Devan S.

I'm not sure in 9 days you will be any farther than you are today....especially with the amount of information you have given.

I would say we fished hard the first 2 miles..maybe...by hard I mean we stopped and got out and fished or waded sections. Really stopped getting out and stopping to fish about 2 miles in and just drug lures or tossed here and there and went into more of a float/paddle mode. I could easily see 1-1.5 miles either way from an access there was quiet a few guys wading so I assume those areas get a lot of pressure. Lots of cars in both lots. We probably stopped really fishing about the time we should have really started picking things apart more. Oh well will know better next time maybe.

Thought I would resurrect this.....At the farm in Eagle Rock, its really hot and dry at home in Cassville got a good localized rain yesterday I believe. I'm not sure the farm has had anything significant in awhile....been a lot of close calls. KY3 is showing predicted 2.5-4" rainfall over the next week and lower temps. I sure hope it pans out or I will be feeding hay in August.

Did my first fishing trip ever on Crooked Creek. Have never religiously fished for Smallmouth so take my report for what its worth. Put in at Mark Oliver/Georges Creek and floated to Kelly crossing. Caught probably 10 smallmouth....nothing big mostly 12-14" fish. Flukes and crawdad soft plastics. Fished hard the first half......ran out of time and passed a lot of what looked to be better water on the second half(hindsight I would float the first half and fish the second). Saw a really nice channel cat...and lots of nice carp. Spent way to much time trying to catch a carp. Water was right at 95-100cfs....we floated 2 big guys in a canoe.... only had to get out in a few sections but lots of bumping and banging....wouldn't go at a much lower level than it is for floating.

Going that far though shouldn't one assume that the actual size of the light bulbs plays in if your going to look at every single difference?

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Just free lining live bait? Brooders? Bream? Shad?

Lake was removed around 67/68....To me old times are 80/90's....Again I've never witnessed it. I have seen the stocking truck at the bridges themselves so that does happen but I generally find more fish about the mid-point between access. Probably due to the lower prevalence of the catch and keepers.

Out of the park(below Z3) is stocked albeit seemingly at a random timings. I think usually in late October or November there is a healthy stocking but that may have been slowed/stopped due to the hatchery being in construction. You are correct in that it will generally be stocked in roughly 3 places where road access is easy=bridge. I had heard in old times staff distributed trout throughout the lower section via floating basket but have never witnessed such activity. Likewise when those stockings happen locals have them cleaned up pretty quick like. I actually prefer fishing below the park. You are correct there are fairly large 200, 300, 400 yard sections of wasted water but the actual holding spots this time of year are really small and easy to find. I figure a hole may have 2 or 3 fish in each spot although larger ones have more. My biggest fish almost always come outside of the park(primarily due to how much I fish there vs. the park) . I have caught several browns over 18" outside the park and numerous good chunky bows outside all the way down to the lake. In fact, the largest rainbow I've ever caught was caught on RR outside the park.

If you strike out with the small stuff drifted right at them, I don't spend a lot of time changing 1 or 2 sizes or colors of styles. I got straight to the big stuff. Big fish are opportunistic and if they have a chance at a good meal right in front of them and they pass it up then its not meant to be for me. I want it to be big enough and aggressive enough they either run and hide or feel like they have to have it. Jigs, streamers, leeches, mega worms, big wooly, ect.

I think the number of people without electricity pales in comparison to the number of families that don't have access to reasonable internet. That number probably pales in comparison to the number of families that rely on both parents working full time(40+) hours per week and then trying to come home and teach.

Nice I bought a Red Eye shad in 3/4oz to chuck and got away from the WTD deal. I can fling it a loooooong way compared to a big spook. Haven't caught one yet but figured fishing the swirls dang near anything would work. Time will tell....come on fall.

you just throwing the keitech at swirls like you would top water or you actually fishing lower in the water column?

I've seen butterflies in mass like that in south Tx around Dilley and Cotulla. Driving in the middle of the day would sound like rain hitting the windshield there is so many. I doubt they ever set off doppler radar though. Out at the farm the flies are horrendous right now. Probably the worst I have seen in my lifetime. Maybe its a bad year for bugs.

Doesn't most of the northern states and even Canada have closed seasons. Not that you cannot fish but you cannot target and must release immediately? Thus regulating pressure to some degree?

Man those goldens are a neat bonus. That one looks a bit bigger than stocker so maybe its survived the barrage of fisherman/preadators?

Yep was at the farm last weekend or the weekend before and could see the clouds building.....could hear the thunder and see lightning but it just skirted by. Doubt it would have been enough to help but every little bit helps at this point. A 2" or 3" good night time rain would awesome about now.

At the Farm in Golden and house in Cassville, Cristobal was a dud. It amounted to basically zero measurable rainfall. It was honestly hot and dry at that point and 2" would have been just fine with me. Today is June 30 and last night was the first measurable rainfall since(not that it measures very much). Here is the US drought monitor as of last week. You can see the abnormally dry conditions were creeping east and south further and further into the watersheds. I don't see any good chance of rain in the long term forecast. Mid-May saw as 50% ahead on rainfall for the year.........it appears now the pendulum has swung the other way.

The easiest thing to do bar none will be to put a set of lights on a boat and head out looking for them after dark or get with bowfishermen they will know where to look. Just about every time I fish at Beaver for striper I have some gar chasing my lures. Many times floating the Kings in the summer I have seen large concentrations.

The tackle warehouse delay has hosed me 2 times now. Each time I have argued with the CS rep when trying to find or cancel my order. I get and understand delays and reduced staff/hours ect. but in both of my cases when I reached out they explained that it was effectively a manual hold and it wasn't even being released to be picked for 2 weeks. To me that isn't delays due to volume or reduced staff/hours. If that was the case it would be released right away and picked when they got time to do it. The second order was released, picked, and shipped from this "manual hold" within 2 days after the date they said it would. Looks like the delay is all due to they're system.

I would think a rut too. I mean look at it this way....you work and grind and work and grind....make a name for yourself and then for a few years your at the pinnacle. Then you start to miss your family....your kids......your free time.....fishing for fun.....maybe other hobbies. Sure you've made a killing via wins....but the grind and the fact that 2X as much money comes from other interest and the desire to chase down the win start fleeting. Sure you may sneak back around and slip in a win here or there and it gives you the feel goods again but you've been there and you know the costs. Unfortunately between the sponsorship requirements, media engagements, fishing, practice, travel and ultimately life.....you keep hammering at the things important too you and my guess is "winning" becomes the weakest link in that chain. Also probably why the young guys tear it up like they do. Their still on the upward trend and haven't hit the pinnacle where they're constantly running a time deficit in life.

My Neoprene's are cheap/junk. Until this year they get used once....maybe twice a year. Early white bass.....use to use them to wade and retrieve ducks in ponds. No more. They leak bad.....I would say they are more like a wet suit than waders....

Again this is only second hand knowledge but both these guys ran reefer and they complained about E-log and getting loaded/unloaded in reasonable times meant they set without getting paid until their time was up.

Its 2 fold in my opinion. One is that driving isn't a job cut out for everyone. Long periods away from family is hard. With the economy what it was many people that resorted to driving were able to find jobs that paid marginally close to what they made before. 2nd is the E-log stuff. I know 2 drivers who both have quit driving due to e-logs. I don't understand but hear through the grapevine that its a nightmare with mandatory shutdowns/restricted hours.