BATTLE BENEATH THE WATER ARTICLE BY JASON LEWIS

Route J Reservoir Monroe City, Mo. DIRECTIONS AND MAPS   Route J Lake News

Rt. J has many productive points and lots of useful vegetation.  Stumps are also added targets throughout.  The water level stayed high this past spring and judging from the pods of minnows I've seen, Rt. J had a great spawn!

For all day action on bass use plastic worms.  For bigger bass use crank baits, buzz baits and chompers  (skirted grubs).  Crappie are good on jigs, great on minnows.  Many bank fishing opportunities including a very productive area along the dam.  Catfish are also plentiful and not fished a lot.  The wife once snagged an 8 pounder in the tail on a rooster tail.

The lake has a concrete ramp and ample, strategic parking.  Please do not fish too close the ramp if lake is crowded.  The park is well maintained and has nice pavilions and picnic tables.

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This would be a great place to advertise your facilities.  Boats, Camping, antique shops, motels.  Become a mosportsmen advertiser today Rt. J is located two miles north of The Landing at Mark Twain.  From US 61 take highway 36 west until a left on J highway (approximately 6 miles from Monroe City).  From Highway 19 take Route EE to right on highway J past Clarence Cannon Dam, past the Landing & Harbor Inn to Rt. J Reservoir sign on left (2 miles from Landing & Harbor Inn.)

BATTLE BENEATH THE WATER
By Jason Lewis

You strategically maneuver into position as your vessel moves steadily through the early morning fog.  Armed with the latest technology, you have studied your target, envisioned yourself capturing and even devouring that target and now you prepare to launch your assault at sunrise.  Nearing the anticipated area your heartbeat quickens.  You begin to move ever so slowly, focusing in on your favorite summer fishing spot, where the fish wage war as they battle beneath the water.
 
 

In order to properly prepare for “operation angler” one must first visualize the battle beneath the water.  This battle is part of the epic tale called the “food chain.”  This daily saga often surfaces in the summer and early fall months.  Shallow flats and points are filled with waves of minnow infantry drafted and trained during the spring spawn.  These pods of fish are merely “snack packs” for surrounding bigger fish.  Those bigger fish are meals for even larger fish.  As anglers we are outside observers, players in this game of life or rather battle for life.  We trick the combatants, capturing them either for release or feast. Early one Saturday morning my nephew and I were catching a few on buzz baits in a nice cove I usually start my day in.  We moved from that cove and began a pattern I thought would produce some quality fish for us.  My summer pattern, for late morning early afternoon, is crank baits fanned all over any point that looks good.  I prefer a baby bass or perch color that stays within a 4-7 feet range.  I often follow my crank baits with plastic worms, if fishing around stumps or brush piles.  If fishing with a partner try and follow one another by casting in the same spot.  Try to hit the ring left from your buddy's splash.  I prefer Mann's augertail or manipulator rigged with a 1/0 Tru-Turn hook.

I normally start deep and work shallow.  I've heard most experts say they work shallow and catch the catchable fish first, then back off.  I rarely do that.  My theory is that fish stage at a depth relative to their shallow feeding area no matter if they are positioned in 15 feet of water or 5’.  I concentrate on using a bait that stays in the active strike zone of 4-7 foot.

My nephew and I were maneuvering our vessel waiting for our crank baits to hit that brick wall (also known as a good strike), when I couldn't help but notice the sights and sounds coming from behind us on a little flat I like to fish in the spring.  Now I'm not talking about a belly flopping carp that startles even the most seasoned angler.  I am talking about a sound so enticing that you immediately begin dialing up your trolling motor, fumbling through your tackle box and quivering like a two year old who has to go potty.  When the battle beneath the water surfaces it can cause anglers to do strange things.

As we quickly changed coordinates the situation became more apparent.  It wasn't just my favorite flat but actually sporadically popping up, over three flats, were large size schools of minnows.  The minnows were being ambushed by frenzied fish.  The local birds of prey were even mounting an aerial attack that was in itself very entertaining.  We decide after much discussion (about 2 seconds) that we were obligated to try and help these minnows survive by catching as many of their attackers as possible. We changed tactics a bit and threw spinner baits, top water, and smaller plastic worms.  We plucked a few from each school while oohing and ahhing at the “pacman” approach these aggressive fish used to eat.

For times in the fall when you see schooling fish and cannot get them to strike use tubes, floating worms rigged “wacky style” or creature baits.  Throw in the middle of the school and allow the bait to free-fall like a feather until it reaches bottom.  The theory here is that the bigger fish lie below the school and gobble up any and everything that might be in pieces or wounded by the school.  If you haven't before, rig these particular baits up weightless and watch their action as they just free fall, you might be surprised.  If that doesn't work then I recommend driving right through the middle of the school cussing and yelling and go fish somewhere that isn't as frustrating.

Jason Lewis

The latest info we have on Rt J is that the fishing is great in 2008.  There was a stocking of shad several years ago and the bass have grown fat sassy and there are quite a few of them.

	Same shore line different conditions.  You can see in the low water photo the stumps that are scattered out along this gentle sloped bank.

February 15, 2003 - June 30, 2004
Access Development Project Information
Area Name: Route J Reservoir Access

Location: 1/4 mile west of Hwy J and 5 miles south of U.S. Hwy 36 in t56N, R7W, Section 34

County: Ralls

Area Size: 85-acre lake; ~3-acre project site

Control / Ownership: Monroe City (Community Assistance Program Agreement with the Missouri Department of Conservation)

Facilities Development: Construction of one barrier-free fishing/loading dock, one Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant privy, one ADA-compliant walkway from parking lot to fishing/loading and one aggregate parking lot sufficient to park 12 vehicles and trailers; an extension to the existing concrete boat ramp; and resurfacing of existing gravel roadways. The Department of Conservation, Design & Development Division provided the project designs, and Monroe City will contract for the work.

Estimated Project Cost:
Total Project Cost: $80,000
State/local share: $20,000
Federal share $60,000

The state share will be covered entirely by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Availability to Users: Route J Reservoir receives relatively heavy use for a small public lake in northeast Missouri. It has a locally-popular camping area, and anglers often fish this lake when lake conditions or fishing at nearby Mark Twain Reservoir are poor. Even though the current boat launching facilities and associated parking areas are crude, about 60% of the fishing pressure is by boat anglers. The planned developments will improve the area's use, appearance and safety, and will better accommodate disabled users.

For additional information or to provide comments, please contact:
Marlyn L. Miller
Missouri Department of Conservation
PO Box 180
Jefferson City, MO 65109
millem@mail.mdc.state.mo.us
573-751-4115 #3164