Thanks to the GRDA
Jeff thanks the GRDA for being a longtime supporter of GrandFishingReport.com. The GRDA does a lot on the lake that we never see, and he thanks the agents patrolling the water, everybody at the hydroelectric facilities and the executive and managerial staff for supporting Grand Lake and its fisheries.
Picky fish
Haydn with Williams Guide Service says the fish have gotten pretty picky, which is nothing new. Around the second week of July they've fattened up and the water is warmer. They're still feeding, but they're lethargic, not ravenous like they are pre-spawn or post-spawn. Once you figure out where the fish are from season to season, though, you can keep capitalizing on them with GPS.
LiveScope and boat control
Jeff ran a double LiveScope rig on his last Charger V-Mag: one transducer looking straight down in a static view and one looking forward off the trolling motor. Traditional 2D sonar (black-and-white or color) has a round cone. A fish anywhere in that cone shows up, but in 30 feet of water it could be in front of, behind or beside the boat. Forward-facing and down-view live sonar has a narrow, almost board-shaped beam, so you can put a jig or lure right in front of a fish you see. The farther from the boat and the deeper the water, the harder that gets, because of line sway and the boat moving around. Boat control is the key. If you struggle to keep your lure in the strike zone, it's not that you're doing something wrong. A lot of people buy this equipment and struggle with it. The right boat helps: low-profile fiberglass boats move around on the water much less than pontoons or high-sided aluminum boats.
Catfish
Drift fishing with fresh cut Shad across the flats is good and will stay good all summer. Anywhere from Sailboat Bridge out to Goat Island is a great place to try.
Crappie
Fish the shade in the docks. The farther down the lake, the deeper you need to fish. The farther up the lake, the shallower.
White Bass
Trolling is good. Try soft plastics, inline spinners and small lipless crankbaits in the evenings.
Community
No Spoonbill or Bass reports came through the Grand Fishing Report Facebook group this week. The group is approaching (or past) 17,000 members, so come participate.