"Fishing is kind of slow."
That's the word from Charlie Brotherton at Sundowner Marina on Wappapello Lake.
"It's just a hot summer and there's not much going on," he said.
Brotherton rated crappie fishing as fair, with most fish being caught in shallow water in the lake's upper reaches.
"Bass have been pretty good," he said, noting deep-diving crankbaits along the river channel have been producing the best catches.
As hot as it is, fishing for bass during the cooler nighttime hours with topwater baits could prove quite productive.
Catfishing is probably the way to go for the best chance of success, with decent numbers of flatheads and channel cats being taken lately.
As always, fishing late in the evening and through the overnight hours should produce the best results because that's when catfish most actively cruise and feed.
Small sunfish, what some call "rice slicks," are the go-to bait when targeting flatheads, while stinkbait, nightcrawlers and other things will catch channel cats.
Spillway fishing looks to be pretty limited right now, with a minimal discharge and water flow. There probably are a lot of carp and gar hanging around the area, but not much else.
Change Coming?
Speaking of crappie fishing at Wappapello, Paul Calvert, fisheries field operations chief for the Department of Conservation, will make an initial pitch on a potential new regulation at the lake to the Conservation Commission during its public meeting tomorrow.
"It is a pre-proposal that will not be finalized until we receive public opinion," said Fisheries Management Biologist Dave Knuth, who oversees the lake's fish populations.
What the regulation could include hasn't been announced, but you can probably expect to see relaxed length limits for Wappapello's most popular fish, especially the slower-growing black crappies.
When the public comment period is opened, you'll have at least 30 days to make your thoughts known before any changes are made, or not, and the regulation goes back to the Conservation Commission for final consideration.
Angler's Choice
Sunday's Angler's Choice tournament at Wappapello Lake saw 32 teams square off on the water, and a pair of familiar faces were atop the leaderboard at the conclusion of the event.
Bruce Hutson and his son, Adam Hutson, easily captured the win with a five-fish weight of 21.75 pounds. That's an average of 4.35 pounds per fish.
Taking the second spot, with 15.33 pounds, was the team of Justin Mosier and Matt Allison. They were followed in third place by Jerry Carpenter and Jeff Slinkard with 14.77 pounds.
Fourth place was earned by longtime fishing partners Terry Young and Terry Holmes with 14.74 pounds. They also had the second-largest bass of the day, weighing in at 5.27 pounds.
Rounding out the top five positions was the team of Rob Williams and Derrick Bangert with 14.49 pounds.
The biggest bass of the day was caught by Clay Henson and Garrett Rhodes and weighed 5.61 pounds.
The Angler's Choice circuit will fish again on Aug. 5.
King of the River
For those who like to fish for bronzebacks, the Current River Smallmouth Association will host a tournament Saturday out of Van Buren.
The annual King of the River event will launch at 7 a.m. from the Watercress Recreation Area ramp north of town, and weigh-in is slated for 5 p.m.
If you need more info, give Paul Henderson a call at 573-686-5476 or Troy McAfee at 417-331-4831.
Night Tourney
If you'd rather try a different kind of bass tournament, the East Ozarks Bass Club will host a night event Saturday at Clearwater Lake.
The launch time from the Piedmont Park ramp is scheduled for 7 p.m., with fishing continuing until 2 a.m.
Given the heat predicted for the weekend, this event could produce some big stringers.