Lake Level 914.7
Normal Pool 915.0
Water Temp 85-88 degrees

What a great week fishing on the Rock it’s been! Water temperatures still remain hot and the deep bite is still going best for daytime fishermen. maybe in the next couple weeks with some cooler nights and shorter days things will change. Around the Dam, Kimberling City to Baxter Area a few early morning fish can be caught on gravel/chunk rock banks on a tube or small finesse jig. Pretty much a leftover night bite look for the “shallow fish” in 8′-15′ of water but coming to an end quickly once the sun starts burning down on the water. Afterwards start looking for Kentuckies on bottom 30′-40′ deep on the main lake flat gravel points. Try bouncing a white 3/4 ounce spoon off the bottom. Certain areas have been loaded with white bass use the spoon to search for them and help bring them off the bottom.  While the flats have been good also search out over a lot deeper water for suspended fish. The bass will be suspended 25′-40′ out over timber, drop offs or just out in the open on sunny days. Good electronics will find them easy and try using the same white spoon over the fish or 4″ Chompers drop shot worm in brown/purple laminate or watermelon candy. Further up in the James River from the Schoolhouse to Flat Creek area there’s been a decent football jig bite. 1/2 and 3/4 ounce jigs in peanut butter and jelly and Carolina rigged 6” lizards are working 15-25′ deep.

Down on Taneycomo the trout are biting great. Water seems every morning to be running slower try fishing around downtown Branson with sculpin jigs and pink trout magnets. Further up Fall Creek to the Dam midges are working the best in the morning. Later in the afternoon when the water is running strong just try drifting an inflated nightcrawler on a drift rig from Fall Creek to Cooper Creek to catch numbers of nice rainbows and a few brown’s mixed in.

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