Bull Shoals Lake Fishing Report — Bass, Walleye & Crappie | Sept. 2

Temp at 85 degrees, give or take. Lake level 657.

The bite hasn’t changed much. Bite has been fair.

Power fishing can be slow. Better have wind/clouds/rain/stain. There are definitely some fish up shallow with oxygen levels low. Look for shallow brush. Flip a beaver, jig, or worm in the backs of the right creeks with any kind of flow. If it’s the right conditions, you will most likely notice baitfish.

The Toad Buzz or Plopper on shallow, wind-blown bushes on flats — cover water.

Better get up early and beat the nasty heat. Topwater bite has slowed but is not done, especially if they decide to generate water. Finding surface activity, cover water with a big Spook.

Those fish have been moving in schools, and they are fast. The Jewel Shad Spoon is working. Or you can take your favorite minnow to look at ’em. I’m using a 1/8 oz up high or deep with a 3/8 oz Tater.

If the conditions are post-frontal, flat water, high pressure, bluebirds, it will get really tough. Lots of guys are going at night to beat the heat.

I will slow down, downsize, and get off the bank. Look at deep ledges and brush piles. Bomb casts with lighter fluorocarbon line. You can try a drop shot with a Robo in suspended schools.

The Jewel 1/2 oz Jewel football jig in GP Orange, PBJ, or Bass Whacker, setting off of deep points.

Traditional bass fishermen are dragging the long points and ledges with big red worms or craw baits in brush piles and timber tops on bluffs and bluff ends.

There is a thermocline down around 32 ft. Lots of fish are holding around this depth.

It’s that time of year to keep moving, hitting as many spots as possible.

Remember: “Fish the Conditions!”

Del Colvin Fishing. Delcolvinfishing.

Walleye

No significant changes in walleye fishing patterns this week, with the exception that fish have moved a little bit deeper on the lower end of the lake, and some good fish are being caught suspended 5 ft off bottom in 35 ft of water.

Summer patterns are still in play. Fishing has been fair to good this past week.

They have been running a little water through the dam in the afternoons, and this has helped the bite pick up a bit more when they do.

Fish are holding on flatter points with deep water on one side. Look for fish on the tips of long points, as well as the sides that are close to the sharper drop-off.

Walleyes located next to brush piles still seem to be located on the offshore side of the brush piles, where deep water is closer.

Main-lake and secondary points have been producing fish during the day. Fishing slow this week has still been the key to picking up better-size fish.

Fish shallower early mornings and on cloudy days in 32 to 34 ft of water, and deeper in 35 to 40 ft of water if there is little or no wind or cloud cover.

Casting jigging spoons in the white or chrome-and-blue colors, and jigging Rapalas in blue-and-chrome or Helsinki Shad color, 1/2 to 3/4 oz size, into 30 ft of water and working it back out into 40 ft has been working.

Drop-shotting live crawlers around the offshore side of brush piles in 32 to 37 ft is working.

Bottom bouncing orange, chartreuse, or gold #3 Colorado deep-cup blades, or brass or gold willow-leaf bladed spinner rigs and crawlers around the sides and tips of points close to channel swings, is producing a lot of short fish as well as some good 18- to 23-inch walleyes.

If trolling, try shad-style and small banana-style baits like #7 Flicker Shads or #9 Flicker Minnows in natural colors. Trolled in 35 ft to 40 ft of water at speeds of 1.8 to 2.2 seems to be working best.

Southernwalleye@yahoo.com

Crappie

Crappie report continues from last week as Crappie 101 is off. If anyone wants to share their secret crappie patterns, feel free to drop it in the comments.

Crappie 101: Not much has changed. Crappie mainly on brush from 20–30 ft in the creeks. Minnows have been best lately.

Courtesy of Del Colvin Fishing