass fishing is slow. The few reports haven’t been encouraging. Shallow on main lake points, using spinners or crank baits. Catfishing has been fair. Channel cats are biting on nightcrawlers, shallow in the flats, near the river channel. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 10/31/03 Lake Level : 602.67 Last Weeks Lake Level: 604.07 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Normal Surface Water Temp: 60 degrees Crappie fishing is slow. Some are being caught about 15 – 20 feet along main lake bluffs, channels, and bridge piers. Minnows have been best, and keep on the move. Bass fishing is slow. The best bet has been shallow, using spinners or crank baits. Catfishing has been fairly good. Based on the few fishermen out, channel cats are biting on nightcrawlers, in the flats near the river channel. No word from trotliners. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 10/23/03 Lake Level : 604.07 Last Weeks Lake Level: 604.77 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Normal Surface Water Temp: 63 degrees Crappie fishing over the weekend was slow. So far this week it has gotten a little better. While still slow, more crappie are being caught about 15 – 20 feet deep along main lake bluffs and channels, and around the bridge piers. Some are being caught shallow at 4 – 6 feet deep, way up in the creeks and rivers. The best strategy is to tightline with minnows or jigs tipped with minnows or crappie nibbles. Concentrate on cover, and keep on the move. Bass fishing is still slow. A few have been caught shallow off of main lake and secondary points, using spinners or crank baits. Catfishing has been fairly good. Channel cats and blues have been caught on trotlines baited with perch. Rod and reel fishermen have caught some using nightcrawlers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 10/16/03 Lake Level : 604.77 Last Weeks Lake Level: 605.07 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Dingy to Normal Surface Water Temp: 64 degrees Crappie fishing is slow. The crappie are either being caught shallow at 4 – 6 feet deep, way up in the creeks and rivers, or they’re being caught deep at 18 – 23 feet along the main lake bluffs and channels. The best strategy is to tightline with minnows or jigs tipped with minnows or crappie nibbles. Concentrate on cover, and keep on the move. Bass fishing continues to be tough. Some are still being caught shallow in the grass and brush, using spinners or crank baits. Catfishing continues to be slow. A few channel cats and blues have been caught on trotlines baited with perch or crawdads. Haven’t heard any news from rod and reel fishermen. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 10/09/03 Lake Level : 605.07 Last Weeks Lake Level: 605.87 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Dingy to Normal Surface Water Temp: 66 degrees Crappie fishing is still pretty much the same as last week. One difference this week is crappie are now starting to be caught far up the branches, about 4- 8 feet deep. Otherwise it’s the same story, expect a lot of small crappie about 7 – 8 inches, with the better size fish being caught about 20 – 25 feet deep near the bottom. The best strategy has been to tightline with minnows, or jigs tipped with minnows or crappie nibbles, along the main lake body near bluffs and the river channel. Concentrate on cover, and keep on the move. Bass fishing continues to be tough. The few fish caught have been shallow in the grass and brush, using spinners or crank baits. Catfishing is still a little on the slow side. Trotlines baited with perch or crawdads. Tree lines along the river channels in flats have been good for trot lines. The best bet for rod and reel fishermen is to use nightcrawlers or crawdads. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 10/02/03 Lake Level : 605.87 Last Weeks Lake Level: 607.02 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Muddy to Normal Surface Water Temp: 66 degrees Crappie fishing is about the same as last week. Expect a lot of small crappie about 7 – 8 inches. The better size fish have been about 20 – 25 feet deep near the bottom. The best strategy has been to tightline with minnows or jigs tipped with minnows or crappie nibbles east of Florida, the main lake body near bluffs and the river channel. Concentrate on cover, and keep on the move. Bass fishing continues to be tough. Some keepers have been caught shallow in the grass and brush. Follow schools of shad in shallow areas and try spinners or crank baits. Catfishing has been a little slower, but is still good. Trotlines baited with perch or crawdads. Tree lines along the river channels in flats have been good for trot lines. Rod and reel fishermen, mostly using nightcrawlers, have been doing good shallow. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 09/25/03 Lake Level : 607.02 Last Weeks Lake Level: 605.92 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Muddy to Normal Surface Water Temp: 69 degrees Crappie fishing was a littler slower this past week. Mostly small crappie about 7 – 8 inches are being caught. The keepers are still deep, even a little deeper than they had been, about 18 – 23 feet. Tightlining worked the best, with most taking the bait on the fall. Concentrate on cover, and keep on the move. Minnows have been the best bait, although jigs tipped with minnows or crappie nibbles have been good as well. Main lake bluffs have provided the best fishing. Bass fishing for the most part has been tough, although the 2 day Bud Light Tournament last weekend had a respectable 30.83 lbs. for 1st place. The 1st place team won by using spinner baits worked very shallow in the North Fork flats. The 2nd place team won with a completely different strategy… find out the whole story via this link at the Midwest Bass Tournaments web site. Catfishing has been very good. Trotlines baited with perch or crawdads were productive. Tree lines along the river channels in flats have been good for trot lines. Rod and reel fishermen, mostly using nightcrawlers, have been doing good near runoffs and wind blown banks. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 09/17/03 Lake Level : 606.90 Last Weeks Lake Level: 605.92 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Dingy to Normal Surface Water Temp: 74 degrees
The lake has been on the rise since Saturday, coming up 1.3 feet, putting the
water well into the vegetation and brush. The upper reaches are dingy with the
lower lake being clear. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 09/11/03 Lake Level : 605.92 Last Weeks Lake Level: 606.10 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Normal Surface Water Temp: 76 degrees Today is the 2 year anniversary of 9/11, our prayers go out to the victims and families of that tragic event. By most accounts crappie fishing has slightly improved this week. A lot of small ones are being caught but the keepers are more frequent. We had reports of keeper crappie being caught anywhere from 7 – 20 feet deep, and scattered patterns. The key was submerged brush/trees. A lot of water will need to be covered, minnows have been the best bait, although jigs tipped with minnows or crappie nibbles have been good as well. Trolling or using the wind to drift is a good way to keep on the move, experiment with different depths and patterns. The better size crappie are predominately being caught about 15 – 20 feet deep in 15 – 30 feet of water. Main lake bluffs or submerged trees have provided the best fishing. Bass fishing continues to be tough. The few caught, were on Carolina rigged plastics and spinner baits, worked 3 – 8 feet deep. Catfishing continues to be excellent. The mouths to creeks and runoffs provided good fishing. Trotliners and pole fishermen caught fish in the 3 – 30 lb. range, most have been in the 3 – 10 lb. range. The best trotline bait has been perch, the best pole and line bait has been nightcrawlers, chicken livers or shad. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 09/04/03 Lake Level : 606.10 Last Weeks Lake Level: 601.17 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Dingy to Normal Surface Water Temp: 75 degrees At least 7 inches of rain has sent the lake up more than 5 feet since Sunday. Crappie fishing has been pretty much the same as the previous week. A lot of small crappie continue to be caught, keeper’s aren’t as frequent. Keeping on the move and using minnows, jigs tipped with minnows or crappie nibbles will help toward a limit. Trolling or using the wind to drift is a good way to keep on the move, experiment with different depths and patterns. The better size crappie are being caught about 15 – 20 feet deep in 15 – 30 feet of water. The main lake has provided the best fishing. Bass fishing hasn’t improved any, still tough with not much to report on. Catfishing has been excellent, the creeks and runoffs are flowing from the recent rains. No word from trotliners, however pole and line fishermen have been doing very good with nightcrawlers, chicken livers and shad. Channels, Flatheads and Blues are being caught. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 08/28/03 Lake Level : 601.17 Last Weeks Lake Level: 602.05 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Normal Surface Water Temp: 85 degrees Crappie fishing remains the same. A lot of small crappie are being caught, keeper’s are tougher to come by. Limit’s can be gotten but it will require work and determination. The best bite has been very early. Keep on the move and experiment with different depths and patterns. The better size crappie are being caught about 15 – 20 feet deep in 40 feet of water. The large branches of the lake and the main lake have provided the best fishing. Minnows and minnow tipped jigs have been the most productive, crappie nibbles are helping as well. Bass fishing continues to be tough. Even the shorts are tough to come by, not much to report on at this time. Catfishing continues to be the good. Pole and line fishermen are doing good with nightcrawlers and chicken livers. Channel cats are being caught throughout the day. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Normal Water
Condition: Surface
Water Temp: 83 degrees Crappie
fishing is the same as last week. A
LOT of small crappie are being caught. A
limit of 10 inch crappie can be caught, but it’s going to take a lot of work
and determination. The best bite has
been very early. Keep on the move
and experiment with different depths and patterns.
Target structure, if near bluffs work the outer sides of tree lines.
If you’re fishing the flats work the isolated tree lines, also keeper
size crappie are being caught more and more around the bridge piers.
The best fishing has been about 15 – 20 feet deep, in water as deep as
40 feet. The large branches of the
lake and the main lake have provided the best fishing.
Minnows and minnow tipped jigs have been the most productive, crappie
nibbles are helping as well. Bass
fishing has been very tough. A fair number of short fish are being caught,
keepers are a lot tougher to come by. The
bass are scattered, with the best reports coming from main lake and secondary
points, anywhere from 4 – 15 feet deep. Plastics
and crank baits seemed to work the best. Catfishing continues to be the good. As last week, no large fish have been reported, however several in the 5 – 15 pound range are being caught. Pole and line fishermen are doing the best using nightcrawlers and chicken livers. Wind blown banks with shallow flats have provided good fishing just before dusk. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date:
Lake
Last
Normal Water
Condition: Surface
Water Temp: 81 degrees Crappie
fishing experienced a slight improvement over the weekend, with more people
reporting limits. So far this week
it seems to have slid back to the same reports as last week.
A lot of small crappie are being caught, with keepers of 10 inches or
better being less frequent. A limit
of good size keepers can be filled, it will require work, keeping on the move
and experimenting with different depths and patterns.
Crappie are being caught anywhere from 5 – 20 feet deep, however the
good size keepers are 15 – 20 feet deep around structure.
This pattern seemed to hold true for all the usual areas of the lake,
North, Middle and South Forks, Indian Creeks, Lick Creek and the main lake. Minnows
and minnow tipped jigs have been the most productive. Bass
fishing continues to be tough. Bass were caught 4 – 7 feet deep off of
main lake and secondary points, and coves. Watch for schools of shad that
are frantically breaking the surface, this is a good indicator that something is
after them. Catfishing
continues to be good. No monsters
have been reported, but some good size flatheads up to 20 lbs. have been caught
on trotlines using goldfish. Pole
and line fishermen continue to catch fish using nightcrawlers and chicken
livers. Wind blown banks with
shallow flats have provided good fishing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date:
Lake
Last
Normal Water
Condition: Surface
Water Temp: 84 degrees Crappie
fishing is fair to good. The crappie reports are pretty much the same as
last week. Crappie are being caught
anywhere from 7 to 15 feet deep. Lots of small crappie are being caught.
With patience and persistence a limit can be filled.
Minnows and minnow tipped white jigs have been the most productive.
Keep on the move, trolling or using the wind to your advantage can be a good way
to locate them. The best reports came from the Middle Fork, 10 – 15 feet
down around structure. Lick Creek
and main lake bluffs have been productive as well.
Some fishermen have been catching crappie outside of the tree lines and
out from the rip rap along the bridges. Bass
fishing this past week has been tough. Even the short fish haven’t been
as active as they were. The keeper
bass that were caught came out of water 3 – 12 feet deep, off of main lake
coves and secondary points. Some fishermen have been targeting schools of
shad to find the bass.
Catfishing
has been good. Trotliners have been
catching some nice size flatheads using goldfish.
Pole and line fishermen are doing good with nightcrawlers and chicken
livers. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date:
Lake
Level
:
604.8 and dropping
Last
Weeks Normal Lake Water
Condition: Surface
Water Temp: 83 degrees Crappie
fishing has been fair to good. Fishermen reports are still varied, crappie
are being caught anywhere from 7 to 15 feet deep. A lot of small crappie
are being caught, along with the occasional keeper.
With patience and persistence a limit can almost be filled.
Minnows and minnow tipped jigs in black/chartreuse or red/white have been
the most productive. Trolling or drifting with the wind is a good way to
locate them. Tree lines, bridge piers and main lake bluffs continue to
produce. Some fishermen have been catching crappie about 20 to 50 feet off
the tree lines and out from the rip rap along the bridges. Bass
fishing has been fair to good. A lot of shorts continue to be caught,
keeper size bass have become more frequent. Crank baits worked under
schools of shad in the coves have produced some good action.
Catfishing
has improved. Trotliners have been
catching some nice size flatheads using goldfish.
A 44 lb. and 22 lb. flathead were caught last week.
Pole and line fishermen have caught several channels using nightcrawlers
and chicken livers. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 7/24/03 Lake Level : 606.63 and dropping Last Weeks Lake Level: 608.76 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Dingy - Normal Surface Water Temp: 84 degrees Crappie fishing has been fair to good. The reports are varied, crappie are being caught anywhere from 5 feet to 18 feet deep. A lot of small crappie are being caught, however with work and persistence limits of crappie 10 inch and larger can be had. Minnow tipped jigs in black/chartreuse, white/chartreuse or just plain white have been the most productive. Trolling is a good way to locate them. Tree lines in the flats seem to be the best, bridge piers and main lake bluffs have been productive as well. Good areas to fish have been Middle Fork, South Fork, and Indian Creeks. Bass fishing has been fair. A lot of shorts continue to be caught, keeper bass have been a lot less frequent. Carolina rigged plastics, jigs and crank baits worked 6 – 10 feet deep, in main lake pockets and points with good cover, provided the best action. Catfishing has been very slow. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 7/17/03 Lake Level : 608.76 and dropping Last Weeks Lake Level: 609.85 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Dingy - Normal Surface Water Temp: 84 degrees Crappie fishing continues to improve. Most crappie are being caught about 10 – 20 feet deep in water 15 – 22 feet deep. Fishermen working the middle North Fork area are reporting the best catches. Fishermen should get off the beaten path and keep on the move. Trolling minnows or minnow tipped jigs has been a good strategy for finding them. Once found, stop and work the area making note of the terrain, cover and depth. Cedar trees provide good cover. Other areas for good fishing have been Lick Creek and Indian Creeks, main lake bluffs and bridge piers. A lot of small crappie are being caught, so patience and persistence are key to filling a stringer with good size crappie. Bass fishing has been fair. A lot of shorts have been caught this week along with the occasional keeper. Spinners and Carolina rigged plastics worked in main lake pockets and secondary points about 6 – 10 feet deep has been the best strategy. Catfishing continues to be slow. Trotliners haven’t had much to report. The best bite has been on rod and reel using chicken livers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 7/10/03 Lake Level : 609.85 and dropping Last Weeks Lake Level: 610.98 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Dingy - Normal Surface Water Temp: 85 degrees Crappie fishing is still about average but has seen some improvement. The upper North Fork area from the water plant intake up to the railroad bridge has provided some good action. Working minnows or minnow tipped jigs in 15 – 20 feet of water, crappie are being caught about 8 – 18 feet down. Cedar trees provide good cover. Main lake bluffs and bridge piers are providing a lot of smaller crappie, with some keepers thrown in as well. Bass fishing has been slow. A fair number of short bass being caught, keepers are a lot less frequent. Carolina rigged plastics and crank baits have been the best lures. Shallow water in main lake pockets and secondary points. Catfishing has been slow. Not much to report on for trotliners or rod and reel fishermen. Some catfish are being caught on rod and reel. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Normal Water Condition: Muddy - Dingy Surface Water Temp: 83 degrees The
crappie fishing continues to be average. Some fishermen have caught
nothing but large crappie while keeping on the move and putting a lot of effort
into it. Other fishermen have caught
large numbers of small crappie. The
best bite has been around 8 – 12 feet deep, with some being caught as deep as
20 feet. The Stoutsville area of the
Bass
fishing has been good. Lots of
shorts are still being caught. Keepers
have been shallow (3 - 6 foot deep), in main lake pockets and secondary points.
Catfishing
has been good. Not much to report on for trotliners, but rod and reel
fishermen have been doing very good catching channels and blues on crawdeads or
nightcrawlers. The Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 6/26/03 Lake Level: 611.70 and rising Last Weeks Lake Level: 613.02 Normal Lake Level: 606 Water Condition: Muddy - Dingy Surface Water Temp: 78 degrees The crappie fishing has improved since last week. Good size crappie are being caught in small groups of 2 or 3 with the usual summer time effort. If small crappie are caught, it may be a hint to move on and find bigger fish. Flats in the Stoutsville area of the North Fork, Otter Creek and Buck Creek seem to be especially productive this week. Other areas to consider are Indian Creeks and Lick Creek (Dry Fork). Crappie have been caught using minnows or minnow/crappie nibble tipped jigs worked about 10 - 15 feet deep. Bass fishing continues a slow improvement. Sub-legal size bass are still readily caught. The bigger ones seem to be in the 4 - 6 foot zone, in main lake pockets and secondary points, this holds true for the branches as well. A variety of lures and colors have been catching fish, spinners, jigs, crankbaits, tubes and worms. Catfishing has been good. While no exceptionally large catfish have been reported, trotliners have been catching some good size flatheads and blues using perch and goldfish. Fishermen using rod and reel have been catching a lot of smaller catfish in the flats. Crawdads have been an exceptionally good bait, along with the usual nightcrawlers. The North Fork above Stoutsville has been very productive. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 6/19/03 Lake Level: 613.02 (dropping) Last Weeks Lake Level: 610.86 Normal Lake Level: 606 Water Condition: Muddy - Dingy Surface Water Temp: 78 degrees The crappie bite continues to be slow. The best bet is to go deep and work a summer pattern. Bluffs and large trees, or large clumps of trees are producing the better size fish, cedar trees in particular. Using minnows or jigs about 10 – 15 feet deep fishermen are catching a few and moving on. Crappie nibbles seem to enhance jigs. The Indian Creeks and main lake bluffs, coves and branches have provided the best fishing. A fair number of sub-legal size bass are still being caught, along with the occasional keeper. Spinner baits and crank baits worked about 4 – 7 feet deep off the banks in main lake coves and secondary points. Catfishing has been fair. Good size catfish can still be caught on trotlines using goldfish and perch. Nightcrawlers have been the best bait for pole and line fishermen. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 6/12/03 Lake Level: 610.86 Last Weeks Lake Level: 610.61 Normal Lake Level: 606 Water Condition: Muddy - Dingy Surface Water Temp: 69 degrees Crappie fishing continues to be slow. While the bite is slow, the crappie being caught are generally good sized. They continue to be scattered around, anywhere from 4 – 15 feet deep. One successful fisherman trolled weedless jigs along tree lines 12 feet deep to find crappie, he then worked the area using minnows until he went 15 minutes without a bite and then went back to trolling. The North Fork, main lake coves and Indian Creeks have been the best areas. Bass fishing has been fair to good. Most fish caught are just under legal size, but a lot of them are being caught. Some good size bass from 3 to 6 pounds have been reported as well. Most have been caught shallow just off the banks in coves and secondary points. Plastics (tubes and worms), spinners and crankbaits. Catfishing has been good, although not as good as reported last week. Some good size catfish have been brought in on trotlines using goldfish and perch. A 62 pound flathead was caught out of the Middle Fork. Pole and line fishermen are catching some channels using nightcrawlers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 6/05/03 Lake Level: 610.61 Last Weeks Lake Level: 610.57 Normal Lake Level: 606 Water Condition: Muddy - Dingy Surface Water Temp: 65 degrees Crappie fishing continues to be slow, however not as slow as the previous week. With work and patience limits of good size crappie can be caught. They continue to be scattered around, some are being caught near the banks, some at about 6 – 10 feet deep, while others are finding them as deep as 20 feet. The best reports have been to go deep and find good structure for the larger fish. Minnows and jig tipped minnows have been the best. Tightlining straight down through branches and against large trees or bridge piers has been the best strategy. The best areas have been the lower sections of the North and South Forks, Pigeon Roost, Shell and Indian Creeks. Bass fishing has improved considerably since last week. A lot of sub-legal bass have been caught, as well as some very nice size bass up to 7 pounds. The best fishing has been in 2 – 5 feet of water in main lake coves, North Fork, South Fork and Indian Creeks. Lizards, jigs or tubes in black/blue, white or brown colors have worked the best. Catfishing continues to be excellent. Trotline fishermen using goldfish or perch have brought in a lot of good sized flatheads and blues. A 65 pound blue was taken out of the Middle Fork using goldfish. Pole and line fishermen, using nightcrawlers and cut shad, continue to catch a lot of channel cats out of the upper areas of the North and South Fork. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 5/29/03 Lake Level: 610.57 Last Weeks Lake Level: 610.47 Normal Lake Level: 606 Water Condition: Muddy - Dingy Surface Water Temp: 70 degrees Crappie fishing is slow. Reports have them scattered around, most have been caught at 10 - 20 feet deep around good structure, such as large trees, numerous tree clumps or cedars. A few have been caught on the banks, apparently still trying to spawn. The middle lake branches, bluffs and cove entrances have been the best areas. Trolling minnows is a good strategy for locating the crappie. Look for cleaner water. The Corp of Engineers is continuing to hold the lake steady for the shad spawn. The Corp of Engineers and the Conservation Department are working together to ensure a successful spawn.Bass fishing continues to be slow, not many bass fishermen have been out. Catfishing continues to be excellent. A lot of catfish have been caught by trotliners as well as pole and line fishermen. Trot lines baited with perch, cut shad or goldfish, have brought in some very nice size blues and flatheads. Most channel cats have been caught by pole and line fishermen using nightcrawlers or cut shad. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 5/22/03 Lake Level: 610.47 Last Weeks Lake Level: 612.46 Normal Lake Level: 606 Water Condition: Muddy - Dingy Surface Water Temp: 66 degrees Crappie fishing has been slow. With the lake being unstable, a lot of the crappie moved to deeper water. Most good catches have been in the clearer water at 12 - 20 feet deep, in water anywhere from 20 - 40 feet deep. Tightlining a deeply placed minnow has been the best strategy. A lot of smaller crappie are now starting to show up. Practically all of the upper lake has been very muddy, however with no rain lately it won't take long for the upper lake to start clearing up. The best fishing has been in Indian and Little Indian Creeks, which are usually the last to mud up. Keep on the move, work an area and then move some more. The Corp of Engineers is holding the lake at the current level, at the request of the Missouri Conservation Department, in order to help the shad spawn that is underway and to help ensure the survival of the other spawning fish. Of course this is assuming no more rain. The Corp of Engineers should be commended for working with the Conservation Department to better the future of fishing on Twain.Bass fishing continues to be slow. A few nice size bass in the 4 - 7 pound range were caught during some of the tournaments last weekend. Unfortunately half of the teams were blanked, and those that brought in fish only had a few small keepers. The bass were caught mostly in shallow water near secondary points close to drop offs, using tubes, spinner baits or jigs. Recent tournament results can be viewed at http://www.midwestbasstournaments.com/mtwainTresults.htm Catfishing has been excellent, pole and line as well as trot lines have been catching catfish in good numbers and good size. Trot lines baited with perch or leaches, set near feeder creeks flowing into lake branches, have produced very nice size catfish anywhere from 20 - 50 pounds in weight. The South Fork and Middle Forks have been good. Nightcrawlers have been the pole and line fishermens best bet. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 5/08/03 Lake Level: 605.97 Last Weeks Lake Level: 603.66 Normal Lake Level: 606 Water Condition: Muddy to dingy. Surface Water Temp: 63 degrees Crappie fishing has been spotty. This week has seen one stormy weather front after another hit the area, sending the lake up and slowing the crappie down. The best fishing has been in the lower sections of South, Middle and North Forks, and the lower lake area (Sandy Creek, Pigeon Roost, both Indian Creeks and Lick Creek). The best crappie fishing has been about 5 - 10 feet off the banks, about 4 - 6 feet deep in about 10 - 15 feet of water. Target steep banks and structure, using minnows or jigs. Trolling is an ideal way to locate fish. Suggestion: Not many crappie under 10 inches are being caught, a self imposed length limit (about 10 inches) would help the future of crappie fishing in Twain. There have not been a lot of bass reports. Some fishermen reported catching a lot of small bass in the coves 2 - 6 feet deep, using spinners or crank baits. Catfishing has been very good, mostly using pole and line. Channel cats weighing 1 - 4 pounds are being caught in good numbers using nightcrawlers. Creeks and run offs flowing into the main branches make for good fishing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 5/01/03 Lake Level: 603.66 Last Weeks Lake Level: 601.18 Normal Lake Level: 606 Water Condition: Muddy to dingy. Surface Water Temp: 60 degrees Crappie fishing during this past week was hit and miss. If you found the crappie and figured out their pattern you were taking home a limit. If not, it was a day long struggle to fill you stringer. Weather fronts pushed the crappie back off the banks for a few days, they were being caught anywhere from 6-10 feet deep around structure. By Sunday a lot of fishermen were catching them on the banks again, while some were still being caught deep. One key seemed to be steep banks and structure. Minnows or jigs are productive, the best jig colors are black/chartreuse or white/chartreuse. Tipping jigs with minnows or crappie nibbles helped. Not very many fish under 10 inches are being caught, they are averaging 10 - 13 inches with some up to 15 inches in length. Keep moving till you find them, when you do find them make note of the type of structure, depth and bait, then thoroughly work the area and pattern. When the bite is slow, trolling is an ideal way to locate the deeper fish. Some good areas to fish are the lower areas of the South Fork, Sandy Creek, Pigeon Roost and Lick Creek. With the crappie in close to the banks, this is a good time for bank fishermen to put crappie on the table. Suggestion: This will probably be the best year ever for crappie at Mark Twain. However, not many crappie under 10 inches are being caught, a self imposed length limit (about 10 inches) would help the future of crappie fishing in Twain. Bass fishing has been fair. Most people are after crappie right now, so there are not a lot of bass reports. Using spinners and crank baits a few fish in the 4 - 6 pound range have been caught along with a lot of dinks. The best bet is to concentrate on shallow water less than 6 feet deep in secondary coves and points. The upper lake is muddy and warming up the fastest while the lower lake is clearer. The rains have kept the creeks flowing and the catfish biting. A lot of catfish have been caught using nightcrawlers on pole and line, haven't heard much from trot liners this week. Good eating size catfish around 2 - 4 pounds are still finding their way to the fryer. Campers in the State Park are still reporting catching catfish, as well as fishermen up the creeks where the water flow dumps into calmer water. The upper North Fork around the Hwy 24 bridge has been good and the upper South Fork near Brush Creek and Long Branch. There are a lot of hunter/fishermen parking lots scattered around the lake that give good access to some of these areas. Side note: Lots of mushrooms are being found. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 4/24/03 Lake Level: 601.18 Last Weeks Lake Level: 600.25 Normal Lake Level: 606 Water Condition: Muddy in the southern branches, dingy to clear in the rest. Surface Water Temp: 57 degrees The crappie were a little pickier last weekend. The bite slowed down and it required considerably more patience to find and catch them than the previous week. They were either located in the coves or along bluffs. In the coves they were on the bank or just off shore in 2 feet or less of water. Along the bluffs they were 5 – 8 feet deep around structure. With the slow bite, trolling just off the shore or along the bluffs was an ideal way to locate the deeper fish. Minnows or black/chartreuse tube jigs tipped with minnows or crappie nibbles worked the best. Nice size fish 10 – 13 inches are still being caught. The North Fork and Middle Fork provided the best fishing. Keep on the move till you find fish, if you don’t get a bite within 10 minutes move on. The CrappieUSA tournament was held last Saturday; the winning limit of 10 fish weighed 11.48 pounds. Follow this link to the tournament report. Bass fishing continues to be good. Several bass in the 3 – 5 pound range were caught, along with a lot of smaller bass. Shallow water, 2 - 6 feet deep in secondary coves and points provided the best action. Spinners or crank baits have been the most productive. Indian Creek and North Fork have been the best areas to fish. With the creeks flowing from the weekend rains the catfishing was excellent. Trot liners are starting to bring in some nice fish. A 36 pound flathead and a 42 pound flathead were caught using goldfish in the South Fork. Pole and line fishermen are still having success using nightcrawlers. Campers in the State Park are still reporting catching a lot of catfish in the 2 – 4 pound range. With the rain last night the creeks are flowing again and catfishing should continue to be excellent. Side note: Mushrooms are being found. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 4/17/03 Lake Level : 600.47 Last Weeks Lake Level: 600.23 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Slight rise, clear to dingy Surface Water Temp: 53 degrees The weekend crappie bite was excellent. A lot of limits of very nice size crappie were caught. There were varying reports on where the fish are at, but the most common report had them in the coves, on the banks and shallow, anywhere from 4 inches to 4 feet deep. A drop off, or steep bank, nearby seemed to be key. It’s close to being a spawn pattern, although they are not spawning yet. The spawn is a few weeks off yet. Minnows, tube jigs and grubs worked, with some of the best colors being pearl white, red/white or a chartreuse mix. People that we talked to fished the upper North Fork area around Stoutsville, Middle Fork, South Fork above the bridge and Pigeon Roost. Keep on the move till you find fish, if you don’t get a bite within 10 minutes, move on. One interesting note, some bass fishermen caught crappie on spinners. That gives an indication of how large and aggressive the crappie are getting, reports of 13 - 15 inch crappie are not unusual. Bass fishing was good. While no large bass were reported, good numbers of bass were caught using spinners, crank baits or lizards in shallow water, about 3 - 5 feet, in secondary coves and points. The South Fork, North Fork and secondary main lake coves provided good fishing. A lot of small bass were caught by crappie fishermen on minnows. Mark Twain has been producing some nice bass in recent years, and will only get better. Catfishing continues to be good. No word on trotlines yet, but pole and line fishermen are still catching nice size eating fish in the 2 – 5 pound range. Campers in the State Park caught catfish in the Ely Branch of the South Fork using nightcrawlers. Long Branch provided some good catfishing as well. With the creeks flowing from last nights rain, the catfishing should be very good. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 4/10/03 Lake Level : 600.23 Last Weeks Lake Level: 600.3 Normal Lake Level : 606 Water Condition: Steady and clearing Surface Water Temp: 52 degrees We’ve had some pretty lousy weather since last week, especially during the weekend. For most fishermen, it’s been slow fishing for crappie. The fishermen that did best went way back in the coves and had to go deeper, about 10 – 13 feet. Sandy Creek, Lick Creek, and Indian Creeks did the best. Minnows and minnow tipped jigs worked the best. With a good weather report, fishing prospects should be good for the weekend. Keep on the move till you find fish, if you don’t get a bite within about 10 minutes, move on. Check out the latest photos. Bass – again not many bass fishermen are out. A few small bass were caught on spinners way back in Indian Creek. Catfish – the story of the weekend were catfish. Several Channel and Blue cats in the 2 – 5 pound range were caught in the South Fork, using nightcrawlers on pole and line. They were caught in water 8 feet or less near dropoffs, that tend to warm up faster than the deeper water. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 4/03/03 Lake Level : 600.3
|
