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If you fish... and use a hook, any hook, barbless or not, fly or lure, you will kill a fish every once in a while. You can do the best you can- wire cutters, barbless, forceps, fancy hook removers... but if the fish takes the hook in the gills or deep in the tongue, it will die. The best way to not kill fish when fishing... cut the hook at the bend and settle for just strikes.

I do need a lesson - Maramec is one of the state parks- yes. The spring is another trout fishery but is a day-pay or just part of MDC's special trout program? Do the springs merit their own forum?

Teams... is there a tournament going on? I don't know LOZ well at all- does lower lake mean around the dam?

I wanted to provide a section of the forum for posting helpful sites like artwork... which is a love of mine. I see where Al Agnew signed up as a member of the forum. He has a gift that would bless any outdoor lover... and so I wanted to post a link to his site. Al Agnew's Collections

Are you looking for new or old thin fins. They are out of production because Storm went out of business. The new ones I've found on line are $8.50+??!! There are some on ebay -- old and new ones. You might find a "deal" there. I'll keep looking in my catalogs.

There are a ton of waters to cover in the Ozarks and I've listed a bunch. I hope it's not too overwhelming but I am planning on promoting the forum in new areas and fill in the gaps. Hopefully we'll have a healthy, busy & an informative forum soon.

Sorry - yes. Jeremy isn't planning on missing any classes thru the holidays. Hopefully he'll get a computer soon to answer his own questions.

we need to plan a OzarkAnglers float this spring on the Buffalo. I haven't floated the Buffalo for a couple of years now and would love to. And what better reason to plan a trip with friends... new and old. So in the coming months, let's pull together and make plans to do a float. I'm thinking April or May. Just hope we get some rain between now and then.

Sorry- was doing some remodeling... hope it's alittle clearer. pl

ok- I plugged the other cam in last night and didn't get the camera turned on until just now. It's back up. There's big shad under there today. The signal isn't as clear today- some static you might see on some shots.

Just a quicky... fished with JJ and Babler this am from the Narrows to Lookout using scuds mainly and caught a few rainbows... wasn't as good as Sat and Sun for the Johnson group but was decent. On the way up, across from Short Creek, we happened upon these turkeys. Awefully tame- got within 30 feet of them before they scampered into the woods. John and the girls barely got their loot into the trucks... the girls shopped longer than the boys fished this weekend. Hope they got all the way back to Kingfisher without something blowing out!!

A good friend of mine who loves to fish for big trout fished the Norfork Tailwater this past weekend with 12 of his college buddies. He reported to me that the Norfork was down most of the weekend but the fishing was spotty. Their biggest trout was a 21 inch rainbow and next was a 19 inch brown. That's 4 days of fishing, 13 guys. He said the White ran all weekend so they didn't go over there. I don't mean to blow my own horn, being here on Taneycomo, but Randy even said he wished they'd come here. Crowds are way down... tons of fish and the water has been off most if not all of the time. Not trying to get your business... just sharing what I've heard. Jimmy T. may have a different view though. Chime in, JT!

Buster took 3rd in the Pro/Am yesterday (Sunday) weighing in 5 spots at 13.80. He said he caught his fish near Kim City- mouths of the White and James, fishing the main river channel off small points. He found his fish 50-55 feet deep and caught them on a Chomper's white GitZit, 1/2 oz lead head. He fished for them verticle, finding them on his graft first. He said the 1-2 place guys caught their fish shallow- I assume they were up in the creeks further.

Lilleys' WebCam This is something I've been working on for quite a while... alot of time and money has gone into it and still have some to go. This camera is set under our cleaning shack on the bottom. It's mounted in a metal frame, guarded by a grate and a fish aquatium. Curtis, our go-to-guy here at the resort has come up with most of the planning and building of the frame and mount. I am researching video capture cards right now. We hope to have this image streaming within the next couple of weeks. This morning there are alot of trout under the dock but at times there are none... kinda like fishing. The water is very murky, normal for this time of year. Later in the spring and summer, the water will be very clear. Our unknown right now is what happens when we get 4 units and lots of current. Enjoy.

I have an article on night fishing under the Taneycomo forum- you might start there. As for night fishing, first have your casting down pretty good cause even the intermediate caster will be challenged the first time he or she throws line into the darkness. It's all feel. Second, fish Taney in the daytime and learn at least some of the lake pertaining to the bottom. You don't want to step where you shouldn't and you don't want to be fishing in 3 inches of water unknowingly. Get my drift. If you want to get educated fast, hire a guide the first time and he'll show you a few things. See the guide section off ozarkanglers's homepage for info on guides. Brian or Jeremy would be glad to take you. Moon phazes- I think everyone will have their opinion. Mine is I like no moon to half moon or cloudy nights. I have done well with a full moon but not as often.

Buster is the pro... just called him and asked- He heard some guys put in at K Dock yesterday and caught their limit(s) using stick baits so the answer is a big YES. Channel banks. And these guys who fished really didn't know what they were doing- so Buster says. Report back!!

I will... may be in a couple of weeks.

For ten years now, I've been floating the Eleven Point River quite a bit, and getting to know the wild trout area pretty well. The scenery is gorgeous, but I've always wondered what lay in the land beyond the riverbanks. The past year or so, I've been entertaining the idea of hiking to the area of one of my favorite spots, just above Mary Decker Shoal (a mile aboveTurner's Mill). I recently discovered that in the past few years, a section of the Ozark Trail, called the Eleven Point River loop, has been added but has rarely been used. The forestry service said that the hike to my intended area from Greer Campground (Hwy 19 bridge area) would be no more than four miles and would be relatively easy. I got the topographical map of the area (Greer quadrangle, available at Springfield Blueprint for $4 or at the Forest Service office in Winona, 573-325-4233). It showed an old logging road to the area, too, running with the trail a large portion of the way. Sunday afternoon, accompanied by my (retired Army Special Forces) friend Pete Rothrock and my unfaithful lab Ringo, we packed our way in with 50-pound packs, reaching the destination in about two hours. We made a few shortcuts off the trail, including crossing a feeder stream and a brushy area that wouldn't be passable in summer months due to plant growth. Bill Whitaker and his teenage son, Luke, met us at our campsite Monday morning. Staying on the main trail, it took them about 2 1/4 hours to reach it. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking, and other than a few horse droppings, we saw no recent use of the area. You can camp anywhere in the area, so long as you try to stay out of view of the river, and use "leave no trace" camping principals. More information about area use rules is available throughout the area Forest Service Office in Winona, on hwy 19 north of hwy 60, 573-325-4233. As for the fishing, I would call it slow. Water was very low and clear for this time of year. It was about a foot lower than when I was there two weeks ago, and fishing action much slower. I managed to catch about ten fish total, one in the 18" range. The usual large Princes, black stoneflys, and egg patterns produced fish. I did see a variety of small caddis and mayfly hatches, but no rises to them. Although the nights were well below freezing, I did manage to pick up some ticks, so apparently this winter's snow didn't get all of them. Bummer. We hiked back, staying on the main trail on Tuesday, enjoying the beautiful sun, and wondering why I'd packed the extra rain gear. Overall, the trip was very rewarding, and I now have a much better feeling for all that scenery I've been floating by for the last decade. I'd still recommend floating it for the best fishing, because of thick bamboo and thickets around some of my favored areas. I'd suggest you do this hike only in late fall, winter, or early spring, due to foliage and pests. Seeing the ruins of an old cabin and knowing that people once worked the land there made me have a better understanding of what life was like there fifty years or more there. The area was logged up until the fifties, and the trees were mostly pine, according the forest service. The hardwoods we see now are a result of their takeover after the pines were removed. Only occasionally will you see a pine in this forest. As for the low points of the trip, I learned to not let my dog lay on my brand-new army cold-weather liner (he chewed it up), and that some dogs think they're meant to retrieve fish and flies too. Several of the fish I caught surely have a story to tell their grandkids. I'm doing a program about flyfishing for wild trout there for the Ozark Paddlers Club, on Thursday, April 12, 7 pm, at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center. That same night, our club president, Steve Jensen, will be doing a program for SMFF on saltwater fly fishing.

There are several hazards when fishing in the winter, most notably falling in the steam in zero degree weather in a remote area, but there are a few others that a fishermen need to heed. Avoid Sweating: Dress in layers, so that you can add or remove clothing. Breaking out in a sweat after a long walk will cause a chill when your body cools down. Breathable clothing that lets the moisture out is worth the investment. I do not recommend sweat pants or sweat shirts for winter fishing. They are great to help keep you warm if they remain dry, but if they get wet there is no drying them out and wet clothes will lead to a very cold body. Extra Clothing: I always take extra winter clothing and keep it in the truck or in a water proof bag if we are floating. The items include: A Large beach towel, Long underware, heavy socks, extra gloves, heavy sweat pants and a heavy hooded sweat shirt, along with an insulated pair of gore-tex wind pants and an insulated gore-tex wind jacket. It doesn't matter if I am fishing at Bennett Spring or on a remote float trip I always take my emergency clothes. I have yet to use them, but there is comfort knowing that they are available. Emergency items: I carry a cigarette lighter, for a stream side fire to warm my hands and body, a pocket knife which can be used for several things, including to help create tender for the fire, especially on wet days. Toilet paper for the obvious, but it also can be used as tender, and a cell phone, which I only use for emergencies. I never make calls nor do I receive calls when I am fishing. I prefer to remove myself from that world when I am on the stream. I have a small first aid kit, mostly for small cuts, or hook removal. Notice the danger signs: If you are having a hard time concentrating, or tying a fly on because your shivering, OR if you cannot feel the end of your fingers it is time to take a break, get out of the water and warm up. No fish is worth hypothermia. High Water: Winter brings lots of moisture and high water. I carry a wading staff in my truck when I am fishing high water. Actually it is just a stick I found on the stream that a beaver had cut. A staff can get in the way sometimes, but it is a valuable tool when the water is high and the CFS has increased above normal levels. Remember to cross at the bottom of the pool and not the head of the pool. Buddy: There are two situations when I fish, that I prefer to have a friend along. One is at night and the other is during the winter. Both situations can be very dangerous if an accidental dunking occurs. Yes I have fished many nights alone and many winter days alone, but I always feel more comfortably when I have a buddy, just in case. Be Aware of TRAPS: In a story I shared on my website I tried to make fishermen aware of FUR TRAPS in the winter. What in the world does trapping have to do with fishing? Nothing I guess as long as you don't step in trap. But how many fishermen realize, or even think about traps set along the river during the winter months for beaver, otters, mink or muskrats. I know I don't think about it until I see those makers along the bank. I took a couple of pictures of a trap line just so fishermen will realize what the bright red markers are for. I wouldn't bother walking over to investigate if I was you. You never know where the trap is set. Sometimes they are on the bank and sometimes they are out away from the bank in the water. I suggest that you keep a wide berth, the trapper doesn't need your scent around his trap and beside "your hide won't fetch much on the market", as they say in the Ozarks. Winter fishing is usually quite, and usually slow, but it is a special time when large fish can be caught if you are in the right place at the right time and you have patience. "A bad day fishing is still a great day"

As March roars in like a lion, Table Rock lake is set to return to the fishing prominence it once held. 2003 winter tournaments as well as early 04 results have been excellent. Tourney bags of 22 to 24 lbs. are needed to win most buddy or pro-am events and it takes just a pretty good poke of fish to even cash a check in most tourneys. Starting the week of March 1st. The BASS top 150 boys are in town in search of bass for mega-bucks. They will find the largemouth bass population in good shape, with 3 good years of recruitment. Smallmouth and the spotted bass are in great shape as usual. If your headed to the rock in March thru May, here is a tip or two that will get your string stretched as you fling hardware around the lake. As the bass start to move in transition from their winter deep haunts to spring spawning grounds several stops occur along the way. Warm sunny, breezy days will find bass moving into the creek arms working chunk rock banks in search of crayfish.. Wiggle Warts or wide wobbling crank baits fished in an erratic manner will trigger these seafood lovers to try a taste of your hard plastics. Jigs and Hula grubs fished in creepy crawler fashion in these same areas are also attractive to calorically challenged bass. Main lake fish will start to relate to channel swing and transition banks. Timber is always nice but not a must. If a large flat spawning cove is in relation to the channel swing that is an excellent place to start looking. Fish the transition from where the channel hits the bank to where it leaves the bank. By transition I mean where bluff face goes to chunk and were chunk turns to gravel. Don’t be nervous if your boat is in 90 ft. of water, this is Table Rock. These fish will move up and just cruse the bank. If there is timber there, they will use the area between the timber and the bank as a hi-way. Fish from the bank thru the timber using a suspending stickbait. Colors range from bright white and chartreuse on sunny days to darker colors like purples, blacks, and golds on more over cast days. Swimming a C-tail grub in these same locations on a 1/4 oz jib head sometimes will catch huge stringers of fish.At this time of year never pass a cedar in these locations as the bass relate to these bushy hideholes. Last week I had a great day on the rock just fishing the cedars. When fishing cedars don’t be impatient. Cast your stickbait past the tree and reel it down dangerously close if not even into the tree. Let it sit for up to 30 seconds and just twitch the bait in the tree. Watch the line closely as strikes will be light and you may only see your line twitch or move slightly. What a great way to catch a really big fish. My best five last week were over 25lbs. As the water continues to warm the fish will become more active and start to move from the transitions to the spawning coves. Sinkos, flukes, sluggos and other soft plactic jerk bates will start to really catch these fish. Don’t forget our own Table Rock Chompers. These soft plastic twin tailed grubs fished either on a jig head or as a trailer on a jig are unbeatable. There crayfish appearance along with the scent are really a hit with the Table Rock bass. Fish these grubs in craydaddy looking places in either a drag or a chopping motion. The wart is still going good at this time and so will A-Bombers or any of the high dollar lipped cranks, in crayfish colors. Late April and May brings on the site fisherman and also the tried and true mojo rig, carolina rig or the split shotters. Site fisherman can use small tubes, 4 inch worms crayfish shaped soft plastics and sluggos to aggravate bedding fish. Pinks and whites are good colors at this time, as not only can the fish see them, but so can the angler. Top water spitters are also great in making these fish bite. Good dragging colors for the rigs tends to run in watermelon, green punkin and cotton candy. It is extremely hard to beat the zoom fish doctor. When dragging, Cenepedes, and finesse worms run a close second but take my advise go to the Dr. When fishing the Dam area of Table Rock from late March thru May, if you don’t have a C-tail grub on a 1/4oz jig head swimming flat gravel you haven’t lived. Grub colors from cotton candy to green pumpkin are fantastic for the huge smallmouth that live there. Position your boat in the 20 ft. of water range and cast to the bank. Slowly retrieve the bait so it follows the couture of the bottom back to the boat. Hang on. You will catch fish. If you haven’t fished the rock or fear deep clear lakes, this is the time to come to the beautiful Ozarks. Take my advice for the spring of 04 and come and fling the rock, there has never been a better time.

We all have our favorites-- mine are many really-- I'd rather fly fish than anything. And in that I dearly love dry fly fishing. Then there's spin fishing. Working a jig using light line in clear water-- dancing it off the bottom, over rocks and snags and seeing it inhaled by a fish takes my breath. And there's bait casting for bass--striped, black, brown or spotted-- all with topwater lures. It's like quail busting beneath your feet-- the exploding of a fish on a spook or red fin. Nothing like it. There's a common thread that flows through all the types of fishing I've mentioned and it's this: You can see what's happening-- you can see the lure-- you can see the strike. Your senses are keened in on exactly what's happening with what you're doing. There's an anticipation when fishing with these lures that's not there when fishing baits you can't see. Right?! There's another bait that's on top of my list to fish, one that not allot of people either use or know how to use. And that's a sluggo. It's a soft plastic bait in the jerk bait family of lures. Jerk because that's what you do with it- you jerk it. There are several sizes and lots of colors but they're all used the same way--jerked through the water drawing a strike. Lately, I've been using them for catching white bass. Blue rebels are more common for whites in these parts. People used the same action with rebels as do on sluggos- jerk or twitch them erratically. Same principle but in my experience, the sluggo catches more whites than hard plastic lures. Why? I think the sluggo, a 3-inch version for whites, is less intrusive. It's slim body and fluid motion doesn't send fish running the other way when darting through the water. I mentioned an important word earlier- "erratic". Ever notice a white bass, how erratic is it. When they're on a bait, they tend to dart back and forth, inspecting all sides of your lure, to only pull off at the last minute. That erratic behavior is why I believe sluggos are so deadly. Now for the hard part.... making them irresistible. I use an ultra light rod with a soft tip and 3-4 pound line. To be real honest, I haven't found a good hook to use yet- ideally you need a #4 or #6, straight, medium shanked hook with a bait saver barb. I've been using a regular short shanked hook #89 with a bait saver but the twist in the hook tends to twist my line. Hook the sluggo through the head and out the belly, leaving the bend and the barb exposed. The instructions on the sluggo packaging says to used a Texas style hook and hook it accordingly but I think it takes away from the action of the bait. I also used a small #3/0 split shot about 18 inches from the bait to keep it below the surface of the water. Working the bait: Using just the tip of the rod, wiggle the rod tip, making about 3 jerks per second and reeling at the same time. Here's the key-- always work the bait with slack in the line. You know how you work a spook? The slack line at the end of the jerk allows the bait to turn to the side-- same with the sluggo. If you can invision this-- the first part of the "wiggle" picks up the slack line, the middle jerks the sluggo forward but before the bait gets settled, the line is then slack again so it goes whatever direction it's pointed- not necessarily forward. This makes it erratic. Now the strike. It's difficult to "feel" a sluggo strike because of the slack-line technique. That's why it's important to keep the bait somewhat in view. When there's a glare, I look for a silver flash. When a white first stalks a sluggo, it follows directly behind and beneath it. When it takes the bait, it turns to the side. That's when you set the hook. I don't usually "wall bash" when setting this hook because of the light line. I merely pull with a hard, sweeping motion. If you can't see at all, be sensitive to a tightening of the line. I have to tell another story about sluggos. I used to travel down to Lake Texoma on the Texas-Oklahoma border every May and fish below the dam in the Red River for stripers. Best water conditions was hard, fast water from water being released from the dam. Some of the locals used big pencil poppers, big deer hair jigs under floats and live bait with big surf rods and reels with 30-pound test line. They laughed when we showed up with what us Missourians had. We pulled out our sluggos (6-inch) and with our medium weight spin tackle and 6-pound line, we caught striper, from the bank, on almost every cast for 3 days. At first the locals got mad because we were out fishing them 10 to 1. Then they'd leave and come back with sluggos in hand. I understand the local Wal Mart and other bait stores in the area sold out of sluggos that weekend. If you haven't already, add some sluggos to your box and give it a try. Try them on trout too. I've caught some nice rainbows and browns down on the White River in Arkansas using small sluggos. Just watch the trophy areas and restrictions on soft plastics.

Here I sit on the 2nd of March. The snow is flying and the fish are biting. Bass Pro's annual spring tournament is going on this weekend, and lots and lots of good quality fish are being caught. Stringers in the 16- to 23-pound range are the norm, rather than the exception. Winter time deep fishing has been very good this year with a class of largemouth and spotted bass that are at the keeper range and beyond. Deep trees on bluff ends and channel swings on the James and White rivers have been great holding spots for these wintering bass. Most of these fish have been suspended in the treetops in the 45-to 60-foot range. I don't mean the water depth, I mean the treetops. As light penetration increases as we ease into the spring season, and as the water warms, these fish are starting to move from their deep haunts. In the tourny today lots of fish are being caught by swimming a C Tail grub and jerking a rogue. For the grub fishing, a four-inch grub using a 1/4 to 3/16-ounce head seems to have the best sink rate. Fish this bait where the channel moves into the bank. If there are trees present and a good transition from vertical bluff to chunk rock, or gravel is present, these are the best places for this technique. Swim the grub 100 yards either side of where the channel hits and leaves the bank. (Yes, I know its 80 feet deep. ) Cast the grub either parallel or across the points and count it down to the 30-foot mark, which is usually about to the count of 10. Engage the reel, raise the rod tip and let the grub swim back to the boat. You will lose some baits in the treetops. A lot of times the bait will just feel heavy with no distinct tug. I fish this deep grub on eight-pound line and I lose plenty. It is a excellent way to catch big pre-spawn bass as they start to move up from that 50-foot range. If any wind is present, fish the rogue in similar locations. Keep the following in mind: channel, wind, transition, spawning banks. Wind is a very important element when fishing a rogue. Wind is certainly not a must but is great to have. When looking for a rogue area, with imagination you can visualize fish highways. Let me "splain." As bluff areas start to soften and go to chunk rock near points, these are very good areas to prospect the rogue. You will notice that on almost all our bluffs there will be a set of pole timber usually 30 to 40 feet from shore. Between the shore and this structure are bass highways. Work the rogue from the bank, through the highway and out through the pole timber. Be prepared for a strike at any point of the retrieve. Long casts are good since they get and keep the suspending stickbait in the strike area for most of its journey back to the boat. Shallow-to medium- running stickbaits impart some of the best action. The spoonbill at times can work well, but it is a physically taxing bait to work all day. With transitions and highways in mind, look for areas that go from the chunk rock to gravel or where gravel is present in the chunk rock mixture. Both cedar and hardwood trees can be present in these areas and can enhance their fish holding ability. I would love to have a buck for every bass that has been pulled from a cedar on a rogue. Not all cedars hold fish, however. Cedars in good bass highways are the best. As far as rogues are concerned, chartreuse-bellied rogues seem to work really well. Purple, blue, black and white backs all work in the chartreuse combination. As the water works into the mid-50s, and the fish start to move from the transitions into the flat spawning coves, fish the outer third of these coves and work back until the fish stop biting. Prospect these areas with crank baits and Slugo soft plastics. Fish the crank baits in an erratic motion with stops and starts to simulate the movement of a crawfish. Crawfish colors, chartreuse and reds, work well at this time. Soft plastics will also start to take some really nice fish. Slugos, flukes and other suspending soft plastics in white and chartreuse seem to work best. On large areas of flat gravel or off points and wind swept areas, swimming the same C Tail grub along the bottom can net some very nice small mouth, with quite a few spots thrown in for good measure. Swimming minnows in motor oil and gray will catch small mouth, goggle eye and lots of spotted bass. The dam area seems best for this grub swimming, but it also works well in the Campbell Point area. Campbell Point to Eagle Rock seems to start a bit quicker on the warm-up as fish will get on a Carolina rig up there just a bit quicker than the dam area, but that is for another day . . . Until the water hits the mid-50s, think slow on the grub and rogue bite. On the rogue most takes will happen as the bait sits motionless after you have jerked the bait. Most of us think that a bait has to be in constant motion to get a fish to strike, but nothing could be further from the truth. Bass will eagerly take the rogue as it sits motionless after the jerking presentation. Most shad in cold water will simulate these erratic movements. It is not uncommon to let the rogue sit for periods of 10 to 20 seconds. When fishing these suspending baits, confidence is a huge factor. Just knowing that you will get a bite always helps. At no time on Table Rock will you have a much better chance of catching a big fish, other than fishing for actively spawning fish.

The Spawn is on. First flight landed with the full moon on April 26th. Last departure is scheduled for the full moon in May. Yes, the spawn is over a month long. The good Lord takes care of his own. Different dates and different depths is the key to survival in nature. We are catching post-spawn, pre-spawn and bedding fish as we now speak. If you can get yourself down here in the next three weeks the possibility of getting all over the top of these rascals is pretty good. Entire White River Arm from the dam to Eagle Rock, thru the second week of June. Dam area; swim that 3-inch grub early and often. Clouds and wind really help. Toss it to the bank on major spawning banks and post spawn points and I bet you might get bit. Red Smoke Pepper, Grey, Salt and Pepper, and Green Pumpkin. I swim it on a 1/4-oz head and 6 lb. Pline. You can expect some nice smallies, kentuckys and lots of goggle eye in the dam to Kimberling City area. Rest of the river, count out the gogs. On bright days and if the grub flops you can always go to the ole standby the split-shot rig, the carolina rig or the mojo-rig. Who cares what it’s called, it works. I fish it on a spinning rig, with 8-lb Pline and use a 1/4-oz; weight and a number 1-worm hook. I prefer the Eagle Claw Laser lite. Cheap and needle sharp. If they inhale the thing, just clip it off. DON’T MAKE THAT FISH BLEED. Best bugs for the rig are the finesse worm, centipede and fish dr. A lizard in 4 and 6 inch will also get some nips. I like green pumpkin, watermelon candy, and snot. I think that may be a new color. With the start of summer let’s go to mid-June. As the fish move from the spawn they will return to pre-spawn areas like bluff ends and cove mouths. They will also break from these locations and follow the bait, shad. They will also feed early and late as the light really penetrates the water and makes these fish early and late feeders. It also will position the fish when it comes, on the thermalcline. This bodes well for the deep bait fishermen. They will key on some of the winter areas such as channel swings, humps, bluff ends, and deep trees. Live night worms, crayfish, and the new drop shot rig with small ringworms or meatheads shook in the face of these suspended fish will cause them to react in a most appropriate manner. I fish the live bait on a No 4-bait holder, and use a 1/4-oz split to get it to the trough. A lot of times the rod will just load and you will feel heavy on the rig rather than a tug, tug, type of bite. On the drop shot, lower it to the fish and just shake the rod tip, don’t jerk it like a spoon, just a slight shake will get the most of this rig. The 8-lb Pline still works. On the drop shot, you can use a 1/4 or a 3/16th. At the end with 2 baits up the line usually about 18 inches apart. Two works better than one as it stabilizes the rig and helps prevent line twists. Summer also brings my favorite fishing, the top-water attack. My favorite top- water appetizers are the spook, chug bug, pop-R, spitting image, and of course the red fin. Colors that work on the Rock are clear, bone, blue, green, and white. The mouth of large coves, major creek mouths. Bluff ends and main lake channel, all get schooling activities from these top-water shad chasers. I have no idea how many times I have seen one fish chasing in the main channel, and wheeled the bass rocket around and caught a bucket of bass. A bucket being more than one, depending on the size of the bucket. Always have that grub rig ready as sometimes they just don’t want the surface bait and will hit a subsurface grub. You can fish it by smoking it thru the area or by just casting it out there and letting it swim its way back to you on a raised rod. You will just have to see what works as it can change as rapidly as the weather. On these schooling chasing fish, don’t cast past these fish and then bring the bait to the location. Just hit them in the head with the bait or anticipate the direction they are headed and throw there. They are fast movers and by the time you work the bait in a politically correct manner to the rising fish, they will be gone. The better you can cast the more you will catch. A spoon is also a good tool to keep handy, as you can throw this a mile. My son is great at the top-water game, as he is very patient. While I am fan casting and throwing here and there, he is waiting for fish to rise near the boat. When one does this, my bait is half way to Birmingham and he will just toss over and catch the fish. Enjoy the end of the spring season and then get your feet set for great summer top-water and deep action on one of the best-spotted bass lakes in the world.

Remember when we were kids and played pickup ball? There was always a kid on my block whom I'd want on my team -- the best hitter, and fielder, the best shot and ball handler. Buster Loving is one of those kids when it comes to fishing (and softball). You definitely want him on your team in a boat! Ever since I've known Buster Loving, which is about six years, he has impressed clients and competitors with his ability to catch fish on a lure called a rogue made by Smithwick. What is a rogue? For those who aren't acquainted with this long, skinny "stick bait," it comes in three sizes and in a variety of colors. They can be made to dive deep, medium or shallow depending on the bill size and angle. But you won't find any stock-colored rogues in Buster's tackle box -- he paints his own. Loving doesn't just put a new coat of paint of his baits. He strips the lure naked and removes the bill, hooks and eyes. Then he takes off all the original paint and skillfully uses an air brush to apply new shades of purple, orange, red, white, chartruese and yellow. He cuts his own bill from clear plastic to his specifications and places it back on the bait to work the way he wants. Then bigger and sharper hooks are added and even new eyes -- usually red in color and a little larger than the original manufacturer's. Are you asking ... does he sell his baits? He does to local tournament fishing friends at $15 a pop. And, yes, he can't keep up with demand. And no- he's not interested in selling to the public. But he does offer his baits to fund raising events such as the Branson Trout Unlimited Chapter's banquet in the fall. Do these new, custom colors work on walleye? Yes! And they work on bass, crappie, white bass and even trout. But is his success just in the colors or does the way Loving handles the baits have anything to do with his success? The answer is in how Loving works these baits. Fishing with him on several occasions, I see why his right arm is twice the size of his left (just kidding). This is where the name "jerk bait" is coined. The lure is jerked down to the depth desired -- eight feet, 12 feet, even deeper to 15 feet and then stopped, letting the bait do it's work. What in the world can a long plastic bait with no action from the angler??? Not much. Suspend, sink or float is all. But that's enough to trigger a bite. After getting the bait down, I've seen Buster wait for up to three minutes, letting the bait suspend. I guess it drives the fish crazy, especially aggressive walleye who finally thump the bait, not always to eat it but to stun or kill it. Thus the bigger, sharper hooks helps catch the walleye, a lot of times with the front hook. Weather conditions also play a huge factor in the success of the bait. In clear water under 50 degrees, the bait should be worked as slowly as possible. You really need to try to fish high percentage banks or trees because it takes some time to fish the bait properly. As the water warms the fish move more and can be caught on a faster retrieve. I have noticed that sunny days are usually better when the water is in the 40s. When it reaches the mid 50s cloudy days are better. I just had a conversation with Buster about a trip to Lake Fork located in northeast Texas. He travels there more than 10 times annually, hunting for big Texas bass, and he does well using his Missouri techniques. His trip in early March of this year wasn't the best trip, but it was a good one. When he arrived, local guides and the lodge owner were complaning about the cold weather and dropping water tempeeratures. Buster pulled out his rogus box and proceeded to catch numerous lunker bass including an eight-pounder caught right in front of a local guide and a client. Last trip he landed his biggest bass ever-- a 13.5-pound black bass on what else . . . a rogue. His secret -- work the rogue slower in colder water, letting it sit longer. He worked his magic along dropoffs and ledges, dropping the lure to the edge of the ledge and holding it there until he felt a thump. Even when the fish make their move into the grass the technique can be effective. When the fish get in the grass, the southern tradition is to crank a rattle-trap through it, which works sometimes. However; there are always those post-front days where the fish become sluggish. You want to weight the stickbait to the extent it will tick the top of the grass and then pause. This will trigger a lot of strikes that will just not happen with a faster moving bait. On Table Rock, working Buster's baits down to hardwood treetops is an art and an extremely successful one. Finding where the depth is on his graph, he knows how far the rogue will dive as he pumps his rod tip, working it down and stopping right where the bass live. From the fish's angle it's an invader that needs to be dealt with, right? Or is it a stray minnow from a nearby school that lost its way? However the fish thinks, if the technique catches a bass in an aggressive mood, hook up!! For walleye on Bull Shoals what do you look for? Lines of traffic. Where they travel, where they congregate. Ledges, channel edges, jets and points in a rock bluff wall, points, transition banks (where a bank changes from rock to mud or vise versa) and channel swings (where the channel swings from one side of the lake to the other -- and fishing where the channel begins and ends its swinging). In current, walleye like eddies, where structures either in the bank or bottom create slower currents close to faster current. Walleye will stack in these eddies, especially at night, and feed on forage fish who seek slower water to rest. Have we convinced you to try a rogue? Go to the gym and get your casting arm in condition before you go out, especially after the winter slumber season. Casting and jerking rogues all day is a workout in itself. I'll just say this: I wouldn't want to mess with Buster -- he has a wicked right cross.