Catching Fish When They Ain't Biting.

[NoCat2Big]

Seems like fishing has been slow the past week or so on Truman and really slow on the Osage past Truman dam. I'm going to head out to the lake again today for a few hours while the wife is working to see if I can find the fish. Dad is coming up this weekend and I want to put him on some big ones.

Spoonfish, I'll give you a call before I go today to see if you're game.

If anyone knows where them hawgs are wallowin' ya better let me know.

[spoonfish]

Sorry Chris that I missed your call today. Plan on fishing with another member (Primitivefrn) this saturday. Hope we get some good ones and I hope you and your dad find them as well.
Good Luck!!!

[safetybass]

Chris, I can tell you where to catch numbers, but only small weights. We caught 25 Sat, Sun morn. Never caught a fish over about 3 pounds. I think I will be back down this weekend also. One of my friends supposed to be back, wants to go. Wolfman may even talk about coming up. If you guys are going out of Osage Bluff, give me an idea where you will be and a boat description again, and I'll come looking, at least to say howdy and shake hands.

[fishingbuddy4]

I would come down guys but have to go look at a new boat this weekend and crunch some numbers

[Mr.T]

Chris, I can tell you where to catch numbers, but only small weights.

Well then, spill the beans, will ya!!

A bunch of small fish is just as much fun as 1 monster in my book... ;)

Dad and I will be out drifting on the Grand River arm on Sunday - probably somewhere between Long Shoal and Bucksaw, or possibly up on the Tebo arm.

I finally got him hooked on drift fishing, so we're going to try some new places other than the G14 area.

[safetybass]

I'll PM ya T. Awe, the heck with it. We caught all those little ones around the mouth of the cove just south of the G-10 point. Don't waste your time with liver or prepared baits; all they want is shad. Whole little ones, cut up big ones, didn't seem to matter as long as they were real shad. If you drift around there, use floats to keep your baits (and weights) off the bottom. Really brushy,snaggy around the cove mouth. I'm talking about the biggest cove there that doesn't have the channel right across the front of the mouth.

[spoonfish]

Going to be on the upper Osage saturday, but if any of you guys are planing on sunday I'm game. Let me know.

[Mr.T]

Thanks for the info SB - looked at the topo map, and that looks like a good spot. We typically drift with a "bottom bouncer" wire rig and we're well versed in getting snagged!

We did pretty well last weekend at the first cove to the south of G14 - the wind was blowing us right up the middle of the cove - caught most of them in about 15 to 25 ft of water; once we got up to 10 ft or so, there weren't any bites.

[safetybass]

T - If you look at a topo, isn't it amazing the similarity between your cove and G-14 and my cove and G-10? Most of our catch came about 10-15 feet down in about 25-35 feet of water around the trees. I'm using big bobbers next time. I lost a couple of rigs in that brush.

[spoonfish]

How did you do this last wk. end Chris?
We tryed saturday way up the upper Osage with no luck. Sure has been nice weather though.
I am planning on going tomorrow (wed.), if your around let me know.

[NoCat2Big]

Hey Spoon,
We didn't make it out. They were busy looking at houses and I was mostly at home being sick. These allergies are kicking my arse... Allergies or the Flu, not sure which. But I am starting to feel better now.

I would like to go this evening if you still wanna go, I have a couple of service calls to do first. I'll give you a call..

If nothing else we can go Thursday.

[spoonfish]

Sounds good Chris,
We too had a bout with the allergy-sinus stuff for a few days, I guess it's going around. Let's plan to get out there tomorrow, give me a ring. I have the boat charged up and ready to go.

[spoonfish]

If you want to go this afternoon let me know, I think they may be calling for rain thur?

[NoCat2Big]

Sounds good.. If you'd ever answer your phone! LOL

[NoCat2Big]

Finally got Spoon on the phone, heading out now.

I think I found a honey hole the other day when I was drifting... They were stacked up in there... Least that's what the graph said.

Heading your way now Spoon.

[Mr.T]

I'm jealous... Stuck at work all week, no chance to get on the lake.

But it's raining like mad here in KC so you better hurry...

[spoonfish]

Don't be too jelous T. About the time we got out and netted some shad and set up the weather turned from 85 to blowin and raining. But you know what they say about a bad day fishin and the workin thing LOL.

[Mr.T]

Thought you guys might be cutting it a little bit close - the front came roaring through here about noon or so.

But the real question I have is, where in the heck is there a 90 ft deep hole in Truman lake (I saw Chris post about it on another thread...) -- deepest I've seen in my not-very-scientific driving around at random is around 65 ft, and that's at the bottom of the old river channel right next to KK Island...

So far, I've shied away from fishing really deep - for some reason, I have the impression that nothing is down there for lack of oxygen. But I'll bet I'm wrong...

[spoonfish]

I think ol chris had been hitting the suds a little and seeing double there T ;)
I know where your talking about off kk where it is 65 or a little deeper. We have done well there drifting from the deep up to the flats, but have mostly started around 35 ft. or so. Come around Nov. or when we get to around 50 water temp. the hole may be the place to look for those blues stacked up. We went to LOZ yesterday and were marking all kinds of big fish at 40 feet but only had one bite before the weather turned and we had to come in.

[RIVER-RAT]

Hey guys, don't mean to change the subject...I'm not a MO native and I've heard Truman Lake is one of the premeir catfishing lakes in the region. If this is true I would love to come on over to "wrestle" with some! I live in the Washington area, how far away is Truman? When is the best time of year to get the big kittens? I enjoy reading alot of your posts, sounds like you all know what your doing, unlike myself it seems.

Appreciate any input and thoughts.

[spoonfish]

Hey River-Rat, Looks to be about a 3 hour drive. I'm located in Warsaw, it's right at the truman dam and below the dam is the start of the lake of the ozarks. (the osage arm) So we have plenty of area here to fish between the two lakes. It's been like about every where here this year with hit and miss fishing. I look for the big blues to start in before to much longer, the weather is suposse to turn of cooler the next week or so. The water temp. is running in the upper 60's now. November and December have allways been some very good times for trophy fish here. If you want to plan a trip give me a holler, I'd be more than happy to go.

[RIVER-RAT]

Spoonfish I appreciate that. I would love to get into some nice trophy fish. I normally take a couple weeks off around christmas and what a nice gift...a trophy cat!!!! I would try to get over next month but I'm pretty much booked.

If I can get over there sometime in early december I'll let you know. I have a 20foot SeaArk and would have plenty of room for another B.O.C member or anyone that doesn't mind a little chilly weather!!

[spoonfish]

Sound great rat, pm me when you know what days you can make it. Im sure we can find some local members that would like to go along as well, we have a bunch of members here.

[crazy]

Hey spoonfish is the fall bite like it is in march/april below truman? This past spring my buddys and I tore them up. Nothing to huge biggest was in the low 30's. I do plan on giving it a shot when the water was in the low 50's high 40's.

[GaryF]

I was down below Truman for a couple of hours on Sat night. Things sure were slow, except for a guy catching crappie left and right. But there's something magical about fishing there in November, with all the fish jumping at night. I haven't caught any big catfish there, but I've hooked into a couple. It's my favorite time to fish below Truman.

[safetybass]

Rat, Truman is about 3 hours west and south from you. More west than south, but still about 3 hours. Regarding best time to catch kittens, somebody else with more experience needs to answer that one. I keep hearing about good winter cattin, but I haven't seen it personally. And I'm still catching my best cats while fishing for other critters.

[spoonfish]

Hey if any of you guys are going to be at the dam or on Truman or Lake of the Ozarks let me know. Im 4 miles from the dam and fish most days on one of the two lakes.

[fishingbuddy4]

hey spoonfish going to try to make it back down one of these day have alot of work to do around here before winter hits,still have to make it up to brandons to fish one of these days too

[spoonfish]

Sounds good Robert, let me know.
Did you go look at that new boat?

[NoCat2Big]

Well Spoon and T,
I was sipping at something to keep me warm that day... Sure thought it said
90ft tho.. Oh well. It's a deep hole and there were a lot of fish in there.

Wed was a crappy day. Only one bite over a deep hole. There were plenty of
decent fish being marked on the graph but they weren't hungry.

It's turning colder here now. About 50 degrees as I speak, and suppose to cool off more this weekend. If I can get over these danged allergies/cold or whatever it is I'm gonna get back out and make them bite.

Spoon, wanna try to make it out again this weekend?