Went to a lake that, at times, can be fairly tough. A few weeks ago they had a 200 boat tourney and the weights were very low. It is mostly a rocky lake, standing timber, usually very deep (can go from the bank to 45' deep very quick) and has a clarity of about 2' and a water temp in the low 70s.

The spring-hatched shad were all over the surface. They were in the middle of the main lake, on the shore of the main lake. They were in the creeks and the secondary coves from the main lake all the way to the backs of the coves.

I figured they would be staging on standing timber waiting in ambush, but they weren't. I didn't find them on wind blown banks, main lake or secondary points or ledges or standing timber. I didn't find them in creeks. They weren't on top or bottom. They weren't directly under any shad either.  

My theory is that the bass were entirely spread out because their food source was spread out. I did catch a few, but I saw several signs that told me they were resident bass, and not roamers.

So that was my situation. Have any of you experienced this before? If so, what can be done to catch them?

Sounds like your assessment is spot on!

I also find fall scatters the bass; while numbers go up the overall size drops

Two questions; at what depth was the thermocline and what depth did you catch a few bass?

Trying to meter fast moving school bass feeding on shad can be difficult during the fall transition. It is a lot easier to meter the shad schools and target the bass that are holding just above the thermocline layer, near structure.

WRB

Would this be Mark Twain?  

Two questions; at what depth was the thermocline and what depth did you catch a few bass?

The thermocline was at 30' deep. I caught my bass at 5' deep and less. I tried deeper, but I could not find schools of shad deeper than 10 or 15 feet and I didn't catch a thing. The shad were mostly from 5 feet deep to the surface.

Trying to meter fast moving school bass feeding on shad can be difficult during the fall transition. It is a lot easier to meter the shad schools and target the bass that are holding just above the thermocline layer, near structure.

WRB

I agree with you. But the shad were way above the thermo. So since most shad were close to the surface, that is were I concentrated. Do you think I should have concentrated on the areas that were 20 to 30 feet of water even with the stained water color and most bait fish near the surface?

Would this be Mark Twain?

Sure enough sounds like an Ozark lake, huh, Cart?

Right now, I've pretty much given up on bass and am taking Crappie home. Norfork has risin a couple of feet due to recent rain and the dam isn't generating much. Turnover probably won't happen too soon with these conditions.

The few (day) bass I've caught have been in feeder creek channels and suspended 5 - 10'  off the bottom at 40 feet. They're easier at dusk but, still not too cooperative. Jigs imitating Craw in brown worked down bluffs or anywhere rocky have been good.

Crappies are liking minnows and black jigs, and the Walleye seem to be waking up.    

Would this be Mark Twain?

Yes sir! Going again in two weeks. I have an invite over in the Central Region forum if you're interested.

Would this be Mark Twain?

Yes sir! Going again in two weeks. I have an invite over in the Central Region forum if you're interested.

ugghh.. I hate that lake. I fished it during the first few years it was open back in the mid 80's. Have gone back sporadically over the years. The bass fishery there has always been up and down. It has never been a really good bass fishing lake, at least not what everybody thought it would be. It has similarities to Truman and was dammed around the same time so that's where the comparisons have come from. I've just never clicked with that lake, at least not like I have with Truman.

From what I've read elsewhere, the guys catching fish in that Bud Shootout were either dropping weighted Senko's or drop shotting along big trees on points out on the main lake. There was apparently no rhyme or reason nor real pattern as to which trees the fish were hanging on. I believe most of the fish were around 15-20 feet down from what I was reading.

From what I've read elsewhere, the guys catching fish in that Bud Shootout were either dropping weighted Senko's or drop shotting along big trees on points out on the main lake. There was apparently no rhyme or reason nor real pattern as to which trees the fish were hanging on. I believe most of the fish were around 15-20 feet down from what I was reading.

Yeah, I had read that too. That pattern and standing timber pattern in fall are used a lot there. You find trees in 50 to 70 feet of water and they top out at 10 to 20 feet below the surface. Usually, with the clearer water, the shad hold at that depth and the bass wait in the tops of those trees in ambush. I tried some of this Saturday, but I thought I had found them in the standing timber in shallower water. But Sunday, the wind was blowing very hard, which rendered my areas unfishable. Besides, I did not find any baitfish very deep at all.