Bull Shoals tagging study

[powerdive]

Had AJ Pratt, Bull Shoals biologist, in to talk about the 2-yr tagging study at last week's MO Walleye meeting.

So far 37% of the 2003 tags have been returned (for cash). The majority of the fish were taken in spring/summer (April into July) and a big percentage came from the Powersite to K Dock stretch. The Tucker Hollow area was very good also.

Many other factors come into play also, such as seasonal fishing pressure, water level, etc....

The farthest down any fish has been taken is Zone 11 (the lake is divided up into 5-mile sections for tracking), which would be 50-55 miles downstream from the Pothole. Remember, all the fish were tagged at River Run. Not very many tags have been returned from below Lead Hill.

The majority of the fish were caught INCIDENTALLY by bass and crappie fishermen. Surprisingly for down here (my opinion only), a good number of legal tagged walleyes were released.

I might have to revisit my personal policy of keeping a few bass each year as payback!!!

There was lots of other fascinating stuff, too. For instance, growth rates. Males reach 18" plus by age 3; females reach 20" plus by age 3. There's lots to eat down there! You can also catch 25"-plus males at Bull Shoals, and we all know how big the females can get!

Biggest fish tagged at River Run in the 2 yrs of shocking was 30.5" and about 13 lbs. The vast majority of fish tagged were over 18".

I'll post more as I remember it, if anyone's interested.

[Uncle Bill]

Powerdive,

Thanks for the info.

[Wolfman]

UB, made a run to the tunnel this weekend. Did the walk to the powerhouse, waste of time, had the wrong turbine going for good fishing. Gould'nt stay in the boil for cats and the crappie were non-exsistant.
Hit the dam tailrace, cat bite was light. Caught on 7 from 1 1/2- 2 1/2 in about 3 hours. Water was up about a foot makeing it hard to get down into the 'honey hole'. Lot of folks fishing right below the dam, did'nt hear of em catching many fish. Couple of boys caught a mess of bluegills at the first riffle. Crappie were'nt presant that i could see. Gar rolling both sides of the hill. About today or tomorrow the cat bite should be a little better.

PD, did they have any comment on why the walleye bite did'nt appear again this year? Seems like last year and this year the walleyes deveopled a cae of the lockjaw along with the whites.

[powerdive]

Naw, that didn't really come up. Some folks did well this year, most didn't. That's normal, it was just different people doing well or stinking up the joint this time around.

The fish were definitely there. They got the tagging done in 4 nights this year, and never went below Swan Creek. Took upwards of 3 weeks last year, and they shocked all the way thru Barker.

He did say there's now a superb crappie population on BS. It's been a great spring for papermouths, continuing the big catches from last season. Funny, nobody asked about white bass. There are now meanmouths in BS also.

MWAA has a walleye tourney out of Theodosia on Sat. First time there. With the water 20' high, it'll be interesting to see what happens. Word is the locals are catching 'em down there. Don't know if they're trolling parking lots or what...

[Tablerock]

Mike, I'm always interested in the tagging study info... And, to echo Uncle Bill, thanks for the info.
Post more if you think of anything.
Are you fishing this weekends tourney??

[fishnxs]

or stinking up the joint this time around.

Geez and I was just sitting here minding my own business

[Wolfman]

From what i seen and heard 'everybody' was stinking up the joint down there this year. Think i heard of half a dozen fish comeing out of BS that were keeping size. White bite never materialised and crappies, well have'nt heard much.
I sure seen a lot of fishless walleye fishermen and talked to a few that wondered where the he!! they were at again this year. I think the shocking crew got cussed about as much or more this year then last...lol
Matter of fact Garys caught more walleye on stockton with ralph this year then all the walleyes i heard about being caught on BS...lol About the 'only' decent keepers i heard about out of BS were those caught by BB and CW. And they probably used Grenn Stick Lures for those!...lol

[Uncle Bill]

When I was in junior high school, my dad and I had a good walleye trip to Bull Shoals in June. It was 1968, to be exact, and we drove down there the day after Bobby Kennedy got shot. Bull Shoals must have been at least 20 feet high. At K-Dock, they sold us a new crankbait called a Thin Fin (does Storm still make them?) and told us to troll them through the flooded willows. We did and caught quite a few 2- and 3-pound walleyes. Plus some big white bass and crappie. Thin Fins only ran about four feet deep, so when you got hung up in a willow, you could see the lure and easily reach it to knock it loose.

Thanks for the TD report, Wolfman. I'm surprised you didn't catch any white bass below the turbines.

[Wolfman]

They were all probably out in the river. They were running the #1 turbine wide open which makes it hard for even the fish to stay in the pothole there. Only thing i seen were the Gar of course. Wingwall was barren, did'nt seem to be any crappie along the rock face or what was left of it. They have extended the wingwall out along where the rock face used to be. Think next time i may take the boat and put in down at the gauge hole and come up or else fish the long eddies for cats below the powerhouse. Maybe pick up a sauger or walleye or two...lol