tapout

What are the rules? Is it launch anywhere? Big Bass? Best 5? Catch and release? Cost? There is probably all the information already on the forum somewhere, but I did not see it. Thanks

Thanks. Good info. The wind has not let up much, glad you caught a small break.

Crazy cool! Can’t imagine it. Congrats.

I have a Falcon Cara Jerkbait rod. Good shape. I just don’t use it. Like to trade for 7’ ish medium bait caster - st croix: avid x, mojo bass, or Shimano: crucial, rod. Open to trade of equal ($200) to slightly less value if it’s a rod I’d more likely use. Might even trade for a 7’ ish medium or medium light spinning rod of same caliber mentioned above. Located in Blue Eye Mo. I can meet around table rock or Branson.

Bright lights at night DO disrupt navigation. It makes it impossible to see the required navigation lights, which makes it impossible to see which direction the other boat with bright lights is actually going. In addition it hampers other boaters night vision. The water is not the road. Bright lights do reflect off the surface, there are no lanes, and there are no signs. Using a spotlight or docking lights momentarily is fine. Running with them on continuous is not, and it’s illegal. High beams help motorist see on the Hwy, but it’s illegal to just leave them on all the time. “Common sense” would be I can see better with high beams so “I” will just leave them on. Heck, why not install a couple KC flood lights on your truck and just leave those on driving down the Hwy, think of how good you could see. “Common sense, right?” Neither is boating with anything other then prescribed navigation lights.

Thanks. Yeah I’m kind of a homebody, don’t trailer more than a quarter mile to the ramp in Beardsley, but after my last few days I think a trip to Baxter is in order.

Good job hitting a few on top. I went out today near dam at daylight. No topwater love. I couldn’t graph a fish let alone catch one. I didn’t graph any bait fish for that matter. Typical spring, up one day, gone three days later. I caught 4 smallies on four different baits in four different locations. Baits that worked was grub, tube, spinner bait, keitech. Caught from 8’ to 30’ of water. No pattern just luck. Backs of coves, main lake bluffs, and main lake points. Rough.

I saw pictures

I have the triton fs21. Suits my fishing just as well as my past champion bass boat, plus has more room and deeper gunnel for the wife and grandkids. Takes big water quite well. Runs about 60 mph with a 200 yamaha. Only negatives are that full windshield really catches the wind when I’m trying to stay on a spot on windy days and my 7’ rods won’t lay on the front deck without hanging over. But the rod locker will hold a 7’2” rod. It depends on your needs/wants. Suits mine perfectly.

Well I went back Monday with my brother from 8am till 2pm. As opposed to Saturday, I barely tossed the jig at all. Fished around dam. Caught 10 total all SM and K's. Today we caught them all fishing Shaky head and Carolina rigs. 5 were keepers, 3 of em very solid. The 5 would of went 12 to 13lbs. We caught the better fish just inside the mouth of the coves in 25 fow, not actually on the points. I felt like we improved on actually patterning the fish compared to Saturday. Good fishing to all, I doubt I get back out for a week or two when it will likely be a whole new technique. Part of the fun - just figuring it out, but I always appreciate any tidbit I can get off this site. Thanks all.

Having read Babler's report a few days back about a deeper jig bight I decided to get out and try. My kids had school events in the morning so I didn't hit the water till 1pm. Launched near point 2 and fished the dam area until 5pm. The boat traffic was heavier than I expected, lot of cruisers out, and the wind was pretty steady from the southeast. Focused on numerous points 25 to 35 foot depth range. The fishing seemed really slow while out there, but in hind sight we caught 10 total with 2 keepers. It was a mix of K's, SM, and one LM. The keepers were 17 and 18 inch fish which made it not too bad. I suppose my expectations were too high. I fished a jig the entire time but my wife had more success fishing a shaky head worm. Most of our fish were caught near some sort of deep timber or brush. I have no doubt we missed quite a few bites since my trolling motor was out of the water as much as it was in the water as we bobbed up and down in the 2ft wakes that seemed to resemble peak summer. Again, I think my expectations of the lake traffic being slower were a little too high. I'm gonna work on my expectation management today at church and head back out Monday with my brother.

So with that theory point 15 to point 16? Or point 1 to point 5?

Informational and entertaining. Nice report, you know it's a good day when you don't notice an achy back.

My bass chasing has netted futile results as of late, so I tried to find some whites up the James. It was 48 degrees and rained pretty much the entire time. The water temp was 58 to 60 degrees. Fished for about 4 hours just jigging a 1/2 oz spoon. Caught lots of whites but they were scattered and they didn't make it easy. Also the average size was probably 10 inches. Much smaller than I usually see in fall up the James. Probably caught 20 - 25 total. Moved to the bank and threw a mouse color spinner bait for a bit before loading on the trailer. Caught one keeper large mouth.

I am not willing to except the karma of talking about how many rods I've kicked overboard, how many rod tips I've broken, how many sets of keys I've lost, how many cell phones I've broke, how many life jackets have blown out, how many pairs of sunglasses that just vanish, or how many times I've lost my wedding ring. Knock on wood, I shouldn't even talk about not talking about it. No sir, I'm not gonna jinx myself saying those numbers aloud.