Lake Ouachita Fishnig Report April 8

In case you get a chance to fish Ouachita it's all busted wide open for bass, crappie & walleye. Floating trick worms in watermelon with orange or red flake or C-rigged 6" lizards (floating best) in same colors, all beginning 12 ft down at old edge of hydrilla up into 2 ft. Best spots are still wind swept ridges & points near deep water. Males are fanning beds around Joplin, mostly females caught away from beds. Lizards or other wild looking creatures on beds take males. Water temp is average 68, some higher over muddy flats. Stripers are working the baitfish along with bass, taking Bomber Long-A and other topwater jerkbaits. Night fishing is getting really good with black 1/4 oz spinnerbaits with Colorado blade, or 9/16-3/4 oz black jig with dark craw & rattle dragged over shallow fist sized rocks to gravel. I witnessed at least 150 bass cleaned at Crystal ramp cleaning station Friday, many over 5# up to 6#, average 3# culled. I stuck with the C-rig due to high wind, 1 oz egg sinker needed, plus 2 anchors for boat, caught 17 bass and two 6# walleyes (on an orange walleye jig) in early morning, plus 9 nice crappie. Topwater stickbait would have worked well as occasional surface feeding took off in a small cove in from where I was anchored. Crappie are good on 1/16 oz jig with red head and red hook, 2" Kalin swim grub Tenn. Shad and Acid Rain under a bubble bobber due to wind and big waves. They weighed 1-1.6#, very black males, so they are spawning or about to spawn.

Jim