Fishing report for July 9

The buzz at Stockton Lake this week is the excellent bluegill fishing. Big fish are being caught on night crawlers in 20 to 25 feet of water. The bass fishing also has been very good, and crappies, walleyes and catfish also have provided fair action.

Missouri

▪ STOCKTON: 81 degrees, clear, 6 feet high. Outlook: Stockton Lake Guide Service reports: bluegills excellent on night crawlers in 20 to 25 feet of water; bass very good on plastic baits, jigs in flooded bushes; crappies fair to good on minnows in brush; walleyes fair on night crawlers in 16 to 20 feet of water; catfish fair to good on night crawlers, shad in 12 to 20 feet of water on flats.

▪ SMITHVILLE: 77 degrees, murky, 7 feet high. Outlook: Burton’s Bait and Tackle reports: white bass good on Pepper Spoons off main-lake points and humps; black bass good on on topwater frogs, creature baits in newly flooded brush and vegetation; channel catfish good on a variety of baits in the back of coves and along the face of the dam; crappies fair on minnows, jigs along the bridge pillars.

▪ NORFORK: 84 degrees, clear, 9 feet high. Outlook: Bink’s Guide Service reports: stripers very good on white one-ounce Bink’s spoons in 40 to 50 feet of water.

▪ LONGVIEW: 79 degrees, murky, 1 foot high. Outlook: Longview Lake Marina reports: crappies fair on jigs, minnows in the standing timber on the lake.

▪ JACOMO: 78 degrees, stained, slightly high. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: flathead, channel catfish good at night on goldfish, panfish in the coves; crappies fair on jigs, minnows early off the docks; bluegills fair on crickets, wax worms.

▪ BULL SHOALS: 86 degrees, clear, 25.7 feet high. Outlook: 125 Marina reports: smallmouth, Kentucky bass poor to fair (a few are being caught on on topwater lures in the evening); walleyes fair to good trolling Hot’n Tots 20 feet deep at thermocline; catfish excellent on limb lines, trotlines with cut bait, stinkbait.

▪ BLUE SPRINGS: 79 degrees, stained, 1 foot high. Outlook: Forty Woods Bait and Tackle reports: catfish fair (but scattered) on shad, liver, night crawlers.

▪ REED AREA: 78 degrees, dingy, full pool. Outlook: Department of Conservation reports: largermouth bass fair early and late on a variety of baits; bluegills, redear sunfish fair on red worms under a bobber; catfish fair on cut bait 2 feet under a bobber.

▪ TANEYCOMO: Clear, heavy releases; 4 units running. Outlook: Lilleys’ Landing reports: trout fair on air-injected night crawlers, pink Trout Magnets under floats, dark-colored one-eighth ounce jigs along inside banks. The bank across from the mouth of Fall Creek has offered best fishing.

▪ LAKE OF THE OZARKS: 82 degrees, clear, near normal. Outlook: Gier’s Bass Pro reports: catfish fair to good on cut bait; crappies, bass poor to fair.

▪ TABLE ROCK: 83 degrees, off-color, 3 feet high. Outlook: White River Lodge reports: bass poor to fair on Dixie Jet spoons, horsehead underspins at thermocline at 26 feet of water; walleyes poor to fair on flats on drop shot rigs with live bait.

▪ TRUMAN: 80 degrees, murky, 14 feet high. Outlook: Cody’s Bait and Tackle reports: crappies good on jigs, minnows in 12 to 20 feet of water in brush. Below the dam: catfish, white bass fair on jigs, spoons.

▪ POMME DE TERRE: 82 degrees, murky in the river arms, fairly clear on the main lake, 17 feet high. Outlook: Muskie Guide Service reports: bass poor to fair (a few are being caught on Brush Hogs in tree tops).

Kansas

▪ WYANDOTTE: 80 degrees, murky, slightly high. Outlook: Wyandotte Marina reports: wipers fair to good trolling crankbaits; bass good on topwater frogs, plastic baits; channel catfish good on hot dogs; bluegills good on wax worms, crickets.

▪ MILFORD: 81 degrees, clear on the lower end, murky on upper end, 2 feet high. Outlook: Guide Vic Oertle reports: wipers, white bass fair to good early and late on jigging spoons, Bubbas on edge of dropoffs.

▪ WILSON: 80 degrees, clear, 9 feet low. Outlook: Knothead’s reports: stripers good on black salties and shiners in 30 to 40 feet; bass fair on live bait in rocky areas.

▪ PERRY: 80 degrees, murky, 3 feet high. Outlook: Tightlines Bait and Tackle reports: catfish, wipers, crappies fair in the outlet.

▪ KILL CREEK: 80 degrees murky, normal. Outlook: Johnson County Park and Recreation District reports: catfish good on liver, cut bait along the north shore and in the flooded timber on the south side; bass fair early on spinnerbaits, plastic baits on the south side; crappies fair on jigs, minnows in the flooded timber.

▪ SHAWNEE MISSION: 80 degrees, murky, normal. Outlook: Johnson County Park and Recreation District reports: catfish good on cut bait, stinkbait in the south cove and along the north shore; bass fair on plastic baits along the north shore; panfish fair off the docks and along the dam.

▪ COFFEY COUNTY: 90s at the hot-water outlet, 85 degrees mid-lake, murky, normal. Outlook: Coffey County reports: smallmouth bass very good.

▪ POMONA: 82 degrees, murky, 1 foot high. Outlook: Lighthouse Bay Marina reports: white bass, wipers fair on shad imitations on the main lake; channel catfish good on a variety of baits.

▪ EL DORADO: 82 degrees, slightly murky, 3 feet high. Outlook: Wildlife, Parks and Tourism reports: walleyes, white bass, wipers poor to fair on the main lake.

▪ GLEN ELDER: 82 degrees, fairly clear, normal. Outlook: Wayne’s Sporting Goods reports: all species poor.

▪ HILLSDALE: 80 degrees, muddy, 1 foot high. Outlook: Jayhawk Marina reports: all species poor.

▪ LA CYGNE: 95 degrees in the hot-water outlet, mid 80s on the main lake, clearing, normal. Outlook: Linn County Park reports: all species poor.

▪ CLINTON: 82 degrees, fairly clear, 2 feet high. Outlook: Clinton Marina reports: all species poor.

▪ MELVERN: 79 degrees, murky, one-half foot high. Outlook: Melvern Lake Marina reports: all species poor.

▪ TUTTLE CREEK: 79 degrees, muddy, 14 feet high. Outlook: Guide Vic Oertle reports: all species poor.

Other area waters

▪ GRAND (OKLA.): 80 degrees, murky, high. Outlook: GrandFishingReport.com reports: white bass very good on Bendable Minnow spoons fished vertically or trolling Shad Raps; crappies good on Crappie Kickers, Minnows along public docks; catfish good on cut shad in 10 to 15 feet of water.

▪ WHITE RIVER (ARK.): Clear, 4 units running. Outlook: Gaston’s White River Resort reports: brown trout good (many fish in the 3- to 4-pound range have been caught) on suspending stickbaits, countdown Rapalas; rainbow trout very good on Power Bait, night crawlers, pink glow worms. Fly fishermen have been catching trout on pink or red San Juan worms, steelhead-orange egg pattern flies drifting.

This story was originally published July 8, 2015 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Fishing report for July 9."