Bull Shoals Striped Bass Sets Missouri Record

Photo Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Conservation

Bull Shoals Lake is located largely in northern Arkansas but has a sizeable portion in Missouri. It is a very popular lake due to it's pristine environment, excellent bass fishing, and cold, clear water.

This striped bass is a new Missouri record for a "pole and line" catch, which presumes it was caught on the Missouri side of the lake. The bass officially weighed in at 65lbs 2oz, beating the previous record by almost 5lbs.  At nearly 50" long, this is a true river monster. Lawrence Dillman of Rockaway Beach, near Branson Missouri, gets bragging rights for this one.  On May 21st, he fought 45 minutes to haul this fish to the bank, caught on minnow bait using a reel with only 20-lb test line. That took some skill.

I can only imagine hooking into one of these while in a kayak.  That would be a ride.

MDC article

A Lot of Dead Fish

There's always a few dead fish floating around the lake in winter but this year there seems to be a bumper crop.  This is due primarily to the cold and not disease or pollution according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.  I've noticed a few extra shad locked in the ice myself and only hoping the crappie have faired well over the season.

Cold exacerbates fish kills

2017 Update - The above post was in 2014 when the fish kill was due to an exceptionally cold winter. The March 2017 kill off, which affected catfish, walleye, and crappie has been attributed to a likely combination of bacteria, spawning and increased lake temperatures but is still under investigation. An additional kill of in May targeted paddlefish and is primarily attributed to the excessive water flow from Truman Dam during the flooding.  Paddlefish were basically beaten to death flowing through the dam turbines.

Lake Expo Article