08/21/2007

Water Temperature North End – 88 Steady
Middle South Main Channel – 88 Steady
Water Level = 12 Inches Below Normal pool and Dropping
Water Clarity = Clear
Last Rain = 08/3/07

Oh LOE, oh LOE, where dost are ye fish and how many ways may I catch thee! Let me count the ways….

First of all start out in the early morning by camping out on your favorite main channel point or island and chase down the shad rises with a white Fluke, white Storm Curly Tail Minnow or white crappie size spinner bait. One is not better than the other. All catch bass equally as well. Just keep it at the surface and cast directly into the shad rises. Over the weekend Jim and I did this and caught over 50 bass total ! The biggest was 17 inches and we did get our line broken one time each! Use this same strategy in the early morning and from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM.

Secondly, for the last 2 hours or so in the evening get out of the main channel and go to your favorite area in the back of the long bays where the water is 5 to 8 feet deep and cast a white bass size spinner bait into the center of the bay. Using a moderate retrieve, keep the spinner bait 1 to 2 feet under the surface and get ready for your arm to be broken. Tim and I did this last week and oh boy was it fun! Tim then took out some youngsters this past weekend that had never been fishing and in one night they boated 12 bass and the biggest was 21 inches followed by a 19 and 18 incher!

Thirdly, if surface action isn’t your cup of tea then tie on a purple worm rigged Texas and bottom bounce your favorite point. Jim caught a 15 incher that way over the weekend.

Fourthly, if casting is like eating a haggis to you then troll the main channel all day long! Use a deep diving white or chrome crank bait that will get down 8 to 10 feet. Troll as slow as you can go and don’t exceed 5 MPH. Jim caught some small ones this way but I’m sure the bigger ones will chase a crank bait down and smack it as well. Be especially ready as you cross over points and flats!

Fifthly, if bass isn’t your cracker go fishing for crappie under the nightlight bite! All the action is in channel main or bays that have structure next to shelves in 20 feet of water or more. Fish minnows into the structure. My customers are reporting 30 crappie nights with most of the catching occurring between 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM. The size has been phenomenal with fish in the 15 to 16 inch class !

Sixthly, cheap hot dogs and jugs or simply cast and let the dog set on the bottom. It all equals channel catfish and mmm, mmm, mm a fish fry!

If all of this sounds like a Shakespearean play… well all I have to say is cast the fish as the ones committing suicide for the love of being caught.

Special thanks to Tim and Jim for guiding the guide

Fish On! !

Mike O.
UBetcha Outdoors

08/16/2007

Water Temperature North End – 89 Rising
Middle South Main Channel – 89 Rising
Water Level = 12 Inches Below Normal pool
Water Clarity = Clear
Last Rain = 08/3/07

Bass & crappie fishing is good on LOE!

Whether you fish the shad rises, rubber worm the points, spinner bait the flats or troll crank baits in the main channel you will catch bass. With the warming water the shad are all over the lake! And almost anyway you fish you will find hungry fish. I fished with my buddy Tim this past Tuesday evening. We were mostly fishing white spinner baits and fishing the back waters. We landed 6 bass from six in the evening until dark. Tim out fished me catching 4 and had the biggest at 16 1/8th inch long. The night before Tim was out there by himself. He reported landing 5 bass all between 3 and 4 pounds!

Crappie are biting on minnows fished under the nightlights. Various fishermen are reporting catching 30 crappie an evening. Most fishermen are fishing the mid-channel of the primary bays in 20 feet of water over structure.

So the weather is hot and so are the fish. Beat the heat by fishing the early mornings, early evenings and clear into the night. During the mid-day, grab a cold refreshment, take a nap and just relax.

Fish On!
Mike O.
UBetcha Outdoors

08/07/2007

Water Temperature North End – 84 Rising
Middle South Main Channel – 84 Rising
Water Level = 10 Inches Below Normal pool and Dropping
Water Clarity = Clear
Last Rain = 08/3/07

This past weekend bass fishing was good to poor. The shad rises on Saturday morning produced 7 fish and I bet I lost as many as 12 with one fish breaking my line. Jim and his B-In-Law Dave were out there as well. They did every bit as good as me and the champion was probably Dave.

Dave did have his rough moments though like, first thing in the morning, landing a fish right on top of his coffee cup. He then proceeds to cuss out the fish ruining the peace and calm of the early morning serenity. Now whats that all about?

Later in the morning he is cussing again because a fish broke off his favorite swedish pimple. Now Dave, if your reading this, I don’t even let pink tube jigs in my boat much less someones pimple even if it was imported! I believe the fish did him a favor and kept him from acquiring some foreign decease! He should be thankful.

None the less Dave did catch a lot of bass and I don’t believe he ever used a Fluke. Dave was using shallow diving crank baits, casting spoons and when the fish didn’t rise, he bottom bounced worms on points. Everything he used caught fish!

Jim and Dave trolled deep diving cranks during the late morning and caught bass. Dave managed to hog tie an 11 inch bass by hooking it in the mouth and tail. Now that’s just not right! It was ugly!

On Sunday my son Adam and I were out briefly and landed on bass on the rises.

So, in retrospect Dave had a great weekend, even if he was fishing ugly! For Jim, Adam and I, fishing as sportsman, fishing was good to poor.

Go to the UBO front page. Dave is in the boat and on the left side. He is either holding up a small fish, waving hello or giving me the …

Fish On!
Mike O.
UBetcha Outdoors