tjulianc

I always seem to have some good outings in Feb when it comes to bass fishing. How much does the increase in daylight have to do with this, or do you guys think it has more to do with water temp? I know bass are cold blooded animals and temp has a direct relationship to their metabolism and feeding habits, but this time of year the temps are yo-yoing all the way in to April, but the one steady factor is an ever increasing amount of light. I don't want to downplay water temps, but I am wondering if most anglers underestimate the effect light has on bass? Also, along the same train of thought, the general rule is that bass move to shallow water this time of year because shallow water will warm up faster than deep water. But shallow water will also cool down faster too. Deep water will have more of a steady temp. So what triggers bass to go shallow to test out if the water is warmer or cooler? I wonder if bass instinctively move to shallow water regardless of water temps when the days get longer in anticipation of warmer temps to come? Thats just a hypothesis, I wonder what you guys think.

You're right, sure doubles can and do happen with, say a three treble jerkbait now and then, but not nearly as often as it would with an A-Rig. I think we are both on the same side of the issue, protecting our fisheries. I'm not signing or supporting the petition, but I am open minded to doing so in the future if evidence shows tournaments are using it to the detriment of the fisheries. How about starting a petition to ban tournaments during April and maybe the first 2 weeks of May? I figure all the big bass that get pulled off their beds during these tournaments does more damage than the A-Rig would. Maybe I'm wrong on this, but it seems that way to me.

http://mdc.mo.gov/si...2fishsumweb.pdf Page 40

Any fish you release immediately are not included in your limit. That seems clear to me. Its the same as fishing Ozark streams out of season. You can still fish, you just have to return all bass unharmed immediately.

Here is what the MDC says, Any fish you catch is included in your daily limit unless you release it unharmed immediately . You may not replace smaller fish in your possession with larger ones caught later . You need to make a keep-or-release decision as soon as the fish is caught . There is one exception: If, from September through June, you are a participant in a bona fide catch-and-release black bass tournament (one after which all bass are released alive), which requires entrants to have a boat livewell with adequate capacity and a pump constantly adding fresh or recirculating water, the black bass you release unharmed from the livewell need not be included in your daily limit . At no time may the daily limit be exceeded So as long as you release it unharmed immediately it is not included in your limit. If you had 5 fish in your live well and then caught multiple bass either on a A-Rig or a crankbait, would have to release the smaller fish immediately, then cull if you wanted too.

That isn't a tournament issue, but a state regulation issue. Its no different than if an angler fishing for sport and some food caught 6 legal bass and kept them, but still kept fishing just for fun. As long as the angler immediately releases each new bass he/she is legal to still fish, right? With MDC being a permissive code I'd think you could still cull.

On page 45 of regulation book, which is on the next to last page, it says, Pole and Line: Fishing methods using tackle normally held in the hand, such as a cane pole, casting rod, spinning rod or fly rod, or ice fishing tackle commonly known as a tip-up, to which not more than 3 hooks with bait or lures are attached . Does not include snagging, snaring, grabbing, trotlines, juglines or other tackle normally attached in a fixed position http://mdc.mo.gov/si...2fishsumweb.pdf

BASS has already banned the A-rig. I bet other groups will follow suit without any laws being passed. Better for the industry to police itself rather than legislation, that is my opinion on it anyway. I'd at least like to fish it before passing judgements on it. To me it seems like a tool to use in open water, which is not where I fish very often anyway, but if I did I'd sure give it a try. Sure it may get tiresome to fish with all day, but who says you have to and its probably not as hard to cast as you'd think, probably just a lob cast, and if you have the right rod and reel it wouldn't be a big deal. Definitely got to fish it on braid though. Its a new lure and I'm sure there are still some developments and improvement on it that will come out as time goes on. For example you could texas rig the softplastics instead of having open hooks. That would reduce the chance of foul hooking bass.

I don't know if there is a right and wrong way, whatever works for you keep doing it. But for me I prefer the lighter weight and more sensitive graphite rods with a fast action tip for jerkbaits. And since I prefer my rod tip pointed down, I like a shorter rod, so something 6'6" or shorter. I think the type reel is just a matter of preference, but I like to fish it with a baitcaster, unless it is very windy or I'm fishing one of the smaller jerkbaits.

Gotta love the old pistol grip lightning rods. I still got a couple that I plan on passing down to my son when he is old enough. Mine don't have any color or writing left on them though.

Reaction Innovations Little Dippers. Color depends on where I'm fishing and conditions. Also Zoom Swimmin Super Fluke. Some times on jig heads, some times with bullet weights and sometimes weightless, just depends on time of year and conditions.

The new Lew's line of gear for crappie looks pretty nice, and has gotten some good reviews. They have a lot of variety of gear and it all seems priced pretty good too. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewicast11lews.html

When I was doing research on buying a canoe, I found a lot of forums/websites where paddlers complained that Wenonah, specifically the Vagabond and Wilderness models, placed the seat too far forward, making the canoe bow heavy and causing the canoe to plow through the water. But these were paddlers that kneeled while canoeing. Wenonah explained that they designed their canoes more for sitting in the seat, but that they did push the seat back enough to allow for kneeeling, but for most of these guys it wasn't placed back far enough. So I guess its just different strokes for different folks.

I'm also looking for a pair of wading boots this winter. I'm looking pretty hard at the Chota's STL. Any opinions on them compared to Simms Freestone boot?

As a side note/question, if one was to get stocking foot waders, how important are the wading boots? I've seen prices range from 35-150. What about wading shoes as compared to boots. I do most of my fishing in and out of a canoe, so shoes seem a little more comfortable than boots, since I won't be hiking long distances. Will I be transferring a lot of water into my canoe from the water absorption in my wading boots/shoes? Currently I've been just using some rubber hip boots that are keeping me mostly dry, but not very comfortable, and I can't wade out as far as I would like. On a positive note, water sheds off the rubber boots very fast, so I keep my canoe dry. I think its time for me to upgrade to some quality breathable waders, so I've been reading up on some wader threads. Thanks for the input. Kayser, you said you just used old shoes and sandals, since then you bought wading boots, are they worth the purchase? What about just using some water shoes, like these:

This is a 40 lb thrust, but though I'd point it out to you anyway, just in case you didn't see it. http://fayar.craigslist.org/spo/2667293546.html

I'm pretty sure that is a largemouth since the dorsal fin is deeply notched. Spotted bass sometimes have red irises too. In the case of spotted bass, the iris is red in breeding males. So I wonder, if in smallmouth bass, males have red eyes, females don't? Its an interesting question, I've also wondered about.

I didn't know Denali's were made here in the Ozarks. I'll have to check them out next time I'm in the market. There are several good rod builders in the area and I would rather use one of them than a made in China brand. When it comes to G.Loomis, I wonder how much of the cost is in the lifetime, no questions asked warranty?

Thats is mostly a good thing though. I called Ernie at KRO yesterday and asked him if the river was floatable above Rockhouse(thinking this rain might help), and he said the entire river wasn't floatable. I guess he is ready to hang up the spikes early this year. Did you call Riverside Resorts, they shuttle there the most?

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I forgot to add that my canoe is Royalex. You'll find some options for Royalite, Mohawk and Nova Craft have this option in some models, but I don't think the weight reduction is enough to off set the loss of ruggedness. I don't know what others think about Royalite, but I'd stay with regular Royalex. I guess if you had lots of long portages it might come in handy, or if you canoed areas that weren't rocky, like Florida, it would be a good choice. Another downside to Kevlar canoes is they are much more expensive. That alone kept me away. This article is a little long, but is the best explanation on the difference between Royalex and polyetheylene that I have found: http://www.madrivercanoe.com/news_item/index/news_and_events/news_listing/royalex_or_3_layer_polyethylene/

I also have a Spirit II, and I am very happy with it. I'll probably keep it until I wear it out. Its a little soft in the middle (oil cans), but that also helps you slip over those submerged rocks you don't see until its too late. If you are planning on going on multi night trips, I'd opt for a 17' canoe over a 16' if you can. That extra foot makes packing much easier, storing all your extra rods easier(I bring 6'6" and 6'10" rods with me in the stern seat), and you'll float in shallower water with the extra length. Unless you're planning on running some white water, I think the spirit II is the best bet for a tandem, tripping, fishing canoe.

Yes, but what if their population has increased? I'd say there would be a decrease the number of shellfish in streams. But, according to this research article the main concern is poor gravel mining practices and poor land use practices, such as removal of streamside trees. So, these other factors probably greatly outweigh any raccoon boom, I first hypothesised.

I wonder if its more of a raccoon problem. They don't get hunted/trapped like they use to since their hides aren't worth as much. Their tough and smart, so I don't think they get killed by coyotes very much either. I know they love to eat crawdads. Too bad coon tails didn't come into style like the hackle did.