kjackson

Just paid a visit to our place on the creek. The visibility is about 8 inches, and the water is lower than normal for this time of year, so be careful if you're not familiar with the channel in the upper end. There didn't seem to be a lot of trash floating, which is a good thing. The creek itself is fairly clear, so maybe things will change a bit.

Caught my two largest redfish last week in Venice at Redfish Lodge...a 45 and 42. Netted a 51 for the guide and saw a 40+ take a topwater 10 feet from the boat. Needless to say, I had a blast.

Bring it back to Clinton, please...

I've not fished for walleyes in Missouri yet, so take this at face value. I have done a lot of walleye fishing back in Washington and Oregon as well as quite a bit in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and I sure that some of what I've learned will work here. This time of the year, I would rely on jigs, casting and doing the pull-and-drop in areas were I could make fish. Curly-tail grubs and ringworms would work, or see if you can find some of the tubes that look like overgrown crappie tubes (the ones I have are a little over tw inches long). I think it's essential to tip the jig with something like a nightcrawler chunk or a minnow. Up north, they swear by minnows this time of the year. After the spawn, I'd pick shad-style baits such as the Shad Rap (duh), Flicker Shad (really like this) or something like the discontinued Rebel Shad-R. I would think that the minnow-style baits off a three-way rig would be good as well. As the water warms, more active baits would come into play: the Hot N Tot, the Mag Lip, the ¼-ounce Hot Lips (discontinued), Wally Diver and similar lures would be good. Once the fish begin feeding actively, I'd rely on spinners a lot. RPS has some articles posted on OAF that give you a lot of info and definitely are worth reading. Spinners can be so deadly that they are a must, IMO. Of course, you can still use jigs during the summer months, and that is a fun way to fish. However, you really need to tip them with a nightcrawler chunk or a leech. And there are lots of other lures/techniques that are worth mentioning: jerk baits and blade baits like the Heddon Sonar or Silver Buddy can be deadly as will jigging spoons, and the Jigging Rap is also reported to be excellent. Rattle baits like the Rat-L-Trap and Red Eye Shad great. Three-way rigs trailing something like a FlatFish or a Floating Rapala should do well. And there were a couple of big tournaments won by guys trolling big spinnerbaits through standing timber on lead core. It's almost a situation where just about any reasonable lure will catch walleyes when it's matched to the situation and time of year.

Here's my take: If it were my boat, I'd use marine ply because I'd only want to do the replacement once. While ACX might work, it has its problems for marine use. You only have to search for Lund boats and transom issues to see that. That same search probably will indicate why you MUST seal the decking, whatever you use. If you want the plywood to work long term, all sides should be sealed with extra emphasis on the edges. Epoxy is more expensive than other sealants, but it is waterproof, while other fiberglass resins are not, or so I'm told. There are boat-building sites that can link to epoxy sales. I like www.bateau2.com as the forum there is extremely helpful; it's a good place to ask questions and do research. RAKA and US Composites also sell epoxy as does Duckworks. Another issue with fir or pine plywood--and this includes marine ply as well as ACX and BCX-- is that even when sealed with epoxy, the surface will check after a year or so. There folks at Bateau recommend covering fir ply with a lightweight fiberglass cloth. I would think that using a bed liner material might be less trouble and just as effective, but I'm shooting from the hip on that.

Welcome to the area...save yourself a drive. RP Lumber in Clinton is supposed to carry ½-inch marine ply--or they can order it. Heavier ply shouldn't be necessary unless you've got a large span to cover. If there are supports under the decks, ½-inch should be all you need. Treat both sides with marine epoxy thinned a bit on the first coat for better penetration and make sure to treat the edges.

I just finished re-reading Brewer's book on his do-nothing technique, and one version he mentions is the "reverse" do-nothing--where you cut off the tail of the worm and thread to head portion of the worm on the jig. That is very Neddish...and something that dates from the '60s. There are many old methods of finesse-style fishing that aren't talked about any more but still work. It's all marketing and popular perception. I love the hype on the "Damiki rig", for instance, again, it's marketing.

So here's a question-- does it matter to the white bass where the eyes are located? I know that if you tie the eyes forward toward the hook eye you get a jigging motion, but when you tie the eyes in further back toward the bend, you get more of a glide.

I've fished out of Venice half a dozen times and am going back in March and probably again in October. When a bull redfish hits, it's like being shocked with 120. They are incredibly strong...and I've been out for tuna three times. The first two were OK, but the last one had me moaning. We got into blackfin near a shrimp boat, and after catching two on spinning gear and a Rat-L-Trap, I was worn out. Then I thought I'd try one more cast and hooked the largest black of the trip. I've always gone with a group, but this time I'm staying an extra day and getting a guide to show me some areas that I can access for trout and reds that will work for my boat.

It does. I was in there waiting for a meeting to start elsewhere, and it was better than I expected. The guy behind the counter was busy talking to a customer, and he seemed to know what he was talking about. The prices on materials were fly shop prices, so I'd go to the local shop first.

Nice; it's always rewarding to see your creation at work. I have some of the Northland jigs that have the prop blade, but they are made for a grub body, and the hooks aren't premium, at least on the ones I have.

Thanks; I only need to size it for #2 hooks. Do you just use one sheet of 2mm? I cruised around the Hareline Dubbin website for an article I'm writing and saw that they have a set of cutters for crease flies. The wholesale price was, um, high. I've not checked with any online fly shops, so I don't know how much they retail for. I can see if you were tying hundreds of them a year that a cutter would be a good idea. I'm wrapping a couple of rods, so I will have epoxy left over.

I'm leaning toward the deep-vee in an aluminum hull. That style of boat is what I'm used to setting up for what I want to do. I really like the idea of a jon, especially for fly fishing, but I can adapt.

Back to poppers, or at least crease flies. The only sheet foam I've found--besides the quarter-inch stuff-- is two millimeters thick. Is this thick enough? I am thinking of taking two sheets and then gluing the buggers together before cutting the pattern. Will that work?

I've been dithering about buying a boat because I want either a walleye-style vee hull or a mod-vee jon. Every time I figure that it's time to get off the fence, I change my mind. I really want both, but, well, I'm married. It's much easier sneaking a new rod in the house than a second boat. My problem is that I will do the standard casting-from-the-front deck thing but also need to troll. I also have a couple of requirements because the lake cabin is on a cob-rough road.