Been doing some thinking

[olesilverside]

In all the years past I have considered the summer pattern as fishing the flats 10' or 15' flats and then the slabs would hit on the drop from 4' to 8' down.... I have to believe what Mofishmgt has said about the cooling water temp. sad part all this next week still looks very cool, normally whether it be the grand or the osage July and August we always fished flats and some shallow rows.... Not looking good for the biguns sure hope I am wrong this hit and miss no pattern is a real pain in the A--..... Guess we are lucky to also catch one once in awhile in the cedars, but even that is getting tough....Stuck in Windsor scratching my head, but I didn't sleep at Holiday Inn last night........

[rocket rich]

That said, I don't have 10-15 foot of water at my cabin?? So I have to look in different places than you ?? Max depth is around 10 food it you can find it, so I fish docks and old laid downs mostly I'm fishing 40 inches deep in 4-5 of water. and they still are hitting it on the way down but If I fish shallower no hits?? I don't tear them up this time of year but always seem to catch supper.. I wouldn't know how to fish 15-20 foot of water. don't care learn at my age.?? The fish eat all the time so It's just a matter of finding them and staying with them..

[olesilverside]

you have to learn to fish what you got, this is just my 25 + years of fishing in the same area..... we have had a very cool and different spring and summer...If I wanted to catch eating fish there are two other arms of truman for those, I am just targeting larger crappie, kinda like a deer hunter wanting a bigger buck...... like a 36 poiinter.........

[bwillaub]

"turdy six point buck"?!!!!

Fish seemed hungry yesterday. They hit my jigs like they were freight trains!
Not a lot of bites but the ones we got were very nice.

[WantinCrappie]

"turdy six point buck"?!!!!

Love that song.

[hardhunter2]

the only difference between me and you (oss) is im in odessa scratchin my head lol these last two weekends have been super slow on the upper ends

[MOfishmgr]

One other thing that makes fishing difficult when the water is slow to warm is the lack of a thermocline. For those that don't know a thermocline is the point where the upper layer of warm water (in the summer) has such a large temperature difference it forms a thermal barrier and the lake stratifies. Meaning the upper layer and bottom layer do not mix. This leads to no oxygen below the thermocline. When the lake doesn't stratify those fish can be anywhere and at any depth. This also happens in the winter but flip-flopped where the upper layer is cold and bottom is warmer. When the water cools in the fall the temp barrier breaks down and the lake "turns over". You can sometimes see a color change as decaying material on the bottom can be forced to the surface. It may also be accompanied by a rotting smell. This also occurs in the spring. The clearer the water the deeper the thermocline. For instance, in Smithville, it's usually around 14 to 15 feet in the main lake and shallower up the arms as the water gets more stained. In Table Rock it could be 30 feet or deeper. So if you are fishing the dog days of summer the fish will not spend much, if any, time below the thermocline. If you are fishing muddy water it may only be a few feet down, which is why you sometimes catch crappie just a few feet below the surface in muddy water in the summer months. I like fishing in the summer because the fish are concentrated above the thermocline. Just makes for less water to have to search for them. I haven't done any oxygen profiles to see if the thermocline has formed, but I'd be surprised if it has.

[olesilverside]

Mofishmgt, your input is really nice, took the cab off my old tub, would you like to move in and live in it down here on Truman....... Could use some instant info or maybe we could get a couple of two way radios........

[MOfishmgr]

Sounds good! If the missus ever boots me out I'll take you up on it! Her cookin's too good to leave on my own!

[kazualobzerver]

Interesting posts, thanks. Fortunate to live close by, after my shellacking on upper Grand Saturday just wanted to try some different stuff mid morning Sunday after getting a few things done. Heavy cloud cover, like Saturday morning, is the hardest thing for me to deal with on the upper Grand. Still a sporadic bite, boated 10 keepers of which four were over a pound, biggest was 1-6, best fish in several trips from bluff pole timber, didn't fish but a couple bluffs above U bridge. Caught a couple of 10"s from isolated single twig stick ups sitting in 2-3 fow which always amazes me. Couldn't say it was a lot different than Saturday, fish are very scattered. The variety of cover and locations are what stuck out with no solid pattern that I can find. Hate to give up and change parts of the lake cause like OSS, like the size you may find in the Grand but may need a new perspective.