Spring lake conditions are the best I have seen them in many years! Clear water with no major debris to deal with. This is the perfect time to catch a wide variety of fish on upper Bull Shoals! The big question we are being asked right now is about the lake level and the “new normal” pool. That is now a very hard question to answer since the Corps has now changed to a “Seasonal” power pool for Bull Shoals.
Top Power Pool:
Jan 01 to Apr 30 659
Apr 30 to May 01 659 to 660
May 01 to May 15 660 to 662
May 15 to Jun 15 662
Jun 15 to Jul 15 662 to 661
Jul 15 to Sep 30 661
Sep 30 to Oct 01 661 to 659
Oct 01 to Dec 31 659
So, as you can see, the lake is actually one foot below “normal” right now. That puts us 8 ft above the old power pool which now eliminates our boat launch access road around the bluff. The upper road is still accessable.
Hope to see you at K Dock this Memorial Day Weekend! Don’t forget to honor our Veterans and current service men and women this weekend!
Water Level 661.1
Water Temp 68 to 72 degrees
Water is Clear to Stained
Crappie – Good on Live minnows around timber and brush piles. Also good casting and retrieving swimming minnows along the banks and points of coves. Good numbers of crappie are being caught trolling small crank baits near the high bluffs.
Black Bass – Very Good on a variety of baits! Throw a top water “Spook” in the early mornings. Pitch a small plastic into heavy brush in the backs of coves or tree lines. Also good on spinner baits when windy. Big bass may still be on the banks this weekend. A Finesse Worm has also been working good.
Walleye – Good on small to medium crank baits in about 20 ft of water on the channel drops. Large numbers of Walleye are being caught right now, but not a big number of keepers over 18″. This is getting better as the water temp warms up. Try “bright” colors right now. “Firetiger”, Blue and Chrome or flashes of Purple and Orange in your baits. Stick with #5 or #7 sizes. Hot n’ Tots are great right now!
