Bull Shoals Lake has three species of black bass. Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Kentucky spotted bass. There main forage diet consist of Threadfin and Gizzard shad and also crayfish. Minnows and various sunfish species make up the balance of their diet.

Bull Shoals Lake's deep clear water requires a little different tackle than many other lakes in the country. With it's visibility that reaches up to 20 feet and more at times, light line and low visibility line is a must.  Line sizes in the 4 to 6 Lb range for your slower moving baits such as jigs and grubs, your 8 and 10 lb will work for reaction baits like spinnerbaits and crankbaits. One thing to remember is line visibility, low vis. or fluorocarbon lines are highly recommended. Leave the High vis heavy line at home. Fishing rods should be in the lite, to med lite, and med action . Longer rods will help aid you in the hook set due to there longer swing in the deep water you will be fishing.

The bait selection varies from season to season, but some of the old standby baits for the slower deeper presentations would include the good old fashion jig and pig, 3 to 4 inch twister tail style grubs and  tube jigs, Plastic worms and lizards. for your shallower water your crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and topwater baits. Color of your bait selection is very important due to the clear water. For your slow moving baits, your muted greens to browns and black and smoke produce the best. Accent colors of purple or red are a plus on these type of baits such as smoke w/ purple flake or green pumpkin w/ red flake ect. For your fast moving baits, white, shad colors with blue, black or purple and clears are best producers.  Due to the lakes unique characteristic's (and the fishes) we recommend that you wait and purchase your baits here in the area at one of the local bait shops and marinas as well as  here at the resorts store.

Once again because of the lakes clear waters, summertime temperature and lack off visible cover,  the bass have a tendency to move to the deeper cooler  more oxygen rich waters during the daylight hours. The best time to fish the lake is early morning, evening, or my favorite.... night time. The fish  in general will become more active and shallower during the low light conditions. It is quite common to see some of the more knowledgeable fisherman on the lake just heading out on the water for the evening, while the new comer's to the lake, are coming in for the day. Some good places to look for fish during the summer is in one of the many brush piles installed by the Game & Fish. Also Bluff ends,main lake points, and flats . Even at night, you might end up fishing in the 25 to 45 foot range. Some key spots to work in these areas are the hidden drop offs and ditches you might find with a good depth finder. The best baits I have found for this time of year is the good old fashion Jig & Pig combo, also plastic worms in the 8 inch length, transparent strawberry red with gold or sliver flake ( yes they can tell the difference in flake color at night) and purple with silver flake. Keep your boat over 50 foot of water ,Cast them up in about 15 foot , work them slow, and all the way back to underneath the boat. These patterns last for us until the first part of October.

 As the water starts to warm in the in mid to late March, the bass start there spring time migration to there spawning grounds in the creeks and coves that surround the lake. Early spring the bass can be found in a variety of structure, they start there migration up the creek channels to there shallow spawning grounds. depending on the water temperature they might be found in the creek channel, secondary points adjacent to the the creek channel, to the backs of creeks and coves or the actual flats themselves. A few of the baits that work at this time of the year would be smithwick rouges and long billed rebels fished in the normal stop and go fashion for the more active fish.  to twister tail grubs and jig and pig (101 Pork frog of u2 twin tail ). Light weight jig heads in the 1/8 oz size are key due to there slow fall for the cooler waters.  A little trick I use with tube jigs is not to sweep or lift the fishing rod upwards, I will slowly sweep it sideways in order to keep the bait closer to the bottom mimicking a crawdad better. As the water continues to warm into the end of April to the first of May can be found on and around there spawning grounds. Once again concentrate on and around the secondary points, drop offs , cuts and the back of coves near good spawning areas. Rock types of chunk rock, (fist size rock)  gravel, or combination of both are best. Find a area that has a transition from chunk rock to gravel with a drop off somewhere close by, you found a area to key in on. Good baits this time of year vary widely. Anything from your rouges, slow rolled spinnerbaits, grubs,  tube jigs, and pig & jig's in the 1/8 to 1/4 oz. weight work the best. Also this is a good time to start and throw a Carolina rigged lizard 4" for smallmouth, 6" for your largemouth. During periods of spring time high water when there is brush, bushes and small trees is a good time to use spinnerbaits . Always remembering that bass will use the brush as ambush points. Because of this bait proper bait placement will put many more fish in the boat. Always remember to work the brush piles closest to the deepest water for the most bights in any given area. During the post spawn period bass can be found in many different areas, from your gravel flats, points and chunk rock banks. Most of the baits mentioned above work with the addition of topwaters like    pop r's , chug bugs and zara spooks. If you see fish working the surface or chasing bait fish, they are tell you something, try some topwater.

 Early fall patterns are very similar to summer. Jig & pig's , plastic worms, Tube jigs and Hulla grubs also work this time of year. Typical fall patterns normally start in October. At this time of year fish can be caught both deep and shallow.  Feeding on shad that have balled up threw out the lake. Jigging spoons along some deeper drop offs and ledges, and points do very well. Topwater buzz baits early  in the morning have more than caught there fare share of bass. One thing that helps all the time but is especially true for the fall time is Wind. Fish the windy banks and pockets. My all time favorite windy condition pattern is to put the trolling motor on 3/4 to high speed, take a 3/4 to 1 oz. spinnerbait with a number 6 or 7 willow blade , make a long cast in front of the boat at a 45 degree angle, reel it in just about as fast as you can,  and hold on. One thing that is a must when doing this is that the spinnerbait must run absolutely true, if it runs on its side  just a little , you simply wont get the hits.

If all the above fails, you can do what has accounted for probably more fish caught on Bull Shoals. take a split shot a few feet above a bare hook , nose hook a night crawler threw the nose, fish it on some of those same ledges , drop offs and points , and catch fish.........