KimberlingCity Area: Cooler nights and shorter days have lowered water temperatures throughout the lake, shad have started schooling in the mouths of larger creeks to begin their fall migration toward the back of these creeks. In turn fish are beginning to move out of deeper water into the shallows in search of schooling shad. Despite this fish are still pretty scattered on points, fishing has been good but you don’t seem to find large schools anywhere. Jewel football and spider jigs continue to be the best option to find and catch fish, heavier weights are more productive as you can move them faster along the bottom and cover more water. PB&J or brown purple flash with green pumpkin J tail trailers worked best from fifteen to twenty five feet deep.
James River: The cooler water temperatures have been move fish very shallow in the James River, early late a buzz bait bite has developed in the back of flat pockets and creeks where shad are present. Look for shallow wood cover five feet deep or less and make multiple passes over the cover to draw strikes. As the sun rises these fish will move tighter to the cover and can be caught on shallow crankbaits, tubes and Jewel Eakins jigs worked close to and in the shallow cover.
White River: The White River continues to be the most diverse area on the lake: Jewel football jigs worked along the bottom on gravel main lake and secondary points will produce numbers and quality. Off the sides of points and drops on flats will produce fish on a drop shot rigged Chomper or ROBO worm. Around the Campbell Point and Shell Knob area fish have been coming on War Eagle spoons around larger docks on both the main lake and in the creek arms. And up the Kings River there is a great shallow bite in bluff pockets and the backs of coves around shallow cover.
Dam Area: The deep bite is still the most productive option on the lower end, fish are beginning to move shallow in the dam area but the move is slower than the rest of the lake. Chompers and ROBO drop shot worms work on drop shot rigs from twenty five to forty feet deep on flats and in deep trees have been very effective. Work areas with small changes in bottom composition or depth and pay close attention to your electronics to find and catch the fish. Up Long Creek the bite is similar to the other rivers; fish have moved shallow and are holding close to wood cover throughout the day.
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Predictable generation over the past week has kept the fishing solid. Jigs remain the most productive baits with sculpin, ginger or olive being the best colors, fish micro jigs below a float and allow them to drift through deeper areas and cast heavier jigs working them erratically along the bottom in these same areas. Drifting live night crawlers or Gulp eggs continues to be the most reliable way to put fish in the boat with or without generation.
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