Heat
It's hot, man. Hardly anyone is out midday except folks on Wave Runners, pulling tubers or floating by the dock soaking in the water, and even Grand Lake's water is warming fast, with surface temps pushing 85 to 90 degrees. The dog days bring light wind, but a little breeze and 90 degrees wouldn't hurt. Driving from Greenwood, Arkansas back to Wister, Oklahoma this week, Jeff saw 107 degrees on the highway. His sons Haydn (Williams Guide Service) and Owen (Grand Glass Cleaning) say it's been really warm at the lake too.
Guide news
Haydn has been on a well-deserved vacation in Florida. He and Jeff's youngest son Owen caught saltwater fish, including mahi-mahi and red snapper, and did some bowfishing for stingrays.
Catfish
Other guides around the lake are catching a lot of Catfish suspended or anchored on top of humps, fishing cut shad or live shad.
White Bass
Sand Bass fishing is on fire. With a little breeze early morning or evening, drag a small swimbait or a lipless crankbait around. They come right to the top in the evenings feeding on shad, especially where breeze blows plankton onto the banks. With a breeze blowing into the bank, Governor's Island in summer evenings is really hard to beat, as long as Jeff can remember. You can do it from a WaveRunner, pontoon or runabout. Watch your depth finder, because some of those points get really shallow. Don't get too close to the bank, and use the markers between Governor's Island and Snake Island to see where to stay. If you've never been, idle up and watch everybody trolling to get the idea. Take the kiddos out. Jeff has fond memories of summer-evening trolling there with his parents and grandparents when school was out. White inline spinners, small swimbaits and tiny lipless crankbaits all produce. Other good spots are Sweetwater, Goat Island, the shallow gravel bars around the Bernice Bridge and the islands from Sailboat Bridge to Patricia Island. South breezes in the afternoon and evening push plankton onto the banks, the Shad follow the plankton, and the White Bass follow the Shad. Get them home, clean them and cut out the red meat, and they're pretty dang good eating.
Dog days
It's the dog days of summer around Grand Lake, with a little cooler weather moving in. If Jeff misses a week, it's because there isn't much new to report.