Ozark Outdoorsman

Bill me and my good friend from KS fished today around Baxter and did pretty well on spoons in 55-90 ft of water. 12 fish All K's and all fat as can be, but we fished from 11:30 to 3:30 and all of our fish were caught before 1 o clock. They seemed to shut off after that, we could not get bit on jerk baits (mcstick, pointer 100) and I also threw a 5xd, and slow swam a swim jig on channel side of steep banks with 1 bite but couldn't get him hooked. Gonna fish the James mouth tomorrow, hope to better our totals.

Bill how deep were you finding your fish? I am sure it varies but what was the most consistent bite?

Table Rock

Did you guys see the 10.9 that Rick Lisek Jr. caught the other day on an A rig?

I havnt fished for a week, but what I found was fish are not on a full "winter" pattern due to the up and down weather we have had. I have found a few on a Spoon, and several on a Jerk Bait. I do no know what the water temp is this week howeverm but I will be on the lake next week in full force.

Guys I put in yesterday at Indian and fished all over the place.. down towards the dam back up towards Kimberling. Big and Little Indian could only manage 2 short K's. It was very tough for me.. I used a spoon and tried finding shad and thats what I caught the 2 shorts on. I missed a good bite slow rolling a swim jig in 25 fow by a dock. I also tried throwing a Mcstick and a grub with no success.

The Abu Orra is a great real for the price. I have one along with two other Revo's and they are durable, fit in your hand nice and easily serviceable. Best reals on the list.. for the money.

Same temps for me as well down to the AR line in Long Creek. Water has a lot of color in it around Cape and LC.

I will second yo on that Duck, me and a good friend from KC fished pretty hard at Cape Fair yesterday and Long Creek today and had some of the worst fishing I have experienced on Table Rock. Threw a jig yesterday and caught a few and had some good bites but fish aren't eating a jig at all. Thew warts, and a Rip bait for a while to nothing fish are not active at all. Spoon'd a few docks and lost a decent fish. Today we did a lot of the same down at Long Creek and had a rough day. I was graphing a lot of fish right in the channel in creek arms but they won't eat a dang thing. It was pretty windy today too, seen some guys on some off shore structure, didn't tie on the drop shot but maybe should have. Just wasn't in the mood to battle the wind today.

Of course someone else likes to throw an aurora black sammy.

I have been out the last 2 mornings (Friday, Sat) and there are more bass boats running around this lake than you can shake a stick at. Fishing was tough this morning, caught 7 and 1 keeper. Friday I caught 14 and 3 keepers, nothing big just keepers. Seems like we are having a long string of tournaments and it is taking its toll. All the BASS guys are running all over the lake looking for fish. I am a derby fisherman so I have nothing against them, although we need to take care of the fish we take to weigh in. Short story.. In the last heartland team T at the Rock on sept 10, I was taking my fish I had weighed down to the waters edge to release them, I revived my fish for a min and watched them swim away.. they were tired but unharmed. Minutes later another angler with nice bag of LMB's just turned his bag upside down and dumped his fish over the side of the dock. I watched them as they hit the water harshly, and they kind of fluttered and sank without swimming away. I felt like hitting this guy in the face, but all I could do was shake my head. These are the very fish we love and are trying to catch in competition and he is just disrespecting them in the worst way. Thought I would vent a little, and all the tournament action lately definently has the fish beat up.

Bill I am glad you had a good morning because man was I humbled. After my nice outing on the 28th I thought I'd hit the water again this morning. I put in at Baxter this time which was a first for me and the whole area being a first as well. I started fishing around point 16, and scoped a road bed with a few fish on it and threw a War Eagle 1/2 and a Sammy across it to nothing. Then picked up the TM and buzzed around towards point 17, fished it with a jig and a blade.. nothing. Then I headed towards Big Bay and hit a few bluff ends with cedars on the way which produced 3 blacks on a shot, 1 keeper. Then I headed into the big bay area and fished a cedar covered flat/cove mouth with a blade and a jig and didn't do worth a darn. So I headed back towards Baxter and tucked into Cedar Hollow and found my next 3 fish dragging the Pigsticker. All LMB's 2 keeps on the day right at that 15" mark.. rough day.

How much did that run you? At 100 hours I am going to have every filter on the thing changed.

Hey guys I have an '06 200 Vmax HPDI hanging on the back of my boat. I really like the motor it has been good me thus far. I know they have A LOT of filters that need regular service, I have always owned Mercurys in the past so now who should I trust for service of my Yammy?

I had a lot of the same this morning in the middle of the James. I caught 20-25 fish on top with 3 being keepers. The fog was so thick I couldn't get to my spot until 7:45. Once there the fish were chasing like mad, and it lasted till around 10. I then picked up the shakey, couldn't buy a bite. Picked up the pigsticker and caught 3 more nice K's to round out my day, off the water by noon.

I guess I won't be fishing this event, I looked at the calender and I have to work... Work is for suckers! Can't I just fish for my career.

I am thinking about fishing the Big Bass Bash, I havn't fished LOZ in a few years and am not very familiar with the area but I am kin dof intrigued with the though of fishing this event. I was wondering if any of you have ever fished it, and if so is the place jam packed with boats?

From my experience with TR the last year and a 1/2, it is still going to be busy just about anywhere you go unless you get up the James arm. It may even be busy but it is more fishing traffic and smaller boat traffic. If the weather is good the skiers and pleasure boaters will be out just got to fish around em.

I like to use the lightest line I can get away with, but I am going to go to 10 or 12 lb test on that particular rod as I also like to throw lipless baits, and jerk baits on it. I knew right away when I started throwing the TW that the line that was on that reel wasn't fit for a top water. Didn't have a spool with me at the time. I am glad to hear that the Bass should make it, they never did float anywhere in the area as I fished it for another hour or so after I caught them. That whole school of fish was eating the spoon pretty nicely in the creek channel of this particular arm.

Hey guys hit the water at about 6:45 this morning, and fished a jig for a while on a secondary point and a main lake point.. nothing doing. Drop shotted a couple of different main lake spots.. again nothing doing. Then we picked up and moved towards the back of a wind blown creek arm and it was game on. I pulled in and hit a few docks with a drop shot that I have had success on lately.. nothing but I was noticing a bunch of top water action behind me in the creek channel. I tied on my brand new Sammy 115 and 2nd cast a solid keeper lmb smashed it and halfway back to the boat a battle in sued and another solid keeper tried taking the Sammy out of the hooked fishes mouth. Ended up hooking both of em and got them to the boat and there was 4 other keepers trailing the hooked 2. Went to reach for my next and they both turned and broke 8 lb magnathin like it was no problem.. I was heart broken to see 2 solid fish with my Sammy hooked to each other swim away. Unfortunately they will probably be hooked up untill they tire out and die. Tied a spook on to try to get back into the top water and they wouldn't touch it. Went to spoon and sat the boat in the creek channel and caught 4 more keepers and couple shots. I seen someone land 2 on one crank bait earlier this year and I was very disappointed to see my double swim away. All in all just another great day on TR.

Well I misread my manual, I can run any octane rating over 86 so I will probably just run the 91, there are a few stations in Branson West that offer ethanol free premium.

My only concern is my '06 Yammy HPDI is supposed to run on 87 octane.. nothing mroe is recommended.

Is there anywhere around the lake to get Ethanol free regualr octane gas?

The boat traffic on the Rock is rediculous anywhere where you go anymore. I love fishing the lake, but my god the people who are out pleasure boating are just idiots. The weekends are especially bad, and god forbid you are in a tournament on the weekend and you want to make a little run over to the rivers... its like hell and really beats the hell out of our boats.

Went out again this morning and managed 7 fish 3 keepers. Put in at Indian Point and headed towards the Dam area and hit a few of my spots. Caught a couple early this morning 1 keeper LMB on a XD6 Crank on a long run out I found on the graph. Then I headed into Jaques creek to see what I could find, and found 2 more keepers up shallow in the bushes on a 10 inch Zoom worm before it got too hot. Then I backed out into deeper water and tried my pigsticker 1/2 oz tipped with a netbait paca chunk which has been a fish catching machine the last few weeks... no bites at all. Stupid boat traffic ran me out of there so I headed back towards Kimblerling and fished a pole timber littered cove, and point 10-20 fow with the jig.. no bites. It was getting hot at this point probably 10 O clock so i picked up the 'rig for my other 3 fish all shorts, all K's. I am seeing A LOT of suspended fish on my graph so I may have to hire Bill to get my drop shot game up to par . If you guys ever see a white and green Hawk Super 1900 with a HPDI hanging off the back of it buzz by and say hi.