kyled

glad I asked! Thanks a bunch

I have not had a chance to make it up this year and was wondering how the ramp was? I know we had some flooding and it changes year to year. I am sure there will be some mud but can you get launched okay?

Money cant buy happiness but it can certainly give you some options, large boats, fast cars, and private planes being a few of them. My guess is the fear of death and the FAA keep the runways clear of people who cant get their plane out of the hanger, and speed limits do a pretty good job of making sure that those who want to drive a race car without the helmet or any training get safely from point A to B in about the same time as a guy in a Prius. Boats just seem to be the easiest way to separate an ego or mid life crisis victim from his wallet. However, making a horses arse out of yourself is not limited by your net worth or lack thereof. If you stand at the ramp above Hooten Town on the James River for a few minutes on any summer weekend or at Blunks on a busy white bass day you will see similar if not worse. It just seems like its the price you pay to enjoy the outdoors. If your boat is on lift, a low life at some point might steal something, if you trailer to a ramp at some point you are going to see a cluster beyond your wildest imagination (we all have stories). So all we can do is help when possible, not contribute to the problem (teach your kids), and know when its best to not involve yourself. On a side note...... my favorite ramp story. I watched a guy load an aluminum boat (tracker with maybe 50hp) on the trailer while blocking the entire ramp, make sure he got everything imaginable out of the boat and loaded in his truck then lean on the boat for five minutes talking to his buddy on the phone about how good the fishing was, after one more long look through the boat checking and rechecking storage lockers he got in his truck and gunned it when the truck and trailer started to roll back. This sent his boat sliding off the wet skids and landing on the ramp.... he never hooked up his winch or transom straps. So funny!!

I sure appreciate the tips, and will try the red worms and suggested depth and spots and report back soon.

Yep, I always catch those goggle eye on accident and on everything from finesse worms to full size brush hogs.... I have never seen any rhyme or reason to it though.

A few times lately I have tried to lay down the bass rods and catch a few panfish on ultra lights just for a change of pace. It seems like it would be very easy but to be honest I have had very limited success. There are always a few real small sunfish on the bank that will play but never anything consistent or much quality. I would appreciate any tips or guidance in the correct general direction.... I have tried dragging fake crickets and worms around off points in 10-20ft of water like has been suggested in past threads but not had any success. I fish mostly from Indian Point down to Kimberling. Would micro crank baits work better? or swimming minnows?

The s shape is pretty odd but the hump seems to happen fairly often. I call them Brahma bass, or camel bass and my theory is their hump is where they keep their water stored which is why they don't have to get a drink every day like other bass.... for the record I have no back ground in marine biology. My fishing buddy thinks these are the fish that eat all his pinchers off his paca chunk trailers and the plastic builds up in there. Its amazing how much time you have on your hands to think about stuff when your not getting bites.

Thanks for all your input!! I really appreciate it. I will put my due diligence in on the recommendations of other options before I pull the trigger, overall it sounds like just asking a simple question probably saved me time and a little disappointment and I am leaning more towards the Light if I do go the St. Croix route and it also made me think a little harder about reel selection and the entire combinations of rod, reel, and line. Thanks Again!

Can some of you more experienced anglers help clear up some confusion for me? I have fished my entire life but never really paid that much attention to equipment and some of the minor (or major) details. Recently I have been thinking about upgrading a few of my rods, and with spring approaching I would like to get a good quality rod primarily to throw 1/16 oz jigs at crappie, sunfish, and the occasional finicky white bass but could be used to throw 1/32 and 1/8 as well. I already have a couple of medium light rods made by falcon and shimano and they seem to be great for 1/8oz but loose some feel with 1/16. I know everyone has an opinion on rod companies but the two that I have been looking at are the St. Croix Premier 6ft ultra light or the 6ft light. I thought the ultra was the way to go but read an article in a magazine that stated a light action would almost always get more casting distance than an ultralight??? which confused me (I mean they tell right on the rod blank UL cast lighter jigs) .... My specific questions are: All things being equal (line, rod length, jig weight, rod maker) 1. which would give the best casting distance UL or L? 2. would one be more sensitive (bite detection) than the other? 3. Is there a rod I missed in that $100 range that is an absurdly better option? I want to thank you for your help in advance as well say thanks for the awesome information that helps me make the most of my time on TRock.

I have no idea what the bite would have been like, but for the high level and low level this is recorded at Shell Knob also included is the shoreline. Highest lake lever: April 27, 2011 (935.47) Lowest lake level: February 5, 1965 (881.54) Table Rock Lake shoreline length at 915: 745 miles Table Rock Lake shoreline length at 931: 857 miles

Really good info!!! That's what I was looking for, Thanks.

I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine the other day while fishing. Now keep in mind he is not any rougher on fish than most people but in the process of getting one unstuck and returned to the water I ask him "how old do you think that fish is?" I like to think I am more careful than most when handling a fish that is going to be released, but before I sound like I am preaching I have thrown my share of gills and crappie in a bucket. Regardless, it was just a fun jab between friends to get my point across. I soon realized when he guessed that I really had no idea. So like the nerd I am, I started doing a little research and it seems it depends on strain of bass, average water temp, forage... and so on. However, from what I found it looks like 5 or 6 years is pretty common for a bass to get to 15 inches? All of the charts put the fish at 17 inches around 10 years old. Does this seem correct to you guys or pretty accurate to table rock or have I just misinterpreted this research?

It seems few topics garner as much heated debate as thieves and boat docks. I have nothing of any substance to add but would like to point out a couple of things that have stood out to me in this thread. When words are written and not spoken they can easily be misinterpreted but it seems like this is what I have gotten from it. There are some of the opinion that step one is grab a gun and go protect your property. Then you have those who say if you got robbed its your fault and you should have put your boat in the garage and locked all rods in a gun safe. I feel the answer is not one or the other. To those who take it upon themselves to protect their property: I do carry a firearm with me most of the time, however its not to prevent theft. I despise thieves and just all around worthless people as much as the next guy. But if it came down to loosing one of my nice rods,graphs, tackle or have to deal with repercussions of killing a man over it. They can have it. A few hundred or even thousand dollars worth of property would be a drop in the bucket to my legal fees even if I am within my rights. Not to mention the emotional effects that cant be undone. I have insurance that will replace (for the most part) my property. To those who feel everyone should just assume your going to be stolen from. Sometimes people just want to vent a little, we all know there are thieves and at some point will be victimized by them. When that happens you are already mad enough and frustrated. Adding "I told you so" might not be the best course of action. A few of the comments seemed very calloused to say the least. If you cant show compassion or let someone vent, then no comment I guess is the next best option. Telling someone its their fault just piles it on and makes the experience a lot worse. Now back to fishing!!!

I have often wondered about the importance of color and I have gone back and forth on my opinion.....as of right now I feel color is not as important as action to bass (crappie is a different story). Even though I say that I still throw painted lead worm weights and jig heads because they look better to me

Alright........... I cant stand it any longer. At the risk of showing my ignorance, what does any of this top water action have to do with a Pony????? HEHEHE The name of this thread has been driving me crazy because I cant figure it out!! Just for the record if I need to purchase a Pony to get top water action like Babler and the rest of you fellas does anyone recommend a good stable or trainer because I am open to the idea?