I recently had the opportunity to spend the weekend on a houseboat on Bull Shoals Lake. Spanning over 45,000 acres and with a length of 80 miles there are hundreds of creeks and coves to explore.
With water temperature in the 80’s the fish were in the summer to fall transition. I graphed many fish suspended in 30 feet of water. With limited time for fishing I decided to skip trying to get the finicky suspended fish to bite and see if any fish had already moved up into the buckbrush along the vast shoreline. I was rewarded with a few bass eager to eat. The fish I caught were on jigs pitched into the buck brush. As the lake continues to transition the topwater bite should improve. Spooks and poppers are popular topwater offerings at Bull Shoals.
To target those deeper fish an offering of a dropshot or football head jig may have some success. Anglers should watch for the shad to move back into the coves and pockets and follow them to find the bass. Fishing should continue to improve as the bass follow the shad to the shallows. Shallow running crank baits, spinnerbaits and jigs should all catch some fish and throw your favorite topwater baits early and late in the day.
RB Bass Outdoors Angler
Jeff Jewel
