Truman Lake, 12-7-22

[D.W. Verts]

So I've started taking my little Tiny Tinny boat/hybrid Jon boat to the larger lakes for the winter. It's obviously safer now and I get to prove that I can catch bass someplace besides the ponds and small lakes that I fish so much, plus I'm of course doing YouTube videos of the trips. I hope, Lord willin', to do this all winter long.

Yesterday was my first real trip to Truman Lake since 2020, my first time to do it in December since maybe the 1980's, and I fished some stuff I haven't seen since the mid-90's. It was a good day over all, and the trip will be documented on my YT stuff soon. If I can ever get it all edited...

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYALOeqpqvtvkPhQIOZ2aBg

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSVe7bajF0CwOXZtf32I63w



I fished the lower end of the Lake in the Grand/Tebo area. The lake is a few inches below full pool, water visibility was slightly over two feet with a stain, and water temps were constant at 45-47 degrees. With the water color and temps being the same everywhere plus some mossy flotsam I think the lake has turned over, for what it's worth. There was almost zero wind and the sky was heavy overcast.

https://i.imgur.com/fkW6wxt.png[/img]]

The fish were mostly shallow (less than six feet). I caught them on a variety of baits with the jerkbait (an original "Clown" colored Smithwick Rogue, yes, I am an old guy) coming out on top with three keepers, fished with short twitches and pretty short pauses between. I also had one keeper on a crankbait (my "secret" plug that I recently shared on my YT bass fishing channel, so here's another shameless commercial, please Like, Comment and Subscribe!)-



and one more on a dark green Hula Grub/Chompers.

I probably had ten shorts also, and I need to note that I left what was working mid-day to look at some big bass stuff from the old days. After a couple of hours I returned to the working pattern and finished off the last hour or so with two more keepers and several more shorts.

The Truman bass are on the steeper stuff, at least the fish what I caught. Channel swings and transitions plus plain old bluffs were the key, and I prefer the "short" bluffs this time of year.

It's always amazed me how few folks fish Truman this time of the year for bass. There are no winter tourneys on this lake that I'm aware off. Truman fishes GREAT in the winter, and as much as I love LOZ, it also fishes EASIER than LOZ.

And there you go- hope this helps someone. Video coming soon. Maybe.

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Dale

[BassmanRudy]

Always good to visit old spots! Be careful out there on the big water with the little boat.

[Mike Cork]

Great to see you out on the ole stomping grounds. I didn't get to fish it much but loved going to Truman when I could. Thanks for the report.

[Donald Garner]

Dale, tks for sharing the video with us.  I haven't fished Truman since Summer 2002.  That was the last trip Marvin and I had together.  We fished out of Bucksaw.  Congrats on the catching and tks for sharing the tips with us also.
The lake looked like it was pretty low looking at the bank line > Winter Pool?