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Fishing Mark Twain Lake .com |
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Links |
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Bass Tournament Angler Gary Morrison |
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Class on the Water |
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Mart Twain Lake can be a challenge to fish. An angler can catch multiple limits one day and then get skunked on the next. To be totally honest, the lake can, and has, humbled even the best anglers on the lake. One reason Mark Twain can be hard to fish for a lot of anglers is that the water levels are constantly changing. Most anglers that tournament fish Mark Twain record lake levels and mark spots for various levels. This ,of course, can only be gained by putting a lot of time on the water. Another challenge is muddy water– a lot of anglers hate fishing muddy water. In the spring of the year the lake can get very muddy- “You can almost see raccoon tracks going across it.”, so to speak. The water gets this way when the spring rains come and the farmers around the lake begin to plow their fields pushing all that freshly plowed mud into the lake. My best advice here is when you’re going to the lake, don’t have one arm of the lake in mind to fish. It takes about 45 minutes to drive around the lake and look at the different arms. You’ll catch more fish, save on gas and time, if you just take about a 45 minute drive around the lake and check the water clarity in each arm. Remember this– new mud is bad and it can be very hard to fish. After a few days of muddy water, you shouldn’t be afraid of it. The fish have to eat and they’ll become acclimated to the muddy water. Another reason Mark Twain Lake is hard to fish for many anglers it that looks can be deceiving. Like Truman Lake, all the standing timber everywhere looks like it should hold a fish. My best advice here, not knowing if the water levels are rising or falling, is to start off fishing 45 degree banks. The change in water levels does not effect the shoreline as much as it would on a flat bank. If that fails, fish bank changes and then flats. Are spots important on Mark Twain Lake? Yes, spots are important on any lake. Like I said above, every place looks like it should hold a fish. Mark Twain Lake is really considered a “gun and run” lake, which means you better to hit a lot of spots in a single day. It is possible to pull up on one spot and load the boat, it’s just that that doesn’t happen often. You need to pick out about five or six spots and stick to them. Don’t just go into a cove and fish the whole thing. There’s nothing I like more than to see a angler catch a three pounder and keep moving down the bank. That’s because 3-4 pounders don’t lie. Think of it this way: small fish are like young children, they are out running around and can found everywhere. Three to four pounders are like as teenagers- they like to group and hang together . Five to six pounders are more mature, and like to be by them selves. So if you catch a three to four pound fish, fish that area hard and defiantly fish it again later in the day. That spot has something that holds fish and chances are, it will replenish sometime during that day. Once you find a spot that holds fish, you can look for similar spots. When I take people out on my class on the water, I tell them to dissect the spot. Look at the bank- what type of bank is it? Is it a flat or a 45 degree angle and what type of structure is visible? Is there standing timber? What type of timber, hardwood or cedars? Is it a mud bank or rock, and if it’s rock, what size rock? Answer those questions, then look at the water level where the fish was caught, and duplicate it. Sometimes you find another spot that looks just the same as the ones that are holding fish and it does not seem to work. One big reason could be wind direction. In most cases I have found anglers forget this very important component. The wind in most cases is the key why one spot works and another does not. Always fish the windy banks. So Lets recap: 1. New mud is bad “stay out of it” 2. Take a drive around the lake and look at the water clarity 3. Three and four pounders don’t lie 4. Fish the windy banks
I hope this article gives you some kind of a start on Mark Twain Lake and loads your boat with keepers. Good luck fishing, be safe, and have fun! |
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TIPS ON FISHING MARK TWAIN |
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PICKING THE RIGHT SPOT |
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Gary’s Mark Twain Fishing Report Soon to be on Facebook |
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Check out Gary’s new consignment store! Second Chance Sporting Goods. Specializing in Fishing Camping and Hunting supplies. Click on the Second Chance business card to the right of this page. |
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Second Chance Sporting Goods |
