By Steve Blake

Current water level is 705.60 and water surface temp is 48 degrees.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!!! Deer season is over and now it's time to load up on winter crappie!!!! The bite has been awesome with most days seeing us catch 70 to 100 fish in 3 to 5 hours. You will catch a lot of small fish you just have to be selective to limit on the 10 to 12 inch fish. Best pattern has been fishing the bare bluffs especially the bluff channel ends or points of the bluff pockets. We are dropping a 1/4 ounce Bob Bates short shank jig head rigged with a SWARM jig down to the bottom in 18 to 25 feet of water pick it up a foot to 3 feet and ease along the bluff or point slowly to produce. Best colors have been char and white,char and blue, and char and pink. Most bites are very soft and we have had a lot of short strikes. To combat the short strikes we have been shortening the jig body buy cutting off about half of the front of the jig for a smaller profile, and opening up the hook by bending the point of the hook up to about a 40 degree angel. This seem to improve hookup percentage.

There is still a good bite for blue cats as is usual in winter. Deeper main lake flats close to the channel fished down 20 to 30 feet deep with cut shad have been producing numbers of blues and size. Drifting has been the best approach.

Large mouth continue to be fair to good on steeper main lake and secondary chunk rock points with suspending jerk baits. The water is stained in most areas of the lake so brighter colors like clown and gold with a black back and orange belly have worked best. This is the time of year on Truman when you can take some big bass with this approach. Don't get me wrong it is not a pattern that is going to produce a ton of fish but if you are patient and work hard it will put some big fish in the boat.

The work continues with the new campsites at Sterett Creek as Ken and Cathy never stop improving the Sterett Creek experience!!!! We have some days coming according to the long range with temps in the mid 40's to mid 50's so give me a call at 660-525-0692 and let's go catch some crappie or bass. See ya on the water!!!!