Fishing report for Oct. 20
Missouri
BULL SHOALS: Low 70s, clear, 4 feet low. Outlook: 125 Marina reports: Smallmouth and Kentucky bass good in 20 feet of water on Trick Worms and Brush Hogs; largemouth bass good early on topwater baits and spinnerbaits; catfish fair on juglines with cut bait; walleyes fair trolling 25 feet down with worm harnesses. Below the dam: John Berry of Berry Bros. Guide Service reports: No wadable water. Trout very good near Rim Shoals (but otherwise spotty) on olive wooly buggers, prince nymphs, Y2Ks, pheasant tails, San Juan worms, sowbugs and midges. For big trout, try large, articulated streamers near the banks with heavy, sink-tip line.
TANEYCOMO: 50s, very clear, two to three generators operating: Outlook: Lilly’s Landing Resort reports: Trout good on No. 14, 16 and 18 scuds and midges and on all black or all white jigs. For bait fishermen, trout good on nightcrawlers, pink Power Worms and pink, orange or sunrise PowerBait.
NORFORK: 72 degrees, milky, normal. Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: Lake is turning over. Crappies good over brush piles; stripers fair trolling swim baits in river; black bass fair early on topwater baits
LONGVIEW: 63 degrees, 37-inch water clarity, 1 foot high. Outlook: Longview Marina reports: Crappies fair to good (but small) on jigs and minnows off the docks; catfish good on worms and minnows.
POMME DE TERRE: 69 degrees, fairly clear, normal. Outlook: Muskie Guide Service reports: All species slow.
LAKE OF THE OZARKS: 72 degrees, clear, 1 1/2 feet low. Outlook: Gier’s Bass Pro reports: Bass good on topwater baits, plastic worms and Brush Hogs; crappies good on minnows 10 feet down in 15 feet of water over brush piles; catfish good on cut bait in 60 feet of water under shad balls on the main lake.
REED AREA: 62 degrees, clear, full pool. Outlook: Department of Conservation reports: Black bass good on soft plastics near cover; channel catfish fair on chicken liver and worms; crappies good on tube jigs and minnows and are moving closer to shore; bluegills and redears good on worms and crickets.
STOCKTON: 70 degrees, clear, 4 feet low. Outlook: Stockton Lake Guide Service reports: Crappies good in brush piles and in channels in 10 to 20 feet of water on jigs and minnows; bass good in 6 to 12 feet of water on crankbaits and jigs off chunk rock banks and bluff ends; walleyes fair to good on nightcrawlers in 3 to 7 feet of water on flats and off points; white bass very good trolling with crankbaits off points in 10 to 15 feet of water; catfish fair drifting on the flats in 10 to 15 feet of water with fresh shad.
JACOMO: 68 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: Channel catfish fair on cut bait off points; bluegills fair to good on red worms and scented Gulp baits; white bass very good early in coves where fish are surfacing; crappies fair to good on minnows over main-lake brush; walleyes fair trolling with worm harnesses near the dam and beach area.
BLUE SPRINGS: 67 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: Channel catfish fair on large shiners and nightcrawlers in coves; bluegills fair to good on red worms and wax worms; crappies fair early on minnows off marina docks; hybrids very good on spoons where fish are surfacing, particularly near blowhole; largemouth bass poor on jigs and large shiners near drop-offs. (A 55-pound common carp was caught last week with a worm using an ultralight rig.)
TABLE ROCK: 74 degrees, dingy, 4 feet low. Outlook: Baxter Boat Dock reports: Black bass good on topwater baits and spinnerbaits in shallows and good in 25 to 30 feet of water on soft plastics, drop-shot rigs and nightcrawlers; crappies good on minnows and jigs in 20 feet of water off the docks.
TRUMAN: 73 degrees, lightly stained to clear, 1 1/2 feet high. Outlook: Guide Bob Bates reports: White bass and hybrids excellent at the weir and in 12 to 14 feet of water on 1-ounce spoons; walleyes fair (but small) on spoons and Shad Raps.
SMITHVILLE: 71 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Burton’s Bait and Tackle reports: Catfish good on minnows and dip baits in 10 feet of water in coves and cuts; black bass poor; crappies spotty (but good sized) on minnows in brush piles in 10 feet of water in back of coves; walleyes fair off main-lake points; white bass good on pepper spoons where fish are surfacing and good on Rat-L-Traps and square-billed crankbaits off windy main-lake points.
Kansas
SHAWNEE MISSION PARK: 77 degrees, murky. Outlook: Johnson County Park and Recreation District reports: Catfish fair lakewide in the evenings on liver; sunfish fair on worms along shorelines; crappies fair early on jigs; bass good early along shorelines on topwater baits, jigs and soft plastics; wipers good on sunfish along dam; trout poor. Reminder: Trout stocking (2,000 pounds) set for Oct. 26. Lake will then close until 5 a.m. Oct. 29.
KILL CREEK PARK: 74 degrees, murky. Outlook: Johnson County Park and Recreation District reports: Crappies fair on jigs in deeper water along tree lines; panfish fair on worms; bass good midmorning and late evening on topwater baits and soft plastics along shorelines; catfish fair on liver on shorelines and along island; trout poor. Reminder: Trout stocking (1,000 pounds) set for Oct. 26. Lake will then close until 5 a.m. Oct. 29.
COFFEY COUNTY: High 60s, clear, normal. Outlook: Coffey County reports: Smallmouth bass good; largemouth bass fair; blue catfish fair; all other species slow.
MELVERN: 66 degrees, clear, 1 1/2 feet high. Outlook: Melvern Marina reports: Crappies fair off the docks 10 feet down on jigs and minnows; smallmouth bass good on crankbaits near midlake channels; channel catfish good on nightcrawlers along shorelines; blue catfish good on dip baits and nightcrawlers.
CLINTON: 68 degrees, murky, 2 foot high. Outlook: Clinton Marina reports: Crappies good (but small) on jigs off the docks; catfish good lakewide; all other species slow.
POMONA: 74 degrees, clear, 2 1/2 feet high. Outlook: Lighthouse Bay Marina reports: Crappies good on minnows off the docks; catfish good on nightcrawlers; all other species slow.
PERRY: 69 degrees, clearing, 2 feet high. Outlook: Don and Tom’s Bait and Tackle reports: White bass fair on Bubbas off points; channel and blue catfish good (some with good size) drifting live shad; crappies fair on jigs and minnows in brush piles.
MILFORD: 70 degrees, clear, 3 feet high. Outlook: Guide Vic Oertle reports: Wipers good on Double W Shad Flutter Spoons, Wiper Pro spoons and Bubbas from Milford townsite to the dam (mid-lake is best) and in back of creeks and creek arms; white bass fair in back of creeks.
WILSON: 74 degrees, murky, 1 foot high. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks & Tourism reports: Black bass fair (but spotty) early and late on Carolina rigs, crankbaits and soft plastics off rocky points and shorelines; stripers good on topwater baits, jerkbaits and live baits in shallow water; channel catfish good on liver, cut bait, dough bait and nightcrawlers near river channel and off points; white perch fair (but good sized) on spoons and spinners; walleyes fair on jigs, grubs and swimbaits in 8 to 20 feet of water.
HILLSDALE: 67 degrees, murky, normal. Outlook: Jayhawk Marina reports: Lake is turning over. White bass fair on jigs off points; all other species poor.
LA CYGNE: 77 degrees, clear, normal. Outlook: Linn County Parks reports: White bass good (but small) in hot water outlet; all other species slow.
GLEN ELDER: 65 degrees, clear, 1 foot high. Outlook: Wayne’s Sporting Goods reports: Walleyes fair on jigs and worms; white bass and wipers fair.
TUTTLE CREEK: 71 degrees, clearing, 5 feet high. Outlook: Guide Vic Oertle reports: White bass fair on Double W Shad Flutter Spoons and Bubbas; crappies fair; catfish fair.
WYANDOTTE: High 60s, murky, full pool. Outlook: Wyandotte Boat Rental reports: Crappies good on minnows or jigs in 18 feet of water off main-lake points; bass good (but small) on variety of baits; catfish slow; wipers and white bass fair; walleyes fair (but small).
EL DORADO: 70 degrees, clear, 1 foot high. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks & Tourism reports: Walleyes spotty on jigs and spoons; white bass and wipers fair while trolling crankbaits and on slab spoons on breaks and humps; crappies fair on jigs and minnows 8 to 12 feet down along channel edges near timber and brush; channel catfish fair on worms in creeks and drifting shad on flats and on dip bait in Bluestem Lake area; blue catfish fair on cut shad in creeks and middle and lower lake.
This story was originally published October 19, 2016 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Fishing report for Oct. 20."