Branson Fishing Guide

Kimberling City Area: The water temperature continues to be much higher than normal for this time of year. With that in mind most of the standard winter patterns have not really come into play. The most consistent pattern continues to be the deep bite; War Eagle Spoons, Chompers’ Drop Shot Worms, Single Tailed Grubs and Tubes have all been catching fish. Most of the fish continue to hold in deep trees on bluff ends and deep points and have to be “worked” in order to draw strikes, remember that the fish in these trees are focused on shad so use appropriate shad colors. Still a few Smallmouth on the bigger docks and the bite will improve as the water temperature drops.

James River: The water in the James continues to be much warmer than usual as well; several good fish are being caught around isolated standing timber on steep banks in bigger creek arms and on the river above Cape Fair. Most of these fish are coming on Smithwick Rogues and Lucky Craft Pointers fished in and around these trees. Make casts beyond the tree and work the bait back to it to the tree, allow the bait to sit next to the tree from 5 to 15 seconds before moving it again. Another way to catch these fish is to pitch a PB&J Eakins jig with a green pumpkin Eakins craw to the base of the tree. Try to make the jig fall through the limbs and pay close attention to the bait as it falls through the tree, many times the fish are suspended in the limbs and will strike the bait as it falls.

White River: The deep bite is still the strongest option on the White River; War Eagle Spoons, Chompers’ Drop Shot Worms, Single Tailed Grubs and Tubes are all effective presentations. Just like the rest of the lake the higher water temperatures have kept the fish from moving into classic winter patterns with most being caught around deep tree tops from 35’ – 55’ deep in as much as 120’ of water. You will need to “work” these fish to get them to bite, take a look at your graph when you hook a fish and see if any others follow the one you’ve hooked, if not, the chances of catching more fish out of that tree are slim. The Kings River is fishing in more of a fall pattern than a winter pattern; reports of fish being caught on Strom Wiggle Warts, War Eagle Spinnerbaits and Lucky Craft R.C. 2.5’s on windy rocky banks are common right now.

Dam / Branson Area: The dam area is still dominated by the deep bite; War Eagle Spoons and Single Tailed Grubs have been the best two baits in the dam area. Much like the rest of the lake most of the fish are still holding in the tree tops and will need to “work” them to get bit. Long Creek above the Arkansas line has been strong this past week, the rain has added some more color to the water and the warmer temperatures have the fish up near the bank. The best bait has been a Missouri Craw Eakins’ jig with a green pumpkin Paca chunk trailer. Pitch the jig to the bank on channel swings and bluff banks in the creeks and on the main lake, pay close attention to any wood cover that you find along the banks.

Best fly patterns for the week: Big Rainbows are showing up with regularity as the Browns have moved back into the depths to recover. Best flies continue to be; g-bugs, scuds, bit scuds, sow bugs and egg patterns in brown, tan, gray, olive and purple in the scuds and bugs while coral and orange have been the best egg colors. The trophy section of the late has been pretty quiet this past week and is prime time to catch a 20”+ Rainbow.

Best spinning tackle: The best techniques continue to be using a drift rig with live crawlers, wax worms or power bait, remember to mix up your colors on the power bait to draw more strikes. Small jigs have also been productive this past week with white and chartreuse being the best colors. Whenever the Corps is running water you can catch several fish on Mepps, Roostertails and Panther Martin in line spinners or Bouyant and Little Cleo Spoons.

Dam area to Lead Hill: The Deep Bite is still strong on the lower end of the lake; War Eagle Spoons, Chompers’ Drop Shot Worms and Single Tailed Grubs have all been effective presentations in and around schools of bait on bluff ends and roll offs. Several Smallmouth have been caught this past week on pea gravel points and roll offs by dragging Jewel Spider Jigs and Chomper Ultra Tubes in PB&J or Green Pumpkin from 20’ – 35’ deep. Pay close attention to any rock piles you run the bait into; they are holding most of the fish. The backs of the creeks are still producing Largemouth on Storm Wiggle Warts and Eakins’ Jigs, if it is windy parallel steeper banks 6’ – 10’ deep with a brown craw Wiggle Wart, if it is calm pitch a PB&J Eakins’ jig to every piece of cover you find on these steep banks.

Lead Hill to Power site: Above Lead Hill the fish have been a little more active than in the lower end of the lake. Run toward the back of the bigger creeks and throw a Lucky Craft Pointer or Smithwick Rogue around any standing timber on channel swing banks and steep rocky banks. Cast beyond the cover and work the bait back to the tree and allow it to suspend for 5 – 15 seconds before moving it again. Another effective pattern has been an Eakins’ jig and craw combo fish on steep rocky banks. Choose either PB&J or Missouri Craw depending on water color and pitch the jig to the bank and work it back to the boat alternating hopping and crawling the jig to determine which presentation the fish prefer.

Kimberling City Area: The rising water temperature seems to have effected the shad migration and in turn the deep bite in the mid lake area. Most of the shad seem to have moved out of the creek arms and back out to main lake points and bluff ends similar to a late fall pattern rather than a winter one. The fish are also much less aggressive than they were a week ago. War Eagle Spoons, Chompers Drop Shot worms and single tail grubs continue to produce but you will need to really work the fish to get them to bite. The dock bite has also slowed a bit; Eakins’ Jigs in PB&J with a green pumpkin Eakins’ craw is still the best bait but you really need to slow down and make multiple pitches to each stall to draw strikes.

James River: The James really hasn’t been as affected as the rest of the lake; still a bunch of fish being caught on both Smithwick Rouges and Lucky Craft Pointers in and around isolated cedar trees on steep mixed rock and ledge banks. The fish are not as far back in the creeks and coves as they were a week ago but if we get the rain that is forecast the shad and fish will move toward the backs of the creeks again. As always an Eakins’ jig in brown with a green pumpkin Paca chunk will work on channel swing banks in major creek arms and on the main lake.

White River: The Kings River is still producing fish on Storm Wiggle Warts, Smithwick Rogues and Lucky Craft Pointers. Wiggle Warts are working on steep mixed rock and ledge banks in six to ten feet of water; position your boat eight feet deep and run the bait parallel to the bank bumping the bottom throughout the retrieve. Much like up the James River the jerkbait bite is most productive around isolated cedar trees. The deep bite in the White River has slowed up just like in the mid-lake; War Eagle Spoons, Chompers Drop Shot Worms and single tail grubs continue to produce but you really need to work the fish. Also the fish are a lot deeper in the White River arm; start looking 45 feet deep but don’t be surprised if you have to go as deep as 80’.

Dam / Branson Area: The deep bite around the dam has slowed much like the rest of the lake; look for the fish to be closer to mouths of creeks as well as on the main lake, you really need to find the shad to find the fish. War Eagle Spoons, Chompers’ Drop Shot Worms and single tail grubs are all effective once the fish are located. A few more Smallmouth starting to show up on pea gravel / rock transition banks; Jewel spider and football jigs will work for these fish but you really need to slow down and work each area thoroughly. PB&J, watermelon / purple flash and brown / purple flash have all been very effective colors match each one up with a Chomper jig trailer. Up Long Creek several Largemouth have been caught on Storm Wiggle Warts; steeper chunk rock and mixed rock and ledge banks seem to be holding the fish six to ten feet deep.

Best fly patterns for the week: More and more Rainbows are showing up below the dam as it appears the Browns are about done. Best flies continue to be scuds, soft shell scuds, g-bugs, sow bugs and egg patterns. Natural colors are still best with shades of brown, tan and khaki being most productive and olive or grey close behind. Coral and pink have been the top egg colors. The number of anglers has dropped of over the past week so it is a great time to fish.

Best spinning tackle: Still few changes over the past week; drift rigs continue to produce best day in and day out. Live crawlers, power eggs in pink or orange and power nuggets all seem to work equally as well. Remember to mix up your colors on the power eggs and nuggets it will draw more strikes. Like always if you can be on the water when the generators are running the bite is much better; Roostertails, Little Cleos and Buoyant Spoons are all effective when the current flows.

Dam area to Lead Hill: The lower end of Bull Shoals still has a strong deep bite going on; look for gulls and loons to clue in to the location of the bait then fish War Eagle Spoons, Chompers Drop Shot Worms, Single Tail Grubs and Mann’s Sting Ray Grubs in and around the schools of shad. Most of the fish are holding on drops and roll offs in the major creek arms and have been going on feeding binges through out the day. Toward the back of these same creeks Smallmouth have been holding on ledge bock and chunk rock banks and points and will hit Eakins’ jigs in PB&J with a Paca chunk trailer. Work the bait out from the bank to about 25’ deep to be effective. A few Largemouth have shown up on these same banks and will bite the jig or a Storm Wiggle Wart if there is any wind.

Lead Hill to Power site: The best two patterns above Lead Hill have been either a Storm Wiggle Wart , a Smithwick Rogue or Lucky Craft Pointer. For the Wiggle Wart position your boat in about ten feet of water and parallel steep chunk rock and ledge rock banks from five top ten feet deep. The best colors this past week have been brown craw and watermelon. If there is little wind look for isolated cedar trees and other cover 10’ – 25’ deep and make casts past the tree with either Rouge or Pointer. Work the bait back to the tree and allow it to suspend next to the tree for 10 – 30 seconds before moving it again. Make sure to hit the tree from multiple angles, many times you will need to put the bait directly in front of the fish to draw a strike.

Kimberling City Area: The water temperature has stabilized and actually will likely rise a little with the warmer air temperatures forecast for this week. Most of the fish are being caught on two distinct patterns in the mid lake area; deep fish are being taken on white War Eagle spoons, plum or sand color Chomper drop shot worms and single tail milky salt and pepper grubs. These fish are still holding tight to deep trees from 40’ - 85’ deep on both main lake and secondary points, most of the time you need to work a fish out of the tree to see how many are there. The other pattern is the classic Table Rock winter dock pattern; pitch Eakins’ jigs in PB&J or brown / purple flash with a green pumpkin Eakins’ craw into the stalls of big community or commercial docks from 5’ – 40’ deep. As you work out into the deeper water allow the jig to “swing” back to you on a semi slack line and watch the line for any movement.

James River: The water temperature up the James is the coldest on the lake right now, run off and snow melt has lowered it to the mid 40’s in most places. Due to the lower temperature and rising water an interesting pattern has developed; Smithwick and Lucky Craft jerkbaits are catching suspended fish in cedar trees on both the main lake and in the major creek arms. Look for isolated trees on steep banks to be holding most of the fish, the overall depth can be anywhere from 10’ – 40’ but the fish are suspended around 6’ deep. Cast beyond the tree and work the bait back to it, allow the bait to suspended next to the tree for 10 – 30 seconds before moving it again, be sure to make cast to all sides and angles of each tree.

White River: The Kings and White rivers are both producing some good fish. Up the kings the Storm Wiggle Wart bite continues to produce; position you boat in about eight feet of water and make cast parallel to the bank paying close attention to any wood or rock cover you see or run the bait into. These same banks and points will produce with an Eakins’ jig in Missouri Craw matched with a green pumpkin Paca Chunk; back out and make pitches to the cover and work the jig through it. On the White river the same patterns that are effective in the mid lake area have been working; War Eagle Spoons, Chompers’ Drop Shot Worms and Single Tail grubs are all very effective from 40’ – 85’ deep, pitching an Eakins jigs around big docks has been working and even a few fish being taken on Smithwick and Lucky Craft jerkbaits in cedar trees.

Dam / Branson Area: This area continues to produce nice catches of fish on two patterns; the Deep bite with War Eagle Spoons, Chompers Drop Shot worms and Single Tail grubs are all producing fish in tree tops from 40’ – 85’ deep, look for the fish to be suspended in the trees and you will need to work the fish to get them to bite. Several Smallmouth are starting to show up again on both boat docks and “open banks” using Jewel 5/16 oz. and 7/16oz. spider jigs in PB&J or watermelon / purple flash. Around the boat docks pitch to the center walkway and work the bait back to the boat from 10’ – 40’ deep and on the “open banks” (mixed pea gravel and ledge rock have been best) drag the jig from 10’ to 35’ paying close attention to areas where the ledge rock is prevalent. Long Creek has some awesome color right now and the area above Cricket creek has been producing fish on either an Eakins’ jig in brown or black with a Chompers’ jig trailer around laydowns and stumps or Storm Wiggle Warts on steeper windy banks.

Best fly patterns for the week: Big rainbows have starting showing up with regularity in the past week as well as a ton of 10”-12” fish from the Hatchery so it’s been really fun. Best flies have been scuds, G-Bugs, sow bugs, and soft shell scuds in natural grays, tans, olives, tans and black as well as purples, blues and wine colors. Sizes #16 -#20 have been the most productive. A few anglers have had success on egg patterns this past week coral and orange seem to be the most productive.

Best spinning tackle: Not allot of changes over the past week; most fish are still being taken on drift rigs with either live crawlers or mixed colors of Berkley power nuggets or power eggs. Still a few being taken on small Rapalas around wood in the deeper pools and several on white or white / chartreuse 1/16 oz jigs in these same areas as well as Little Cleos, Roostertails and Bouyant Spoons. Whenever the water is running the action picks up so call the Corps of Engineers to see when they are planning on running water before you head to the lake.

Dam area to Lead Hill: Two distinct patterns have developed on the lower end of Bull Shoals; a deep bite is starting to shape up nicely with several schools of big Spotted Bass following schools of shad into major creek arms and Smallmouth are moving up shallow on pea gravel points and flats. For the deep fish look for the schools of bait to be suspended from 30’ – 60’ deep in the “guts of creeks”, drop white War Eagle Spoons, plum or sand Chompers Drop Shot Worms and milky salt and pepper Single Tailed Grubs below the schools of bait to draw strikes for the waiting fish. If you are after Smallmouth position your boat in about 35’ of water on pea gravel points and flats and make long cast toward the bank with either 5/16 oz or 7/16 oz Jewel Spider Jigs in PB&J with a green pumpkin Chomper Jig Trailer or a PB&J Chomper Ultra tube, then drag either bait on the bottom paying close attention to anything that you run the bait into.

Lead Hill to Power site: There seem to be a lot of fish toward the backs of creeks in the upper end of Bull Shoals. Most of the fish have been coming on either Storm Wiggle Warts or Smithwick and Lucky Craft jerkbaits fished close to cedar trees and other submerged cover. Look for schools of bait to alert you to where most of the fish are located. If it is a “blue bird” day switch to a PB&J Eakins’ jig and green pumpkin Eakins’ craw combo and fish channel swing banks from mid way into the creek all the way back to the “last rock bank” in the creek. Slow down and pay close attention to any wood or rock cover you find and make multiple pitches from different angles at each piece of cover.

Kimberling City Area: The water temperature has dropped about five or six degrees in the past week, while there has been some shad movement into the creek arms there has not been a shad kill yet. Still catching several fish on a drop shot or spoon in and around deep trees on bluff ends and deep points. White War Eagle spoons and plum or sand Chompers’ drop shot worms have been the most effective colors. The jig bite around larger boat docks has pick up a little as well, look for the big docks on pea gravel or ledge rock points to hold most of the fish; a PB&J or brown Eakins’ jig with a green pumpkin Eakins’ craw has been the top bait.

James River: The water temperature up the James has dropped about ten degrees, with all of the rain water and run off from snow the water has good color as well. The cooler temperatures have hurt the spinnerbait and crankbait bite that was producing some bigger fish in standing timber and laydowns. These fish are still there but you will need to slow down and fish a Missouri Craw Eakins’ jig with a green pumpkin Eakins’ craw or a green pumpkin / orange Chompers Ultra Tube. Make long pitches to the standing timber and allow the bait to fall along the trunk of the tree and slowly work the bait through the limbs and back to the boat. Make multiple pitches to each tree; many times the bait has to fall directly in front of the fish to draw a strike.

White River: The water in the Kings is pretty stained and there is quite a bit of debris in the water so be careful when running. There is still a crankbait bite up the Kings; Storm Wiggle Warts in brown craw or watermelon fished parallel to chunk rock or mixed rock banks in six to ten foot of water will produce strikes. Try to run the bait into any wood or rock cover on these banks to trigger strikes. The White River is fishing just like the Kimberling City area, War Eagle spoons, Chomper drop shot worms and single tail grubs are working in and around deep trees on bluff ends and points, the key to finding the active fish is finding schools of bait, wherever bait is present the bite is better.

Dam / Branson Area: The most stable area of the lake has been the dam area; still fish coming on Jewel football and spider jigs on pea gravel roll offs and points from 20’ – 35’ deep. PB&J or watermelon / purple flash matched up with a green pumpkin Chompers’ jig trailer have been the most effective colors in the jig, work the bait slowly along the bottom hopping it occasionally. There is also a good deep bite in the dam area; white War Eagle spoons, Chomper Drop Shot worms and single tail grubs are all effective, look for schools of bait on bluff ends, saddles between the bank and islands and deep trees to hold most of the fish.